How To Pick A Helicopter School For Training
Barney Garcia
A career in flying helicopters or airplanes is a dream of many
youngsters. Learning to fly is an expensive affair. It is very
important to choose the best helicopter training school that trains
you in
flying. Visit the school; meet with the owner/president, look
the facilities and aircraft over. Make a note of the pertinent
information and compare it with their information brochure. The
following aspects should be checked out before arriving at a
decision:
· Does the school have single or multiple helicopters? A single
helicopter facility will have a difficult time schedule and
mechanical problems may cause lesson cancellations, where as
with multiple helicopters another helicopter can be
substituted.
· Talk to a couple of instructors. Ask questions, such as if
the instructor is happy with his job and the management,
maintenance and general shape of helicopters. Observe the
instructor’s body language as answers.
· How is time charged for training? Is it when you start
helicopter or when you enter school portals? Rate sheet is
broken down by dual Instruction, solo and rental rates.
· Find out the pass/fail ratio of the school.
· The school should have a syllabus showing lesson plans,
number of flying hours etc. It should be FAA Part 141 approved.
Find the cost and number of hours to get the rating.
· Check if the school’s insurance company does not waive
subrogation; you could be held responsible for entire cost of
the helicopter if there is an accident during training. Keep
the price of renter’s insurance when you determine cost of
flying in the particular school.
· Determine the maintenance of the fleet. It is very important
safety factor. Ask for conducted test ride.
· Does the school have a regular ground school? Who will be
responsible for its cost and cost of materials like textbooks,
plotters etc. Does the school supply headsets or do you have to
buy them? They range from $300 to $1000 - a significant cost.
· Find out the payment process, whether it is advance or in
part; also the bonus if any, for down payment.
· A private pilot certificate normally takes 55 hours flying
time for an airplane pilot and 65 hours for non-pilot. If the
school is taking 90 to 100 hours, then it must be
‘overtraining’ them in order to get additional revenue.
· Get references from at least two current and two ex-students
for checking on school’s training program.
Talk to students who have already soloed/passed from the same
school for honest and reliable information of the school before
signing in.
About The Author: Barney Garcia writes about many different
topics. He is a proud contributing author and invites you to
his websites. http://www.the-helicopter-school.info and
http://www.helicopter-school-resource.info
<< ------------- End of Free Reprint Article ---------- >>
See Also:
All Free Articles About Jobs & Careers
All Free Reprint Articles
Find More Free Articles
