Helicopters Education and Training

Make your desire to fly a helicopter for business take flight
By Thomas Langford Whether you're flying business helicopters, a military helicopter or a helicopter charter, it is critical to have proper instruction before you take the controls. Good helicopters education and training should cover pre-flight inspections, helicopter aerodynamics, flight control use and safety procedures, as well as the requirements to get a helicopter license. You'll also want to follow all instructions from helicopter manufacturers about the specific helicopter you are flying.

As you begin the process of learning to fly helicopters, remember to:

1. Get the answers to your basic questions about learning to fly helicopters and getting a license.

2. Read about flying helicopters.

3. Sign up for helicopter flight lessons.

Answer frequently asked questions about helicopter education and training

Most people who are about to learn to fly helicopters wonder how safe and easy it is. Helicopter flight instructors will usually answer that flying a helicopter is initially harder than flying an airplane, but eventually becomes instinctual. Anyone interested in flying helicopters also needs to know the training requirements to get a license. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a 40-hour minimum of flight time, as well as a passing score on the FAA's oral and practical flight test and written pilot test. There are additional requirements for a commercial license, including extra hours of flight time and testing.
Try:  Check out the list of frequently asked questions from Bell Helicopter Textron. The website for Epic Helicopters explains topics such as the cost, medical requirements and what your first lesson will be like. Midwest Helicopter provides a list of FAQs, including information on training and licensing for both a private and commercial helicopter license.

Read about flying helicopters and helicopter safety

Once you've gone over the basic information about learning to fly helicopters, it is time to move up to a more detailed instruction. At this stage, written manuals, guides and articles are a great way to further your education and training.
Try:  Rodney Barnett, a helicopter pilot and instructor, offers detailed instruction for free on his website, Helicopter Flight Information. He covers topics such as weight and balance, navigation and FAA regulations. You'll also want to read AOPA Flight Training magazine, which is published by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. The publication is known in the industry as the "learn to fly" magazine.

Find a directory of helicopter companies that offer lessons

Now that you have a solid basic education, it is time to take the controls of real helicopters. Online directories will help you find a helicopter flying school near you.
Try:  Helicopter-Training.net lets you contact schools directly to express your interest and get more information. Flightschoollist.com bills itself as one of the largest helicopter flight school directories on the Internet.

• Before you pay for a complete helicopters education and training course, take one lesson to make sure you like it. Most schools offer a quick one-hour course that will show you the basics and get you up in the air with an instructor.