Helicopter Training

Learn to fly!

This is the first step in your aviation career!  Becoming a private pilot will allow you to build time towards another rating, fly for fun, or give rides to your friends.  This stage is also suited for those who desire to own a helicopter for personal use.

During this stage you will be instructed on the basics of helicopter flight. In the first phase you will learn basic flight maneuvers and procedures and solo the aircraft; this could be one of the most exciting flights you ever take!  You will then refine your skills in preparation for your practical exam.  Along the way you will also gain knowledge in and experience navigation and cross country flight planning.    

Learn to fly in the clouds!

Ever wonder how airline jets can fly in the clouds with zero visibility, cover vast distances and then end up at their exact destination?  This is done only by reference to the instruments in the aircraft.  This stage of flight training is much like chess; every move is strategically planned out.  Learning how to do this in a helicopter is a vital skill that will make you a much safer, more confident and more employable pilot.

Get paid to fly!

Getting paid to fly a helicopter may be your dream, with a commercial license your dream could become a reality.  During this stage you will become prepared for the practical demands of professional flying and qualified to fly most of the commonly-used civilian helicopters.  Many advanced maneuvers are introduced and all skills are sharpened.  Additional detail and depth regarding a pilot’s ground knowledge will also be taken to the next level.

Learn to teach!  

Usually a pilot’s first job in an enjoyable career in aviation is as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).  This position will allow you to build valuable experience while possessing a very rewarding (and sought-after) job.  The flight instructor program will take you from the role of a student to a responsible, competent instructor.  As an instructor you will teach both ground and flight lessons.  You will also learn to be an effective communicator, motivator, and educator.

Learn to teach in the clouds!

Take your flight Instructor career to the next level and become an instrument instructor (CFII).  Because the FAA requires at least 10 hours of instrument flight training for all commercial pilot applicants, many flight schools have found it necessary to hire CFII instructors. Going the extra mile and becoming a CFII will make you a much more qualified and employable instructor, allowing you to teach both VFR and IFR courses.

All encompassing!

The Professional Pilot Program will give you the maximum training possible, at little additional expense.  It is designed to develop the student with little or no experience into a pilot with a true competitive advantage. Specialized Helicopters will tailor this comprehensive program for you the individual, mixing and matching what you need from private, instrument, commercial, CFI, and CFII programs.

A few words about helicopter training at Specialized Helicopters.

We are focused on helicopter training. Our professional helicopter pilot training program has one of the best records in the industry. Our ability to train our students faster with better results and for less money may not be easily understandable until you visit our facility and meet with our staff.

We spend most of our day training students and future flight instructors to be the best they can be. Our daily and weekly meetings are spent discussing how to make our students better and what we can do to improve performance. With a team of dedicated CFI's and high time helicopter pilots to assist you with every aspect of your training, you are guaranteed to archive your goals faster and at a higher level than an average helicopter flight school.

With our focus on the professional student, our students that want to learn for entertainment and personal fulfillment also get the same top level helicopter training without the need to become commercial pilots themselves. The R22 and R44 helicopters offer a great helicopter experience while allowing for a low cost, safe platform. Match these together and you have a superior aviation learning program that can be done at your own pace. 

Plan for a fast ,30 day private pilot course, or take 5 years. It's up to you! Design the course and allow us to guide it. Enjoy the huge benefits of "self designed professionally guided, situation based training with an emphasis on maneuvers and all set to stages of personal plateaus. This is complicated verbiage but part of a larger culture unique to Specialized Helicopters and a large part of our success. 

The "Self designed professional guided (by our team) courses" allow for maximum freedom with personal, financial and time issues.

The "Situation based training with an emphasis on maneuvers", allows a student to learn in a more fluid and dynamic real world way while still practicing the basic maneuvers required as simple blocks of learning and not only associated with the complicated situation based training. This gives you the best of both worlds and styles of helicopter training.

The "Stage of personal plateaus" allows you and your instructor to time major milestones in a students training. We use plateaus to judge when ready for the next stages of training. This type of training is complicated and expensive  for a flight school due to the amount of time it takes an instructor and chief instructor to review the progress of the student. Due to this very few if any take on this challenge but when done correctly it creates a level of safety for the student that we strive for and have been able to maintain.

While other schools focus on a small market within a few miles of there office, we have students from all over the world come to learn at our facility because of our great reputation and training programs. Call us to schedule a flight training consultation so we can answer all of your questions and help you to make good sound decisions on your future career or hobby.

Experience helicopter flight on a large scale with our in-depth helicopter flight experience lesson. You will learn more than just the basics while enjoying a day in the life as a pilot. This training experience is perfect for anyone wanting more than just a quick lesson or those thinking of piloting helicopters as a career. With hundreds of past students enjoying this lesson we have added more flight time and more ground instruction to our previous offering to make this training lesson even better and more exciting! See our Yelp Reviews and read how much fun the other first timers had with us.	The Helicopter Flight Experience $250 The price includes: 2 hours of Classroom Instruction 24 minutes of flight time in the R22 Helicopter 20 minutes pre/post flight personalized instruction with your flight instructor BONUS: 15 minutes of time in our helicopter simulator!
Classes are offered every other Sunday starting at 10:00am Once you have completed the ground class you can then book your flight. You are not required to fly on the same day as the ground class but may choose that option. Flights are based on a first come first serve basis. If you are not able to fly on the same day of the class you can then book the flight portion of the experience for any other open flight reservation at any time.	Upgrades: Anytime option + $99 Book your ground and flight lesson on any open day available on our schedule. This is one-on-one instruction with just you and an instructor instead of the classroom and adds a huge value to an already great price. FLIGHT TIME UPGRADE + $99 Add 20 additional minutes of flight time in the helicopter.

Your helicopter flight experience will being  in our classroom. If you arrive early you can try your skills on our helicopter simulator to see how well you can hover! This classroom lesson will start at 10:00 am sharp every other Sunday. It offers you a chance early in the session to ask questions and get answers while you and your instructor get a chance to learn a little about each other and set up a few goals for the training lesson. You will then cover a few important rules and regulations, learn about weather, helicopter systems, controls, things to avoid while flying and what to expect before setting off to the flight ramp to meet your very own flight instructor.

The flight ramp is usually a busy place where other pilots and students are getting ready to fly and helicopters are landing and departing. Your flight instructor will take a few moments to allow you to watch the others and join in the fun, but primarily we want to get you up in the air where the real fun starts. To get in the air all pilots are required to perform what is called a pre-flight inspection of the helicopter. This allows the pilot a chance to look at all of aircraft and make sure it is safe, fueled properly and ready to take to the air.

After 15 minutes of talking with you and showing you the pre-flight inspection on the helicopter you will jump into the cockpit and go through the startup check list. This list covers everything a pilot needs from pre-start to starting the engine to pre-liftoff. This is a very exciting time as you methodically cover this list and get the helicopter started, blades turning and the engine roaring. You will put on a headset to protect your hearing and enable you to talk with your instructor and other aircraft if you would like to. This flight is all about you, so let your instructor know if you have always wanted to do something special in the helicopter. 

LIFT-OFF - Now your floating!

Once in flight you can choose what direction you would like to go. Most people choose to go over the ocean as it offers expansive views of the central coast. You can also head out toward the mountains were you can land in a small forested area or mountain peak! The thrills keep on coming until you finally set the aircraft safely back in its parking spot and shut the engine off.

After your flight lesson is complete you will be taken back to the office where you will get a de-brief on the flight as to how well you did. Your instructor may have some insights for you to consider for next time or maybe a good old fashioned "great job".  This time is set aside for each flight for any additional questions you might have and to also fill in your log book.

After your instructor finishes up the lesson and you've asked all the questions you've ever had about aviation, you can spend some time relaxing and talking with the other people at the facility to round out your experience and see if you want to come back for more.

We realize that a first flight can be an exciting time and often people forget to ask an important question. That's why we are available by phone and you will have your flight instructor's business card so you can call them directly if you prefer.

Some restrictions apply, call to book your flight and for details.