Private Pilot License (Helicopter)

Private Pilot's License (Helicopter)

Choosing the best school at which to undertake your Private Pilot License (Helicopter) can be a daunting prospect. There are many schools in the UK operating various helicopter types, some located in areas of busy airspace, some large organisations and some small. Prospective helicopter pilots will have differing priorities with regard to which operation is most suited to their personal requirements. The following lists the primary factors for consideration.

Which helicopter to train in?

There are three main piston helicopters typically used for training in the UK - The Hughes / Schweizer 300 series, Robinson R22 / R44 and the Enstrom series machines. Great Dane Helicopters operate the Hughes 300C helicopter as the primary trainer for a number of reasons.

Firstly this type has one of the best safety records throughout the world. The Hughes 300 was purpose designed as a training helicopter for the United States military. The helicopter control systems are conventional. The engine is fuel injected and does not suffer from potentially hazardous carburettor icing problems. The rotor system is of a 3 bladed fully articulated design and is not prone to the equally dangerous "mast bumping" effect under certain manoeuvres. It is also a consideration that the number of hours taken to obtain your license may well be considerably less with the Hughes 300C compared to other piston types.

Will you receive individual attention?

It is quite common for students to be passed around between different instructors, mainly due to scheduling problems at the larger schools and especially at busy times of the year. Naturally not all instructors have the same ability or experience and although every effort is made within the industry to standardise the training, individual instructors naturally develop their own techniques and receiving instruction from many different instructors may be detrimental to the student-learning environment.
At Great Dane Helicopters our customers receive individual attention from one designated experienced instructor who is also a commercial pilot and examiner. Every customer has their course arranged to meet their personal needs and requirements, not the business needs of the organisation alone.

What is the school's average first time pass rate and time taken to complete?

This may vary considerably from school to school and is due to many factors, not least of all the ability of past students, however Great Dane Helicopters has a 100% first time pass rate with most achieving the PPL (H) license from scratch within 50 hours. The national average is apparently in excess of 70 hours.

What areas are best suited to the learning environment?

For some students the school they choose will be dictated primarily by business constraints, in which case the organisation closest to home or work will be the most likely choice. For those fortunate enough to be able to schedule their training in blocks, it may well be beneficial to travel and get away from day to day distractions. Naturally to learn to fly in an area of congested airspace is much like jumping in the deep end to learn to swim, and whilst the student is exposed to a high level of radio work and concentration from an early stage, this may not be the ideal situation for everyone. In Pembrokeshire we are fortunate to have very little controlled airspace so that the initial training is carried out in a relaxed environment. As the course progresses, students are introduced to busier areas such as Cardiff and Gloucester. We also benefit from having coastal scenery and mountains close by which provides for an excellent training environment.

How much will it cost?

This will depend on a number of factors, NOT primarily the cost per hour of the helicopter and instructor i.e. look for the hidden expenses! Some helicopters are cheaper to hire than others but will it take you longer to obtain your license i.e. more flying hours in the cheaper machine? Do the quoted costs include landing fees and airport charges? Are there additional costs for ground school tuition? At Great Dane Helicopters, what we quote for is exactly what you get. All landing fees are included and there is no charge for ground school tuition provided that the student is on a PPL (H) course with Great Dane Helicopters. Self-study is a pre-requisite for all PPL training but we understand that ground school tuition is a necessity, especially with regard to navigation techniques and various other subjects.

To Summarise

At Great Dane Helicopters you will receive your tuition in one of the safest and well-trusted training helicopters in the world. You will be given individual attention from the company, your course will be tailored to your needs and your instructor will be an experienced professional pilot. The training environment will be non-congested and the airfield is ideally suited to helicopter training. Our costs are probably the most competitive in the UK and we aim to provide the most efficient training possible with our primary goal being safety.

Course compliance minima

The applicant shall have completed a minimum of 45 hours of flight instruction on one type of helicopter, having a certificate of airworthiness issued or accepted by a JAA Member State, and to include the following criteria:

At least 25 hours of dual instruction, to include:
At least 5 hours of dual simulated instrument flying.
At least 10 hours of supervised solo flight time, to include:

At least 5 hours of solo cross country flight time with at least one cross country flight of at least 100 nautical miles during which full stop landings at two aerodromes, each different from the aerodrome of departure, shall be made.

PPL (Helicopter) Course Syllabus

Currently the syllabus requirements for obtaining a JAA private pilot's license are as follows:

Familiarisation with the helicopter
Emergency procedures
Preparation for and action after flight
Air experience
Effects of the controls
Power and attitude changes
Straight and level flight
Climbing

Descending
Turning
Basic autorotation
Hovering
Hover taxiing and spot turns
Hovering / taxiing emergencies
Take-off and landing
Transitions, hover to climb etc
Circuits, approach and landing
Steep limited power approaches
Circuit emergency procedures

First solo flight
Sideways, backward hover flight manoeuvring
Spot turns
Hover out of ground effect and vortex ring
Simulated engine-off landings
Advanced autorotation
Practice forced landings
Steep turns
Precision transitions
Quick stops
Navigation

Navigation hazards low level, low viz
Radio navigation
Advanced transitions
Sloping ground
Limited power operations
Confined areas
Basic instrument flight

Written Examinations

There are 6 written examinations:

Aviation Law & and Operational Procedures
Navigation & Radio Aids
Meteorology
Flight Performance & Planning
Aircraft General & Principals of Flight
Human Performance and Limitations

Additionally it is necessary to obtain a Radio Telephony Licence, which entails one further written examination and an oral practical test.

Finally there is a General Flight Test with a qualified examiner, which will include an oral test on the type of helicopter to be flown. Study for the written exams is a combination of self-study (i.e. reading the books!) and ground training. All ground training is on a one to one basis and is totally informal. There is no cost for this service provided the student is undertaking his or her PPL flight training with Great Dane Helicopters

With regard to prices, our current standard rates are as follows:

PPL (H) Training excluding VAT

Payment Schedules	Cost/hr	45 hours	Saving

Pay as you fly hr rate	£230	£10,350	£00
10 hr paid in advance	£225	£10,125	£225
45 hr paid in advance	£215	£9,675	£725

Other expenses include books and charts etc. at approx £175. Written exam fees £30 per exam. Flight examiner fee approx £150. Medical fee approx £100, and the CAA charge of approx £150 for the license itself.
Please note that there are no hidden charges for ground school training or landing fees at the base airfield ie: Haverfordwest Aerodrome. At other establishments these hidden costs can exceed £1000 and significantly add to the overall expense of obtaining your license.

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