Inquiring minds want to know: is helicopter training worth the time, money, and effort? It’s a typical issue for aspiring pilots and an important one to consider while deciding on a career path. To make the most of your professional life, it’s critical that you’re engaged in work you enjoy. Is it worth it to become a helicopter pilot and undertake helicopter training?

Helicopter piloting is an excellent career choice if you enjoy flying and enjoy spending time in a cockpit at altitudes up to 30,000 feet, but being a helicopter pilot has both benefits and drawbacks, so here is what you should consider. 

Helicopter training can be difficult

It’s a grueling experience to do helicopter training. Many pilots in training undertake low-paying work for a long time while they build up their hours, but it’s often worth it in the end. 

To be able to solo fly a helicopter, you need a lot of practice. There is a long road ahead of you if you expect to fly like a pro the first time you attend flight school. Getting a pilot’s license will require a lot of devotion and time spent in helicopter training.  

Learning to fly is difficult at first, but as you progress through your helicopter training, it will get less difficult. Helicopter pilots may take on any problem after they overcome the first obstacle of keeping a helicopter in the air. You’ll have hundreds of flight hours under your belt by the time you graduate, making you an excellent candidate for a position as a pilot. 

It’s intense

Man undertaking helicopter training

Flight school is a grueling experience. The intensity of your training will depend on the program you choose, but all programs have their own set of challenges and barriers. Flight training includes both on-the-ground and in-the-air training. Flight labs and ground labs are commonly referred to as such, but each institution may have a different name for them. To put it another way, you spend time in the air learning to fly a helicopter in a flight lab, while on the ground you study aviation regulations and practices, as well as prepare for tests and homework. 

Even if you never plan on working as a pilot, you only need a private pilot’s license and possibly an instrument rating if you want to fly for enjoyment. While earning all three licenses will take more time, you can get your license in as little as a few months. 

To be able to fly a helicopter, you’ll need to obtain a number of different licenses. There are four types of certificates you’ll need to work as a pilot: a private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument pilot, and certified flight instructor. Additional training while in schools, such as longlining, mountain operations, and night vision goggle training, will help you land those sought-after high-paying positions.

There are a number of flight schools that allow you to earn all of these certifications in two years or less. If you think a shorter training period is the best option, keep in mind that short courses don’t give you enough experience or advanced training to land a job as a pilot. The licenses you need can be obtained through these shorter programs, but there isn’t much else you can do with them. 

As part of your degree, a university flight school will provide more instruction and experience, as well as more flight hours. 

Earning money in school

Low-paying employment that allows you to build up your hours while you develop your resume. 

Exhausting hours for meager wages are a common fate for novice pilots. As a newly certified pilot, you won’t be able to land a high-paying job since you lack the necessary flying experience. A successful career as a pilot is just around the corner for those who make it through helicopter training.