How Do I Become a Professional Helicopter Pilot? - Careers

To become a professional helicopter pilot, you'll need to get your commercial helicopter license. This means you'll be legally permitted to operate a helicopter and get paid. With a commercial helicopter license, you can perform many pilot jobs including weather-reporting, photography and emergency-response assistance. There are, however, some limitations to a commercial helicopter license. For example, if you want to transport passengers across great distances, you ll need a special certificate. For the most part, though, a commercial helicopter license is all you need to start making money as a professional helicopter pilot.

The Federal Aviation Administration is an agency of the United States government that sets the requirements for earning your commercial helicopter license. As of 2011, to be eligible to get your commercial license, you must be at least 18 years old, have a FAA medical certificate, complete at least 150 hours of flight time, and pass a FAA written, verbal and practical flight test.

Anyone who wants to become a professional helicopter pilot is going to need to go to a helicopter flight school or training program. There are great flight schools and programs all over the country, and you can surely find one near you. Every program will adhere to the regulations and requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration, but some will also have additional requirements. This is to assure you receive the highest level of training possible. While completing your 150 hours of flight training, you'll be tested on various navigational skills including taking off and landing, night flying, cross country flying and more.

The times it takes to get your Commercial Helicopter License is different for everyone. An aggressive training schedule will include a full course-load and lots of time in the air, which can get you your commercial license in six months or sooner. For most people, it takes a little longer. But there's no law about how long can take to earn your license; you just have to meet all the requirements.

You're probably wondering how much it's going to cost to earn your helicopter license. Sadly, it's not cheap. You'll need at least 150 hours of flight training, and the average rate in the U.S. for flight time is about $250 an hour. You'll also have to pay for course supplies and ground training, but that won't be nearly as much as your flight training expenses. Adding it all up, it will likely cost you around $37,000 to earn your commercial helicopter license.

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