Course Outline

Information on helicopter Private Pilots Licence

Getting a PPL for helicopter flying is a tremendous experience from your first flying lesson to getting your license at the end. The course is a combination of flying in the helicopter and learning about the theory of why helicopters fly and how to fly safely.

There are seven subjects you need to study, each with a multiple choice exam that you need to pass to qualify. These subjects are Air law and operational procedures, Meteorology, Human performance and imitations, Communications, Aircraft (general) and principles of flight, Navigation, Flight performance and planning. In addition you will need to pass a practical test on the correct phraseology to use when talking to air traffic control as you fly across the country. The course is challenging and stimulating. You can study at home or at our ground school where we will teach you all you need to know.

The flying part of the course is exhilarating. Divided into 27 different exercises you will spend at least 45 hours in the air getting your license. These exercises’ provide you with the skill you need to fly safely any where in the world on your own. You’ll learn to get a feel for how the helicopter handles, flying straight and level, turning, climbing and descending. As your training progresses you’ll come to learn how to hover. It takes time. Co-ordinating all the controls to fly above the ground in one position is tricky to begin with, but once you’ve mastered it you’ll just want to do it again and again. Once you’ve learnt to hover you’ll learn to land and take off.

Pretty soon you’ll be ready for a solo flight. This is one of those great experiences in life and every pilot remembers theirs. The day you pilot a helicopter with no-one else in the cockpit, flying a circuit around the airfield, be prepared to feel fantastic for the rest of the week: it’s that tremendous. You’ll spend at least ten hours of your course flying solo, flying away from the airfield and eventually landing at others as you practice navigation. Towards the end of the course there is a practical test on navigating across country.

Finally you take a flight test, a day where you demonstrate all you’ve learnt to a friendly flight examiner.

We have our own resident examiner. On successful completion of your flight test you apply for your licence and soon you’ll be a bone fide Helicopter pilot.

You need to be 16 years old to fly solo and have to be 17 to apply for a license. You must also be reasonably healthy as you will need to pass a medical examination with a doctor recognised by the Civil Aviation Authority.

COURSE OUTLINE

Flight Training

Your instructor will be nominated and dedicated to you throughout your training, although an occasional training period with a different instructor will often be beneficial.

Ground School

Ground study is the cement that turns your PPL (H) into an achievement of merit and develops your skills as an airman. In preparation for the examinations, your instructor will be responsible for managing your study programme and is available for extra tutoring to enable you to achieve your required goal. Staffordshire Helicopters prides itself on the high standard of its instruction.

The flight training

The flight training course required by the CAA/ JAR must include a minimum of 45 hours of flight training, all of which is supervised by a helicopter instructor. Of those hours at least:

25 hours must be dual instruction (Including 5 hours of Dual Navigation)

10 hours must be of Solo Flight (Including 5 hours of Solo Navigation)

5 hours of instrument flight

Basic Helicopter flying leading to your first solo.

This part of the course entails learning to fly the helicopter in forward flight, turning, climbing, descending, hovering, landing and taking off. You will also learn the procedure of gliding the helicopter, known as autorotation. Experience will be gained in making radio calls and flying the helicopter in and around the airfield (circuits).

Advanced helicopter Exercises

Having acquired basic helicopter skills we will instruct you in the more advanced helicopter exercises to enable you to land safely in areas that are confined.

Navigation techniques will be developed to the stage where you will plan cross-country trips and fly them. This stage will also cover the solo cross-country requirements of the flying training. It is your responsibility to maintain an accurate record of your flight times and exercises flown. However your instructor will also be keeping records of your progress, to ensure continuity of training exercises. Flight times recorded are based on the datcom hour meter in the aircraft and are also used for the purpose of flight training charges.

The flying schedule

Flying lessons are scheduled in morning or afternoon blocks. Approximately one to two hours is devoted to flying, the remainder is taken up with pre and post flight briefings and flight start up and shut down procedures. We are open six days a week throughout the year, so if the working week is not suitable for you, Saturdays could be. During the summer months we are open until late. All flying is subject to current conditions. If it is unsuitable, we will contact you immediately to reschedule your programme. Even in the best-regulated circumstances, business commitments and illness can impose on your flight training. Please endeavour to let us know well in advance so we can rearrange our own flight schedule. Remember we tailor the course according to your needs, your scheduling is important to us.

Flying test

At the end of the flying training course, you will take a flying test taken by a CAA and Joint Aviation Regulation flight examiner. Your flying at this stage will be at a standard to enable you to demonstrate to the examiner that you fly safely and competently.

The ground school

The ground school subjects consist of:-

Aviation Law: The law exam must be passed prior to going solo, and covers the rules of the air, and legal requirements for flying in the UK.

Meteorology: You learn about weather systems and features, and how they can affect your flying.

Navigation: How to find your way around, and develop a knowledge of airspace and its restrictions.

Human Performance: Introducing you to the physiological aspects of flying, flying with colds etc

Helicopter Technical: An understanding of how and why a helicopter flies and the mechanics of the aircraft.

Flight Planning and Performance: Covers the basic knowledge and principles of air navigation and weather, and pre-flight planning.

Radio Telephony: Oral and written examinations are  to be taken for R/T .

In all these subjects a multiple-choice examination will have to be passed, but together with your instructor all aspects of the syllabus will be managed and you will be coached to examination standard. At first glance, the list of subjects may seem daunting but it progressively forms a logical and commonsense part of the training course.

Medical requirements:

A medical certificate is required for your first solo flight. The certificate must be a JAR class II or higher. A certificate can be obtained from specially appointed Aviation Medical Examiners locally.

Syllabus of Flight Instruction for Private Pilot’s License (Helicopters).

  • 1a Familiarisation with the helicopter
  • 1b Emergency procedures
  • 2 Preparation for and action after flight
  • 3 Air experience
  • 4 Effects of controls
  • 5 Power and attitude changes
  • 6a Straight and level
  • 6b Climbing
  • 6c Descending
  • 6d Turning
  • 7 Basic autorotation
  • 8a Hovering
  • 8b Hover taxing, spot turns
  • 8c Hovering, taxiing emergencies
  • 9 Take-off and landing
  • 10 Transitions from hover to climb and approaches to hover
  • 11a Circuits, approach and landing
  • 11b Steep and limited power approaches and landings
  • 11c Circuit emergency procedures
  • 12 First solo
  • 13 Sideways and backwards hover manoeuvring
  • 14 Spot turns
  • 15 Hover out of ground effect (OGE) vortex ring
  • 16 Simulated engine off landings
  • 17 Advance autorotation
  • 18 Practice forced landings
  • 19 Steep turns
  • 20 Transitions
  • 21 Quick stops
  • 22a Navigation – departure and arrival
  • 22b Navigation at low heights and reduced visibility
  • 22c Radio Navigation
  • 23 Advanced take-off, landing, transitions
  • 24 Sloping ground
  • 25 Limited power
  • 26 Confined areas
  • 27 Basic instrument training

Information Pack Pdf
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