Helicopter Flight Instructors

Helicopter Flight Information

Instructor Qualifications

There aren't that many exceptionally good ones, so when you find one, stay with him or her.

There are many issues that some students face with a new instructor. Some of those issues are; The instructors age, his or her experience, sometimes how the instructor got his or her ratings, and more. Here we address a few of those issues, and some other important instructor issues that need to be discussed.

Age:

Does age really make a difference? Of course it can, we all know that. How much experience can a 25 year old have? It doesn't take a scientist to figure that one out does it? The fact of the matter is, age can make a difference, but that does not mean that it will. There are young instructors who are very well qualified, and likewise, there are older instructors (and pilots) who may not have the experience that an unknowing person might envision that they had. Perhaps the older person got his or her rating late in life, and only looks more experienced.

The bottom line on age is that although it can make a difference, it may not. Don't be hasty to judge a person based on age alone. All pilots must meet certain flight experience to qualify for a given rating so if someone holds that certificate, it is relatively certain that he or she has put forth a lot of effort to do something right.

On the other hand, an older pilot who has been flying a number of years and has logged several thousand flight hours will obviously have more to pass on to a student. There really is no replacement for a lot of experience.

Flight hours:

How many hours does an instructor have. Well, quite frankly, it doesn't take much experience to get an instructor rating as strange as that may seem. An instructor rating is the first paid position that a new pilot can get into, and consequently, most students with a career goal will become instructors themselves and this will normally occur at about 200 hours total flight experience.

Professionalism (most important):

This is what separates the good from the bad. Some instructors are just clowns working to build enough hours hoping to move onto another job. This shows in their flight technique, and also in their communications habits. Just listen on the radio at your local airport, in time you will see who the clowns are. This behavior is unacceptable in the training environment, and in aviation overall.

Instructors must exhibit the best examples for their students. This includes not only their best flying skills, but strict adherence to procedure and communications technique. Never should an instructor joke about serious matters when performing the duties of Flight or Ground instruction.

The bottom line is, if you are not happy with your instructor you should ask for a different one, or change schools. It is never acceptable to fly with an instructor who makes you feel uncomfortable in any way.

On occasion, a student may encounter an instructor or even an examiner who yells; this is also unacceptable and should not be tolerated. This is also true with profanity if it makes you uncomfortable. Professionalism in flight training is mandatory.

Cowboy Flying

There are times when some instructors will exhibit wild flying habits. Some of this will include flying until dangerously low on fuel, and other unsafe techniques. Remember that running out of fuel creates an actual emergency that can have disastrous results.

Some pilots refer to a particular flight technique as "yanking and banking". This means abrupt control inputs among other things. This is inappropriate to say the least, and never acceptable.

What all pilots need to know and remember is that when things go wrong while flying a helicopter, they go seriously wrong. There is no going back. The helicopter will be seriously damaged, and occupants can be seriously injured or killed.

If an instructor ever says, "don't you try this", or "watch this", you are about to see or experience something that is seriously dangerous and you should request that the aircraft be landed immediately so you can get out. There are many people who wish they had.

It is never acceptable to display flying techniques that are contrary to normal flight training for the particular level of certificate sought. Outside of that, training may be obtained for the type of flying that the pilot will do in a given job at the appropriate time.

Teaching and then forbidding maneuvers

There are maneuvers that must be taught, and also that the instructor may forbid students to practice on their own for a period of time. This is acceptable and necessary. All instructors should restrict their students from practicing dangerous maneuvers while solo, or while their flight time is low. This is due to the fact that the students just don't have the judgment nor the experience to fly those maneuvers.

Overconfidence in aviation kills people.

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