Commercial Helicopter Certificate Question

[TravisUK]

I am a little confused about the regulations on the commercial helicopter cert. I currently hold a private cert in airplane land and want to get a comm helicopter cert. I have to have 35 hours PIC in helicopters, but in the R22 you can't log PIC till you get 200 hours in the aircraft, so I have to get 200 hours flying before I can start to log the 35 PIC hours needed for the commercial? I am so confused.

Thanks, Travis

[mikelimapapa]

Travis,

You definitely are confused. Any hours flown post private or solo can be logged as PIC. SFAR 73 states that you must have a minimum of 200 hrs total time and 50 hrs in an R22 to be able to instruct in the R22. You will also need to have a PIC endorsement from an authorized instructor every 12 calender months to be able to fly solo in the R22, unless you meet the 200hr total/50hr R22 requirement.

Mike

[thecontroller]

you cant log PIC unless you are rated in category and class OR you are flying under a PIC endorsement from an instructor

[HillerBee]

You need 20 hours of dual before you can be signed of to go solo in the R-22. When you have that, you can do your 35 hours of solo where you obviously be the PIC. So there's nothing to be confused about.

[thecontroller]

35 hours solo will be a waste of money. far better sense to get your PPL(H) and then do manuevers with an instructor for your CPL, and log it as PIC

[rudestuff]

Agreed.

You could do 20 dual then 35 solo, but remember you are going for commercial so you'll then need to do another 20 hours plus flying with an instructor to get your autos/confined/pinnacles up to scratch (and to get out of the bad habits you'll have picked up whilst solo all that time!)
So you're looking at 75+ hours

If you get your private (or even - dare i say it - recreational) you can start logging PIC asap - even whilst doing commercial maneuvers with a CFI. Less time solo and more time with CFI = less hours to commercial.