Do I need a Flight Instructor Certificate to Be a Professional Helicopter Pilot? - Careers

Interesting question. Technically, you don't need your Flight Instructor Certificate to be a professional helicopter pilot, but it certainly helps.

Let's back up a second. In case you're new to the world of helicopter flying, the first thing you need in order to fly helicopters professionally is your Commercial Helicopter License. This means you're legally permitted to make money flying helicopters -- a nifty license that will cost you about $35,000 to get, give or take a few grand depending on the program. Most of this money will be spent on completing your 150 hours of flight training as required by the Federal Aviation Administration. At about $250 an hour, you can see how it adds up pretty fast.

Unfortunately, if you think that after you do all that and earn your Commercial Helicopter License, you can jump into the pilot work force and snag a killer job flying big wigs from resort to resort, you're in for disappointment. The hard truth is that companies usually won't hire a helicopter pilot with less than 750-1000 hours of flight time. That means after you finish your commercial pilot training, you'll still have hundreds of flight hours to complete before you can start making money as a helicopter pilot. Right?

Not entirely. There is a way to earn those flight hours and make some money at the same time. You guessed it: teach.

Most helicopter pilots pursue their Flight Instructor Certificate for pragmatic reasons. It only costs a little bit in comparison to the tens of thousands of dollars it takes to get your Commercial Helicopter License. Not only that, you don't need any more flight hours. You just have to pass a special test, which includes a practical flight exam.

For the record, here the requirements for getting a Flight Instructor Certificate as deemed by the Federal Aviation Administration:

must be at least 18 years old be able to read, write and speak English have a valid commercial helicopter license have a current FAA Medical Certificate pass a written test pass an oral test pass a practical flight test

After you earn your Flight Instructor Certificate, you'll be legally qualified to work as a helicopter pilot instructor and teach others how to become helicopter pilots. Plus, you'll have found a way to make money while accumulating the 750-1000 flight hours that you'll need in order to be a competitive professional helicopter pilot.

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