Training, hours building and first job prospects in America
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: An Irish dude in Houston, TX. I miss home!!!
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Careful Now!!
Check out Welcome To Vertical Air Services
I suggest to anyone that is signing up for this course to read the fine print very carefully. Or better yet, take the school contract to a lawyer to read it over and have them explain it to you. This promise, that they're giving you could put a small school out of business very quickly if they got the wrong student(s).
Althought it doesn't happen very often, you will have people from time to time struggle with getting all their ratings in under 200 hours. So lets say you have a student that takes 250 hours to get finished up. These guys are basically saying that they will absorb the extra cost of these extra hours. What if it takes someone 300 hours to become ready to pass their CFI checkride? That's a lot of money, and I doubt any small business or any large business in it's right mind could or would absorb these extra costs.
Whatever you do, if you do sign up with these guys, don't pay all up front. Because if the school does have the bad fortune of having a particularly dense student(or worse, a couple of them) then those guys will be eating into all the money that you put up front for your training and before long, VOILA, you have another Silver State Helicopters situation on your hands, all be it on a much smaller scale. But if a school does close up shop still owing you anywhere between $1,000 to 65,000, that is never small scale for someone who is trying to become a pilot.
Now I stand to be corrected, like always, but this site has tripped some of my common sense alarm bells and I urge everyone to approach it with caution. Otherwise, it does seem like a really good deal when the Turbine Time is thrown in!!!
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: South Florida
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Key West doesnt seem to be that good of a choice for a training location.
Key West Airport is bordered by the Key West NAS that would make volume solo patterns a little challenging.
Water all around except for the little chain of Islands up to Miami makes cross country options a little limited.
Accomodation is very expensive down there and the airport is some distance away from the town.
The drive from Miami is around 3.5 hours making it a long drive after a flight.
Not many other training airports close by without a long expensive ferry up the Island Chain.
Key West is a cool place for a 'one off' cross country but the busy airpace on the main part of florida offers many more options for a better training environment and better all round flying experience.
Turbine transition in the US is somewhat useless unless you have 1,000 hrs PIC and at that point most employers will pay for it for you.
The other training location suffers badly from weather and would restrict the number of 'flyable' days. Today its forcast dense fog initially followed by 25 kt winds later when the fog clears.
The distance between both locations is huge thus limiting the chances to move students between both sites.
Otherwise a 'pretty' website
Key West Airport is bordered by the Key West NAS that would make volume solo patterns a little challenging.
Water all around except for the little chain of Islands up to Miami makes cross country options a little limited.
Accomodation is very expensive down there and the airport is some distance away from the town.
The drive from Miami is around 3.5 hours making it a long drive after a flight.
Not many other training airports close by without a long expensive ferry up the Island Chain.
Key West is a cool place for a 'one off' cross country but the busy airpace on the main part of florida offers many more options for a better training environment and better all round flying experience.
Turbine transition in the US is somewhat useless unless you have 1,000 hrs PIC and at that point most employers will pay for it for you.
The other training location suffers badly from weather and would restrict the number of 'flyable' days. Today its forcast dense fog initially followed by 25 kt winds later when the fog clears.
The distance between both locations is huge thus limiting the chances to move students between both sites.
Otherwise a 'pretty' website
Last edited by anti-talk; 11th Oct 2008 at 15:54.
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Arizona
Age: 58
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Training in San Diego
Hey there!!
I am hoping that someone has first hand or second hand knowledge of Corporate Helicopters in San Diego.
I am a private pilot looking to get commercial and IR, and am considering Corporate for my training.
I would love any feedback.
Thanks!!
I am hoping that someone has first hand or second hand knowledge of Corporate Helicopters in San Diego.
I am a private pilot looking to get commercial and IR, and am considering Corporate for my training.
I would love any feedback.
Thanks!!
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Not always were I want to be
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Faa Atpl
Hey guys,
Where would the best place be in the States be to aquire an FAA ATPL licence. I've tryed contacting Hillsboro in Oregan but they have not responded.
Is there any other decent schools around that provide FAA ATPL training? Recommendations please? 
Where would the best place be in the States be to aquire an FAA ATPL licence. I've tryed contacting Hillsboro in Oregan but they have not responded.
Is there any other decent schools around that provide FAA ATPL training? Recommendations please?
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Toledo, OH
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HC,
You might look at Salaika Aviation out of Texas. Their website is Salaika Aviation Helicopter Flight Training. I used them for my Instrument and CFII. They are small enough to be fairly flexible.
You might look at Salaika Aviation out of Texas. Their website is Salaika Aviation Helicopter Flight Training. I used them for my Instrument and CFII. They are small enough to be fairly flexible.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Planet Y
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Check out Ben (owner & CEO) from Mauna Loa Helicopter Training Schools Great crew, great location, very professional & helpful bunch. I did my ATPL(H) there & was very happy with the whole package. PM me if you want more details. Cheers
Where would the best place be in the States be to aquire an FAA ATPL licence. I've tryed contacting Hillsboro in Oregan
I'm sure they'll get back to you as soon as they can.
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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I see there is a few deals on flights to the US at the moment. Looking for a school operating the R44 near orlando if anyone knows of anywhere. SPL with about 40 hours, looking for a few hours with an instructor for a bit of fun flying. Anyone have any ideas?
3-4"? You obviously weren't there on the 23rd when we shoveled the stuff off the ramp... The weather guy said Portland got 16", the most ever recorded there.
Well, not in the pacific northwest at least.
Americans does not know how to deal with snow
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: An Irish dude in Houston, TX. I miss home!!!
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Quote:
Americans does not know how to deal with snow
Well, not in the pacific northwest at least.
Americans does not know how to deal with snow
Well, not in the pacific northwest at least.
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: California
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first job locations
I'm considering getting my commercial helicopter license. However, one of the main sticking points for me is my inability to relocate far from my current home in Northern California. There are schools nearby so the training side of things wouldnt be a problem. My concern is what will happen once I accrue enough hours and start looking for my first job. Is it reasonable to expect to find a position where I could work something like a 14 on/14 off schedule and fly in and out of the job location every couple weeks?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: An Irish dude in Houston, TX. I miss home!!!
Age: 43
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Hi DirtyB,
If you go to this link So you want to become a helicopter pilot....... . It's also a sticky at the top of the rotorheads forum. Pretty much everything you'd need to know is in there. If you have more questions after reading that, then by all means ask away.
But for a short answer to your question, your first job as a helicopter pilot will more than likely be as a flight instructor until you get yourself about a thousand or twelve hundred hours under your belt. That takes about 11/2 to 2 years after qualifing as a flight instructor. Then you can move on to a job that lets you do 14 and 14, flying to oil rigs in the Gulf Of Mexico(GOM) or something like that.
P.S: Welcome to Rotorheads, and I love your choice of screen name!!!
If you go to this link So you want to become a helicopter pilot....... . It's also a sticky at the top of the rotorheads forum. Pretty much everything you'd need to know is in there. If you have more questions after reading that, then by all means ask away.
But for a short answer to your question, your first job as a helicopter pilot will more than likely be as a flight instructor until you get yourself about a thousand or twelve hundred hours under your belt. That takes about 11/2 to 2 years after qualifing as a flight instructor. Then you can move on to a job that lets you do 14 and 14, flying to oil rigs in the Gulf Of Mexico(GOM) or something like that.
P.S: Welcome to Rotorheads, and I love your choice of screen name!!!