Located in Denton, Texas, All American Helicopters trains and certifies people who want to be helicopter pilots. Certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), All American Helicopters provides individual training sessions so that the expert instructor can give total attention and concentration to improving your strengths and correcting your weaknesses. All American Helicopters has numerous programs from which to choose. Private Rotorcraft/Helicopter is a beginners course for both career-track pilots and hobbyists. Having the private pilot license will enable you to fly your family and friends around and prepare you to fly almost any type of helicopter with minimal additional training. The Instrument Rating Training program teaches pilots to fly in and through limited-visibility conditions, relying entirely on the instruments on the aircraft. The Commercial Pilot Helicopter Training program trains and certifies pilots to begin their helicopter careers. The course will challenge you to perfect the maneuvering techniques and flight skills that you developed in the preliminary program, and once you complete the course you will be officially qualified to carry passengers and cargo around and to get paid for the service.
American Helicopters, in northern Virginia, offers helicopter flight training programs that teach people who want to become pilots how to fly and how to buy a helicopter. The FAA-approved courses encompass FAA Part 141 and Part 61 professional helicopter flight training procedures and meet the FAA minimum requirements for certification. The programs are based on flight training methods developed by the company's instructors, and the courses can train and certify you to obtain a private, commercial, instrument and flight instructor certificate.
Located in Fresno, California, American Helicopter World has been ranked as one of the best helicopter flight instruction schools in North America by the Association of Professional Flight Schools of America. Its programs can equip and certify you for a private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument rating and flight instructor's license.
The Private Pilot program requires 150 ground school hours and 150 hours of fight time; for 50 of those flying hours you must be accompanied by the instructor. The Commercial Pilot program requires an additional 55 hours of ground school and 55 hours of flight time. To receive a Flight Instructor certificate you must complete 15 additional hours of flight time and 20 hours of ground time, and to achieve the Instrument Rating certificate you will need to complete 30 more hours of flight time with an instructor, 60 more hours of ground training and 10 hours of simulator training. You can take two programs concurrently when they are compatible with each other, which helps to expedite the process and save money.
Guidance Helicopters is a helicopter flight school in Prescott, Arizona. To enroll in its FAA-approved Private Pilot Certificate program, you must be at least 17 years old, be able to read and write, and be capable of speaking and reading English fluently. A Robinson R22 Beta II is used for the course. The school has a pilot weight restriction of 200 pounds; if you weigh more, the Robinson R44 Raven II can be substituted, for an additional cost. Once you receive your Private Pilot Rotorcraft-Helicopter Certificate, you will be eligible to take the Instrument Pilot Rating program. To complete this program you must pass a knowledge exam, successfully complete a practical test and demonstrate that you are capable of safely and effectively flying through clouds and other conditions where visibility is inhibited. To obtain a Commercial Pilot Certificate you must be at least 18 years old and have a Private Pilot license. Once you fulfill the required number of flight hours and pass the knowledge exam and practical test, you will be a certified commercial pilot and you will be able to get paid to fly people or cargo around the sky. Though an Instrument Rating license is not required to get a commercial license, to get jobs as a commercial pilot you usually need to demonstrate that you can fly through clouds, and an instrument license would accomplish this requirement for most jobs.