Helicopter Pilot Training - For Those Who Love Flying
If you love flying, you can start with helicopter pilot training, and who knows, this may be the beginning of a new career for you. Moreover, for those who love challenges, the helicopter is an interesting type of aircraft that requires a lot of skills and good reflexes to fly successfully. Unlike airplane pilots, the helicopter pilot must be able to handle the feeling of moving in various directions quickly and easily. You may also consider becoming a pilot for the USAF if you like the challenge of flying military missions. Other career paths that may be available to you due to helicopter pilot training are in the fields of law enforcement, tourism, fire fighting, forestry, emergency medical services, news media, and aerial surveying.
Helicopter flight schools could be found in various states, including Virginia (VA) but there are certain factors that you should consider when picking the right school for your needs. These include the length of time that the school has been in operation, the certification of the school and the flight instructors, if the schedule of the helicopter pilot training in that school is not in conflict with your current job, the tuition fee and the possibility of obtaining financial help. Other things to take into account include the number of hours that it would take for you to get a helicopter pilot license, the insurance requirements, and the kinds of helicopters that are available for your use.
Private pilot training will be completed with written and oral tests, and a check ride. A minimum flight time of 10 hours for solo flight and a total of 40 hours flight time would be needed before the student pilot would be permitted to take the tests for the private pilot license that will be issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A third class FAA medical certificate will also be needed to ensure that the applicant is healthy and within the specified limits as to color vision, blood pressure, near vision, hearing and distant vision. Aside from these, the student pilot should not have any substance addiction, severe personality disorder, bipolar disorder, or any psychosis.
The next step in helicopter pilot training is getting a commercial pilot license. For the commercial helicopter pilot, this means at least 150 hours of flight time and a private pilot license. As usual, there will also be a check ride and other tests. The candidate should also have a second class FAA medical certificate. And for those who want to obtain a commercial pilot license for airplanes, the required flight time is 250 hours. They should also have instrument and multi-engine ratings. For the instrument rating, the pilot must know how to fly the airplane without using visual clues and by depending only on the instruments. A separate training course is available for instrument flight training and this should be taken first by those who want to become commercial pilots for airplanes. The airline transport pilot certificate is the next step for those who want to become the captain of a large commercial airplane.
