Located 35 miles away in Ellington, Connecticut, is Northeast Helicopters, the country's oldest helicopter training school. The school offers private, commercial and flight-instructor training courses. The courses offer a combination of flight and ground school with an emphasis on pre-flight inspections to ensure safe flying. The courses offer three stages of flying time: basic maneuvers, advanced flying solo and night flying, and advanced navigation and aviation studies.
Northeast Helicopters
Ellington Airport (7B9)
Ellington, CT 06209
866-NE-HELOS
860-871-2054
northeasthelicopters.com
Just 20 miles south of Bristol, in Yalesville, is AirOcean Aviation, which offers a number of helicopter services, including advanced training. First-timers can purchase a one-time helicopter flying lesson or train for a private, commercial or instructor's license.
The school uses a Schweizer 300 aircraft for training and offers a classroom series for on-the-ground training. The first 20 hours of flight instruction prepare a student for his or her first solo flight, followed by some advanced maneuvering and instruction. Licensing certification is usually reached after a student accrues 50 hours of flying time.
AirOcean Aviation
120 Church Street
Yalesville, CT 06492
203-294-8800
airocean.com
Blue Hill Helicopter Academy is about two hours away in Norwood, Massachusetts. This school offers a number of open-house events that feature rides in academy helicopters. The academy offers full licensing requirements for all pilot levels. It even offers a mountain flying course that takes advantage of the school's proximity to the Franconia Notch, with training in high-density altitudes, mountain weather systems and ridge-flying.
Blue Hill Helicopters
125 Access Road
Norwood, MA 02062
781-688-0263
bluehillhelicopters.com