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Helicopter Plans

If I want to someday become a commercial helicopter pilot, what should I major in while in college?

I do not plan to join the military but rather work for a air ambulance company.

College Degree
I strongly recommend getting a four year degree. It does not matter at all what your major is. Philosophy or history is just as good as science or engineering. Pick something you could use to build a career if you should ever need or choose to work outside of aviation, and pick something you genuinely enjoy. I would stay away from aviation degrees as they are overpriced and there is absolutely no advantage to having one over any other degree. Also, there is no such thing as "helicoptics", and pretty much all of the aviation universities are for fixed-wing only.

Airplanes
Flying airplanes will only add to your cost and take extra time. There is nothing wrong with flying airplanes, but if you really want to fly helicopters, then fly helicopters. That is, do not use airplanes solely as a stepping stone.

Cost
You cannot get a private pilot certificate for $3,000 and even $10,000 is optimistic for helicopters. In order to finish your private, instrument, commercial, and instructor ratings you will spend at least $60,000-$70,000 for civilian training.

Minimum Hours
You will not get an air ambulance job with 500 hours. You will need to work as a flight instructor first to build experience, and even with 1000 hours you will be limited to flying offshore in the Gulf of Mexico or doing tours in Alaska or the Grand Canyon. You should expect to need at least 2000-3000 hours before being employable as an EMS pilot, and they will take several years beyond your initial training to obtain.

I suggest you spend some time on the websites below. They are specifically dedicated to helicopters, and their discussion forums will be a better source of information than Yahoo Answers.

http://www.verticalreference.com/

http://www.justhelicopters.com/

Do your homework before deciding how to proceed. Every pilot has a different perspective, and there are many myths and misconceptions out there, so get multiple sources of information and prove to yourself which path is best before starting.

Good luck!

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are you a professional helicopter pilot? and got that way by paying for your own flight training?

I plan on paying for flight training to become a professional pilot, hopefully for an oil company or hospital or something. I would like to open my own school one day too. I need to know how you can succeed without going through the military, i'm in the military now and would rather not fly for them. If there is anyone who kinda went through what I'm going through I would love a mentor!

Yes, it is totally possible to become a professional helicopter pilot as a civilian. I would first recommend however that you at least investigate military training further before dismissing it, especially since you are already in the military. It's worth a second look anyway. You can find a lot of information on discussion forums, as well as any contacts you may have through the military.

http://www.justhelicopters.com/Topics/detail.asp?iData=17304&iCat=1017&iChannel=16&nChannel=Topics

http://www.justhelicopters.com/Topics/detail.asp?iData=12605&iCat=1017&iChannel=16&nChannel=Topics

http://www.justhelicopters.com/Topics/detail.asp?iData=17420&iCat=1017&iChannel=16&nChannel=Topics

http://www.justhelicopters.com/Topics/detail.asp?iData=17993&iCat=1017&iChannel=16&nChannel=Topics

The second thing I would say is that even if you do not go through military training, your military experience can still help you through the GI Bill. You will still have to pay for a private pilot certificate yourself, but the GI Bill will then pay 60% of the remaining training. Just ask your flight school if they accept the GI Bill.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/programs.htm#Flight

You can find civilian flight schools here:

http://www.sacusa.com/1directory/states.asp?category=FS

http://www.verticalreference.com/MoreStuff/HelicopterSchools/tabid/79/Default.aspx

You can find general helicopter industry information and discussion forums here:

http://www.verticalreference.com/

http://www.justhelicopters.com/

There are also many sites dedicated to Army Aviation as well.

http://www.usarmyaviation.com/

http://www-rucker.army.mil/

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant/

You can read my general answer about helicopter training here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=As2Wwty4B1EvurUTrYUIFZ_sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080811202405AAwLlDA&show=7#profile-info-tN6rs6O8aa

Good luck!

Added:
The average rate in my area for a Schweizer (2 seat, piston engine training helicopter) is about $275-$300 per hour, so a little less than $500. Some areas are even cheaper. Also, you only need 150 hours for a commercial certificate in helicopters, not 250. You will likely spend some additional hours getting your instructor ratings so you can teach to build 1000 hours rather than paying for it yourself.

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