SIMPLE solution - then dont go. Its not rocket science. But going on and on and on about this wont change anything. Try dealing with Airbus or Bell - have a look at what they charge for their courses.

But enough is enough on this thread - be nice to actually discuss some of the plans Robinson has that David spoke about in this video.

I liked going there every 2 years. THAT'S the problem!

,...and AGAIN pilots aren't paying to go to Airbus and Bell courses, their employers are. We are paying for Robinson. Why is this distinction so hard for you all to comprehend?!

As for discussing other things Robinson is doing? No one is stopping you! Besides, all you guys generally do here is bash "Robos" for its "widow maker", "flimsy copter" design. I'm sorry if I'm keeping you from that.

Robbiee, Ned is right. Behaving in a professional manner when interacting with Dave isn't too much to ask.
PPRuNe.
You don't have to agree with him, but where you disagree please do so in a professional tone.

Thank you in advance.

Not that I really care what Robinson do, but to double ones price over 2 years does seem extreme, even if it is catching up. I challenge anyone who actually runs a helicopter company ( I do with 6 machines ) to tell me what would happen if they doubled their charge out rate It is easy to charge what you want when you are a monopoly position. Having said this what Robinson are charging seems pretty reasonable, I guess they were running the course as a loss leader service to their customers ( hats off to that ) and an account has now seen this and said we should be making a margin or at least not costing.

How does the cost of optional pilot training materially affect the charge out rate of a training operation?
From what has been stated above, actual operational expenses have been kept flat.

Since the pandemic have your rates and salaries remained flat?

To put costs into perspective, in the tech sector to maintain certification levels, ones that are not overly complex we have to spend in excess of $2000 per 3 day, remotely administered course. Multiplied by 3 per person, per year.

Even if it were mandatory to attend Robinson's training every two years, that is $75 per month excluding expenses.
If you are doing this as a contractor it would be also be tax deductible.

I am really struggling to understand how this could be considered a material cost in the greater scheme of things.

You dont really get my point, it is the rate of increase from inflation to doubling. To be honest a waste of time posting really

We actually increased class time and flight time over last year as well. We had cut back the program by 1 day during the pandemic as I understand and now are back to 4 days and now up to 1.3 flight hours. I believe we were at 1.1 flight hours.

For what its worth;

The course takes place over four days. Monday and Tuesday are full days with a break for lunch and a factory tour. Wednesday is a half day with flying in the afternoon, or flying in the morning and class in the afternoon, depending on your flight time. Thursday is about an hour and a half lecture with a test at the end. We're generally going home by 11:30.

My six flights ranged from a 1.0 to a 1.2 depending on with whom I flew. The flight is about 98% practicing the auto glide from 1,500' over the harbor. The quality of the autos depends on with whom you fly. A few guys showed me some cool sideways/slip autos, and a few others only did max glide/minimum rate as the "enhanced autos" part. You won't be doing the initial pickup, takeoff, or taxi and final landing. In fact the only "normal" thing I did was a couple pickups after hover autos. If you're lucky (and not using a customer ship) you can do a touchdown auto when you get back to TOA.

There's donuts in the morning, and sandwiches for lunch.

When was the last time you attended? It sounds like you are mostly describing the older arrangement, times, and policies.

February 2020

yes it’s different these days… not radically different but we intentionally made changes to ensure students leave with more flight time. We now have a full time instructional staff that lead the program and have evolved the course since the years when Tim Tucker led the program. We also have the benefit of more cockpit camera footage that helps to enrich the class with more immersive material.

but you will have to pay our outrageous prices to see it all 😏

Thanks, but I think I'll let GenZ take this one.