CPL Licence gives you the opportunity to be employed as a helicopter pilot. At HTT its our job to train you to become a professional helicopter pilot. Our philosophy is that training should be done right the first time in a way most suited to your style of learning.

 

Becoming a Commercial Helicopter Pilot

Flying is one of the most challenging and rewarding careers there is. A career as a professional helicopter pilot can offer a great sense of fulfilment. However the helicopter industry just like the general aviation is very competitive. Once you get your commercial pilot's licence, you might begin your career as junior instructor or charter pilots flying single-engine aircraft in regional areas. As you gain more experience and qualifications, you then have the chance to fly larger, more advanced aircraft. So, you will have to build up your hours before you can tackle specialised flying operations. Which is why prospective commercial pilots should not expect to walk straight into a lucrative position and should be prepared to committing to a long-term rewarding flying career with the determination in order to overcome the initial obstacle of getting started as a low-hour pilot.

To launch your career and enter the profession as a vocation, you must first obtain the helicopter commercial pilot's licence, you must pass comprehensive theory exams and a flight test, which is completed after a minimum of 105 hours. Also, all along your training (should it be full time or part-time) your competency will be assessed as to achieve the standards set in the CASA Day VFR syllabus. This syllabus provides training and skills required for the issue of an Australian Commercial Pilot Licence (Helicopter). The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) allows you to act as pilot in command of some commercial operations.

The skills demanded of a professional pilot include not only the ability to physically control the aircraft but also to make correct decisions in complex situations where time is a critical factor. In addition, pilots must take ultimate responsibility for the safety of all those who fly with them.

Though the amount of training required can appear daunting at first, remember that your goal is achievable, provided you have the dedication necessary to pursue your love of flying. At HTT we take care of our staff and students. We will make a package that is suited for you and your lifestyle - helping you achieve your flying goals is what we are here for.

 

Training Duration

HTT Flying School's timetable is not based on an academic year or fixed scheduled course classes. With our one-on-one training program, you can start anytime and learn at your own pace.

How long does it take?

There are two elements to the pilot licence: theory and practice. That is to say: aeronautical knowledge and flying training.
Generally speaking, the time needed for each stage of your flying training depends on how often you can fly and on your own personal progress as an individual. Obviously, the less you fly or the less you study, the more your progress will be hampered by the amount of time needed for revision and refreshing at the start of each flying lesson. Reasonably, you should dedicate the time to fly several hours weekly and therefore think about starting your training when you are able to afford both time and financial investment.

Studying on a full-time basis is obviously the best option in order to make the most of your time investment. Continuous training maximise your level of accuracy, safety and consistency which are three important keys to a long-term career as a professional helicopter pilot.

Studying on a part-time basis is also available for students who are unable to dedicate 5 days a week to the training. However, it would be sensible to allow several periods of time per phase of flying in order to build-up a level of competency stage by stage and avoid the risk of having to re-train or revise to compensate for periods of breaks between the flying sequences. Nevertheless a minimum of 2 to 3 hours of flying training per week is recommended to maintain continuity in your flying progress.

CPL Training Program

Your training program is composed of several distinctive flying phases or stages of training, and each stage corresponds to a level of competency in both flying training and aeronautical knowledge which progresses as you reach the final phase.

Endorsements

Once you have your CPL licence and want to add to your qualifications we can assist with additional endorsements: Aircraft type R44 and Bell 206; Night flying; Sling operations.

Tag-along Trips

You can join the many pilots that rent helicopters from us and fly to resorts and stations in the rural areas of Australia. We organise trips with three or four helicopters and fly together to unique locations.

Job Prospects

There is variety of jobs that are available to a commercial helicopter pilot: Fire fighting; General charter (photography, film, survey); Emergency Medical Services (EMS); Instructing; Tour operator; Agricultural spraying; Corporate.

Aeronautical Knowledge

During each stage of flying training, particular items of aeronautical knowledge should be introduced.

There is a theory behind a practice and this knowledge is the foundation of your flying training.
Whereas theory first seems to only be dealing with the principles of flight, helicopter aerodynamics stands as one of the seven subjects to be studied in order to pass the theory exams and meet these requirements prior to the conduct of the CPL flight test. So the aeronautical knowledge is more than a required knowledge to pass the theory exams. Some essential knowledge is required to ensure the safety of an aircraft and its occupants and therefore it should be learn at an early stage of your flying. Some important knowledge is required for practical operation of an aircraft and therefore it should be learn at a particular time of your flying where it can be related to your flying exercises.
Our point is for you to build-up an aeronautical knowledge that you will be able to rely on when flying solo and on the long run. Some knowledge of course has to be learnt by heart as there is no way around the air legislation, and some knowledge has to be understood. In addition, there is also a necessary knowledge required at a professional licence level that will be learnt at the last stage of your flying.
There are seven theory subjects to study as per the aeronautical knowledge syllabus detailed in the next pages of this handbook.

In this view, we recommend that you use our theory course package which includes 4 binders or volumes and other study materials such as the legislation publications and which all together covers all of the seven theory subjects. These theory books and materials will represent your study resource and where to look when having to learn particular items of knowledge in relation to your pre-flight knowledge and post-flight study.
Also, particular use will be made of pre-recorded briefings on videos as well as videos encompassing items of general interest and aviation safety. Such videos are intended for student revision and reinforcement of information, and may be viewed in conjunction with printed summary sheets.

 

 

Our Training Aircraft - Guimbal Cabri G2, Robinson R22, Robinson R44

We operate a fleet of all the most popular Helicopters in Australia, Robinson R44 (The most common helicopter in the world) Robinson R22 (The most common training aircraft in the world), Bell 206 Jetranger (the most popular turbine aircraft in Australia) and Cabri G2 (The most technologically advanced and safest 2 seat training helicopter in the world.)

Flight training in the 21st century requires a modern aircraft which complies with new safety regulations, has new generation of Glass Cockpit monitors and features as a great stepping stone for pilots who wish to fly bigger machines. Cabri G2 meets all those aspects and delivers unseen safety margins in a training helicopter to date. HTT is currently the distributor for the Cabri G2 aircraft in Australia. We don't just sell, we do flight training in them too. So far we have seen a much better progress in Cabri G2 than in any other training helicopter. It's no surprise when start and shutdown times are less, maximizing the time in the air. Cruises almost twice as fast as some of the training helicopters used by other schools meaning you get to a training location quicker leaving more time for the lesson.

Humans learn best from making mistakes, up until now training aircraft did not leave much room for error, instructors had to take control of the aircraft much sooner than time it took for a student to realize what was happening and learn from it by correcting what they did wrong. Cabri G2 has much wider safety margins giving both the student and the instructor more time.

All this and much much more makes Cabri G2 the best 2 seat helicopter out there - Cabri G2, Our official website

HTT Flight Instructors

We have five dedicated flying instructors who are all trained adequately and are able to understand your own rate of learning by adjusting their way of teaching/to meet your needs. Our instructors also attend induction/orientation/training programs to maintain an on-going professional development of their teaching skills. All of our instructors have gained their grade following a relevant experience in teaching and thus undertake your training professionally. Mark, Philippe, Ian, Nikolai and Mick are able to assess the standard required for a student to undertake a solo flight. Mark has gained approved testing officer status from CASA in order to conduct flight tests on behalf of CASA.
All of our staff have been hand picked and are the top performers in the field of aviation.

 

 

One-one-One Training Plan

You will receive a detailed Mass Briefs Handbook including lessons with specific learning outcomes and theory briefs.
This flying lessons handbook is a progressive series of Air Exercises in which the helicopter pilot is required to be proficient (the air exercises are listed under main titles). The initial flights will be confined to a particular exercise but as your flying training progresses revision on previous exercises will be done as well as introduction to more advanced exercises. The main considerations of each exercise will be stressed during full and pre-flight briefings. The principles of flight are discussed in this handbook under several Theory Briefs. The information given in this handbook, together with ground school instruction, is the foundation upon which your instructor will base your helicopter flying training.

Each flying lesson or sortie follows a structured one-on-one training plan as explained below:

 

 

Pre-Flight Knowledge

This is the preparation phase before undertaking a flying sortie. Your instructor will point to you which elements of aeronautical knowledge should be learnt as an underpinning knowledge to a particular air exercise or as a relevant knowledge of importance according to your flying stage (pre-solo, post-solo, general flying phase, PPL level and CPL level). For example, on your first sortie 'Air familiarization and Effects of Controls' you should be aware of several air legislation about a pilot's fitness and health and therefore take the good habit of asking yourself throughout your flying training: "Am I safe for flying?" The pre-flight knowledge is the foundation upon which your instructor will base your helicopter flying training.