Private Helicopter Pilot License

PPL H

At this point in our journey, we delve into the specifics of the course to obtain the private helicopter pilot license.

Each aeronautical course includes two phases: the theoretical part and the practical part with the related exams.

Remember that the PPL license can be obtained both by those who want to fly for passion but it could also be the first step towards the path to the commercial license (in fact, it involves undertaking a modular path and we explain it in the tutorial dedicated to the commercial helicopter pilot license.

The theory

As for the theoretical part of the course for the PPL = Private Pilot License, the English acronym for the Private Pilot License, the minimum required by the European authority is 100 hours of classroom lessons, with programs that cover 9 subjects:

• aeronautical regulations (perhaps the most theoretical of all, but necessary to know the regulations)
• general notions on aircraft (which explains how they are built, the systems, the engines)
• meteorology (which is one of the most beautiful subjects because it allows you to know how to read the sky)
• navigation (which is wonderful for those who are passionate about geography, maps and compasses)
• principles of flight (to understand the forces that support an aircraft)
• performance and planning (which teaches you how to prepare for a flight)
• operating procedures (to know the limits that must be respected)
• psychology and aeronautical medicine (to know the human limits of flight)
• aeronautical radiotelephony (to learn how to speak on the radio with a standard phraseology in Italian and English if you also want to fly abroad)

A theoretical course usually lasts about 3 or 4 months and obviously depends on the frequency of the lessons.

Il distance learning

Classroom lessons can sometimes be replaced by distance learning lessons (i.e. distance learning) but the school must have specific approval and use certified platforms for this type of course, in addition to the fact that a part, usually 10 to 25%, must still be carried out in the classroom.

The lessons are held by theoretical instructors included in the school’s organizational chart who can be flight instructors, pilots, technicians or people who have specific skills in that subject: engineers, experts, flight controllers.

During the lessons, progress tests are normally administered to verify the student’s progress and, at the end of the course, final pre-exams are proposed, necessary for an evaluation and consequent decision to present themselves for the exams.

THEORETICAL EXAM

The theoretical exam in Italy is held in one of the Airport Management offices that are normally present in the largest airports: Linate, Bologna, Naples, Catania, etc.

You can find the calendar for the whole year on the ENAC website and, depending on when you finish the course, you can organize yourself to check the availability in the office that is most convenient for you.

To take the exam, it is not necessary for there to be an Airport Management office where your school is located, you can take the exams anywhere. If you fail a subject, you will be able to take it in one of the following sessions.

The theoretical exam costs approximately 100.00 Euros and is valid for two years within which you will also have to complete the entire practical part.

The practice

Now let’s move on to the practical part. Before starting to fly, you need to be close to 16 years old because it is the age requirement for the first solo flight and also to take the final exam you need to be 17 and therefore starting too early you run the risk of postponing the course too much.

Furthermore, you need to have done the second class medical examination with a certified doctor (the school will give you the list of the closest doctors and you can book the appointment independently). If you intend to continue with the commercial pilot license, we recommend that you do the first class medical examination directly (but we will also talk about this in the next tutorials).

Small parenthesis: in reality, you could start flying even without the medical examination because the commander on board is the instructor and therefore he is the one who must be qualified to fly a helicopter, however all schools recommend doing the examination before starting the course, to avoid throwing away money in case you have some parameters that do not meet the requirements. There will also be a specific tutorial on this topic in a few lessons, so stand-by.

The minimum flight hours to be completed is 45, most of them with the instructor and a part alone. There are some students who take longer to be ready to fly alone and some who take less. This does not mean anything in terms of ability, it is physiological! The important thing is that there is a continuous exchange with the instructors to understand if you are within the standards of the course.

FLIGHT HOURS

To plan flight lessons, you must take into account that each hour is preceded by a briefing that can be more or less long depending on what you are going to try in flight. For example, it will last more than an hour if you are approaching a maneuver for the first time or if you are organizing a navigation for which it is necessary to plan, check the weather reports, call the airports to obtain authorizations…; in addition, it is necessary to prepare the helicopter, refuel it, do the checks, put it on the flight line.

So in summary, it is necessary to always be early for the presentation to the school; if there should be delays with respect to the start of your practice hour, read the flight manual or review the checklists, it never hurts!

Remember that before running home, after the flight, it is necessary to keep the necessary time for the debriefing which, in this case too, will be more or less long depending on the mission just completed.

The practical exam

The practical exam consists of a flight with a flight examiner certified to carry out exams. He is not an ENAC inspector, like the examiners of the motorization but an instructor pilot with a lot of experience, who perhaps flies for a company, who does helicopter rescue or who is an instructor in another school and who can act in the name and on behalf of the authority.

The examiner will not ask you to do acrobatics or maneuvers that you are not able to do but will simply evaluate you in all the maneuvers that you will have tried and retried hundreds of times during the course. He will evaluate whether you are able to make decisions, manage emergencies and solve problems but the flight will be carried out in complete safety and putting you at ease.

Don’t worry, do what you are able to do and fly safely!

The timing

As for general timing, consider that between the theoretical part and the practical part it is always advisable to overlap the activities as much as possible, or to give an extreme example: you cannot follow an entire theoretical course without having ever flown (because you would miss out on all the practical application of the theory, which serves to consolidate the concepts) as it could be counterproductive to fly too many hours without having first started the theoretical course.

Some schools require you to start the practical only after having started the theory, others are more flexible because in fact for the first hours of flight no theoretical knowledge is needed and the instructor will explain to you in the briefings what you have to do. It is also right that a student starts flying right away to see if actually being at the controls of a plane is what he expected, so if the theoretical course starts in September but during the summer you want to do a few hours of flight before definitively enrolling, nothing prevents you from doing so.

Remember, however, not to overdo it in dividing the two activities.

Recap PPL H

Summing up the entire course:

• 4 months of theoretical course
• technical times to book and take the exam at ENAC
• complete the practical part
• take the final exam
• request the issuing of the license

The duration is about 8 months.

It is difficult to compress it from a teaching point of view, unless you already have in-depth aeronautical knowledge. Even the exaggerated dilution must be considered because taking for example 3 years, would mean doing an hour of flight every 3 weeks so you would not be able to acquire and maintain manual skills and consequently it could take many more hours than the 45 planned. The ideal planning time (also financial for the hours you will have to pay) is between 8 months and a year and a half.

Once you have obtained the license you will then be able to fly bringing friends and relatives or to enjoy the magic of flight alone.

HELICOPTERS YOU CAN FLY ON

What types of helicopters can you “fly”?

The course is always carried out on a SEP helicopter (single-engine piston) which can be a Robinson 22, a Guimbal Cabri, a Huges 300 or other types of helicopters of this class. However, unlike airplanes, for rotary wing, for each type of helicopter even if very similar to others, you will have to do a new qualification which normally, at least for single-engine (both piston and turbine) requires a course of a couple of days of theory, 5 hours of flight with an instructor and the final exam flight.

You will not have to retake exams at ENAC or with external examiners but a TRE (type rating examiner) will be enough which schools or companies normally have internally.

Validity of licenses

Licenses issued after 2014 are valid throughout the European Union (plus other neighboring countries that have joined the European aviation regulations) and never expire. It is an acquired qualification, like a diploma or a degree. Obviously if you do not fly for a certain period you will have to return to a flight school and fly with an instructor before you can fly alone again. In the next tutorials we will give you all the information on validity, maintenance and possible reinstatement after expiration.

The costs

Speaking a bit about costs, most of the course price is related to flight hours, so doing all the practical activity on an R222, or on a Huges 300 or on a Robinson 44, can significantly change the total.

We can anticipate that the estimates range from approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Euros depending on the vehicle used. Remember to ask the school carefully what costs are included and excluded and on which vehicle you will do your training.

If you have any questions or curiosities, fill out the info request form.