East Midlands Helicopters - Pilot Training / Helicopter Training / Pilot Flight Training [PPL(H)]

Training Schedule and Approximate Time Line

Course	Flying Hours	Duration
PPL (H)	Including Exams 60	6 weeks
Hour Building (in command)	100	As required
JAA CPL Ground Exams	0	27 weeks
Modular CPL Flying Course	30	3 weeks
Night Rating	5	1 week

The time line above has been based on our suggested durations.

Medical

In order to pursue a CPL (H) a Class 1 initial examination will be needed. This requires a visit to the CAA at Gatwick. A medical is required prior to your first solo flight. We strongly recommend that this is done before any flying. Please contact the CAA on 01293 567171 to book this.

PPL(H) Course

The minimum 45 hour requirement can prove to be a tall order, so a 6 week course of 60 hours delivering 2 hours flying per day allowing for breaks, briefings, aircraft checks and weather delays is proposed. Please note however that flying is a skill and everyone is different. The course may be longer or shorter depending on ability.

For more details on the PPL course, please see the PPL(H) Pilot Training and PPL(H) Q & A of our website.

Hour Building

Total solo time (PI) required to enable PPL(H) issue is 10 hours. However to enable and qualify for the JAR CPL Modular course, a total of 155 helicopter flying hours are required including 50 hours PI. Hour building may be conducted once PPL(H) has been granted and at your leisure.

CPL Modular Course and Ground Exams

Prior to commencing the flying aspect of the modular course, you must have achieved passes in all of the JAR CPL ground exams. A JAR CPL ground exam course is held at Cabair at Cranfield. A full time course is 27 weeks and covers 14 subjects which are required to pass the ATPL exams. The course is held at their training school and is broken into 3 modules. A number of exams are sat after each module.

Modular CPL Flying Course

This course is conducted at East Midlands Helicopters and requires 30 hours of flying training split into 20 hours visual flying and 10 hours instrument flying. Again, 2 hours flying per day is generally a good objective, allowing time to brief and plan the sorties. Duration is approximately 3 weeks.

170A Sign Off and Test

After completing the flying course as above, you have to fly with a CAA approved examiner in order to gain a 170A sign off (this is to confirm you have reached the required level of ability).After this, you will then carry out a flight test with a CAA examiner.

Night Rating

To qualify for the night rating to be undertaken, 100 hours total flight time on helicopters of which 60 hours must be PI and 20 hours cross country will be required.

The night rating involves an extra 5 hours flying training which has to take place once it’s dark and the course takes approximately 1 week. Once started, it has to be completed within 6 months.

On this page you will find a selection of questions that are often asked about our services and courses and the appropriate answers. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is any further information you require.

Q.	Do I need an aeroplane licence or any previous experience?
A.	No. You need no previous experience before starting your helicopter course, however if you do hold a current fixed wing licence the minimum flying hours requirement for the course is reduced from 45 hours to 39 hours.

Q.	What prior knowledge of the helicopter, navigation, air law etc. do I need?
A.	None. As long as you are willing to learn and have a good degree of common sense we will teach you all you need to know.

Q.	Do I automatically get my licence when I have completed the course?
A.	No. Just as when you learn to drive you will take a test at the end of the course.

Q.	Do I take the test after 45 hours flying training?
A.	No. 45 hours is the minimum requirement, as laid down by the Joint Aviation Authority (JAA), for a person to hold a Private Pilot Licence. It can sometimes take people a few more hours to meet the standard required by your examiner. It is not in the interest of safety for a flying school to guarantee a student a pass in a certain amount of hours, at East Midlands Helicopters we treat safety with paramount importance and therefore our students will only pass a test when their flying is up to a suitably high standard.

Q.	How long does a course take?
A.	There is no set time over which you must do the course as long as you complete it, therefore we can tailor a course from a full time (3-4 days a week) up to spreading it over 2-4 years if you so desire. However, please bear in mind people tend to suffer from lack of continuity if they spread the course out over a long period of time.

Q.	What does the course involve?
A.	Our courses are structured around what is required by JAA to grant the privilege of a PPL(H). The course must consist of the following elements: Familiarisation with the Aircraft and Emergency Procedures. Pre-flight and Post-flight Actions and Checks. Air Experience. Effects of Controls. Attitude and Power Changes. Straight & Level Flight, Climbing, Descending and Turns. Basic Autorotations. Hovering, Hover Taxiing, Spot Turns. Hovering and Taxiing Emergencies. Landing and Take Off. Transitions Circuits. Steep and Limited power Approaches. Circuit Emergencies. First Solo. Sideways and Backwards. Spot Turns. Hover OGE, Vortex Ring. Engine Off Landings. Advanced Autorotations. Forced Landings. Steep Turns. Precision Transitions. Quick Stops. Navigation. Advanced Take-Offs, Landings and Transitions. Sloping Ground. Limited Power Operations. Confined Area Operations. Instrument Flying. The components of the course may not always be followed in order, and will depend on many factors. A full study guide is available on commencement of training.

Q.	Am I required to carry out a number of hours of particular types of operation?
A.	Yes. 45 hours flight training is the minimum required by the JAA. This must include 10 hours as "pilot-in-command", of which 5 hours must be solo cross-country flight. You must also carry out one cross-country flight of at least 100nm (185km).

Q.	How old do I have to be?
A.	The minimum age requirement for a holder of a PPL(H) is 17, however if someone younger than 17 wishes to start and learn this is no problem but he/she would not be able to fly solo or pass the skill test until their 17th birthday.

Q.	Where do I go to take my test?
A.	At East Midlands Helicopters we have "in house" examiners and can take you right through from scratch to passing the skill test to obtain the licence.

Q.	What are the medical requirements?
A.	You may start the course without holding a medical but before you fly solo you must pass a JAA Class 2 medical which must be conducted by a JAA approved doctor. We have a list of the approved doctors and can steer you towards the nearest. The medical is not as stringent as many insurance check ups but pays close attention to heart, blood pressure, hearing, eyesight etc. Please note colour blindness does not necessarily preclude you from holding a medical. For more details visit the medical section on the CAA website. We advise that you have this medical prior to commencement of training.

Q.	Are there any physical limitations that might affect me?
A.	All aircraft have limitations as laid down by the manufacturers, these include various weight restrictions on the airframe. The R22 has a maximum weight per seat of 17 stones/109kg. The R44 seat limit is 21 stones/136kg.

Q.	Can I get a job as a pilot when I have my PPL(H)?
A.	No. The holder of a PRIVATE Pilot Licence is entitled to fly a helicopter for his/her own private use with family/friends etc. or on his/her own business trips. In order for you to work as a pilot and receive revenue for your services you must become a Commercial pilot or Instructor.

Q.	How long is a licence valid for?
A.	A PPL(H) is valid for 5 years provided the holder maintains a current medical and flies a minimum of 2 hours every 12 months. A proficiency check which is required every 12 months can be included in these 2 hours. The licence can be renewed after 5 years.

Q.	If I learn in the R22 and wish to fly a different sort of helicopter what must I do?
A.	You must do a conversion onto each particular type you require to add to your licence.

Q.	When I have my licence do I have to buy a helicopter?
A.	No. You can self fly hire one of our aircraft for your own use when you have your licence.

Q.	Your price list quotes by the hour, what does this mean?
A.	You only pay for the hours you fly, if you hire a helicopter for the day you will only pay for the time it flies, subject to a minimum of 1 hour. When you are learning you will spend a considerable amount of time on the ground being briefed by your instructor, this time is not chargeable.

Q.	Where can I take a helicopter and can I land it anywhere?
A.	You can take a helicopter almost anywhere you wish and land it at any civil airfield subject to its terms and conditions but more importantly you can land in anybody’s field or private site, e.g. hotel, restaurant, golf course etc, provided you have the owner's permission and you do not violate any air traffic control rules whilst doing so. Our experienced staff will be pleased to assist with site selection and the relevant permissions.

Q.	Is a helicopter safe?
A.	Yes. Air travel generally is statistically far safer than road travel. In the hands of a sensible and well trained pilot the helicopter is an excellent form of transport, which can be safely landed in the rare event of an engine failure. Many people think that if the engine fails in a helicopter the situation is dire, this is not the case. During your course your instructor will demonstrate and subsequently teach you how to land the helicopter safely without the engine running.

Q.	Can anybody fly a helicopter?
A.	Helicopter flying is a skill that most people can achieve to a satisfactory level after sufficient practice. There will always be certain people who find controlling a helicopter a little too difficult but 99 % of people who start the course do complete it to a safe standard.

Q.	Where can I find more information about licensing?
A.	This information is contained in the CAA publication LASORS which contains details of Flight Crew Licensing for all aviation. The document is 8.2MB, so you may wish to 'right-click' the link and select 'save target as...' to save the file to your computer.

Q.	Why should I learn to fly a helicopter with East Midlands Helicopters?
A.	We have been operating since 1988 and are number one in the Midlands for helicopter pilot training and charter. We are not too large to ignore the individual needs of our students but experienced enough to provide a first class package to suit each person's own particular requirements.

Q.	Can I read more about student experiences at East Midlands Helicopters?
A.	Yes. In 2001, one of our students kept an online flying diary about his progress from trial lesson through to completion of the course. Click here to get a real insight into learning to fly a helicopter.

With the exception of your medical you can come to us and complete the course from start to finish without having to look elsewhere for examiners. We are a self contained operation with numerous aircraft available with on site maintenance, therefore the chance of a helicopter not being available is minimal.