How to Become a Helicopter Pilot for a Career

Become a commercial helicopter pilot requires study and practice.

According to the United States Department of Labor, the need for helicopter pilots is expected to grow 12 percent through 2018. Commercial helicopter pilots make an average of $65,340 per year as of May 2008 with top earners taking home $129,580. Commercial pilot training schools across the country have similar requirements for the number of required flight hours, health exams and classes.

Instructions

1. You should find a helicopter training school in your area. For example, Bristow Academy offers commercial pilot training in Florida, Louisiana and California. You should search the Federal Aviation Administration's pilot school database to find schools near your city. As of June 2010, the cost of a commercial pilot program at Bristow was $29,905.

2. You should check prerequisites for entrance into the training programs. For example, Universal Helicopters, a helicopter training school, requires all prospective students be at least 18 and able to read, write and speak English.

3. You should make an appointment to undergo health exams, which are required by the FAA. The exams test for vision, inner ear disease, epilepsy, nervous system control, myocardial infarction, psychosis, delusions and bipolar disorder.

4. You should begin a private pilot program at a helicopter training school. Your training program would generally include coursework in take offs and landings, radio work and helicopter traffic patterns. Your program may require 120 hours of classroom training and 40 hours of flying time, as is customary with many programs. Your program would be completed with a FAA written exam. If you pass the exam, you would receive a private pilot certificate. The exam fee is generally included in your program's tuition.

5. You would complete more flying time with a minimum requirement of 150 hours. You'd practice congested area flying, specialty approaches and landings on helipads, forest clearings, narrow streets and confined area landings.

6. You would take another written exam for a commercial pilot certificate. The exam's fee should be included in your helicopter training program's tuition.

References

• United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics: Aircraft Pilots
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: Medical Standards and Certification

Resources

• Bristow Academy: Commercial Pilot Program
• Universal Helicopters
• Federal Aviation Administration: Pilot Schools Search
• Federal Aviation Administration: Get a Medical Certificate