You should expect to spend in excess of $60,000. $10K is way too low. You probably won’t even finish your private for that. The total cost might reach $100K if you include living expenses and interest on a loan over several years. The training itself will not cost that much.

Please avoid the schools that make grand promises about how easy it is to be a pilot and how wonderful it is and then want full payment for their entire program up front. Most schools allow you to pay as you go. The financing possibilities are few and far between, and incurring such a large debt has risks. You should plan carefully and do your homework before sacrificing your financial security. It is sometimes better to work hard and save up to pay for training rather than getting a loan.

Here are some financing ideas to investigate:

These two offer loans for training, but they may not be adequate to cover the entire cost, especially in a helicopter. I also understand that their interest rates are rather high:

Pilot Finance

http://www.pilotfinance.com/pages/539359/index.htm

AOPA

http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/funds.html

Sallie Mae offers student and career loans. Check if your flight school is set up with them:

http://www.salliemae.com/

Also look for aviation college programs like Utah Valley State College. You train at a flight school of your choice while doing UVSC’s online classes. You don’t need an aviation degree to be a pilot, but you may have better financing options through them:

http://www.uvscaviation.com/

If you are female, you might investigate Whirly Girls. I think they have a scholarship program.

http://www.whirlygirls.org/

Finally, some time ago "Av8trxx" posted this answer to a question about financing. I don’t know if any of those would be useful for helicopter training, but she gave a lot of links and you might find something.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq7i4GHLyl0yH3OCoJhuEcXty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070701133902AAft6XS&show=7#profile-info-u7532iNeaa

Spend some time on the following helicopter websites. They have a lot of information, as well as discussion forums and flight school listings:

http://www.verticalreference.com/

http://www.justhelicopters.com/home/default.asp

Aviation is an awesome and rewarding career, but you can get burned if just dive in head first. Talk to pilots, research schools, get information from several different sources, figure the costs, and go into it fully prepared and knowledgeable about every possible path towards your goals. Don’t start until you can prove to yourself that the path you have selected is the right one.

Good luck!

This is taught in the Military! The people they generally hire are ex-Military. These are the folks that generally have what it takes!

For cheap?…..You can pitch up at your local airfield and take some lessons. This will cost lots but it can be done.

I started by gliding (sailplanes in American!) This is a cheaper way of flying and requires really sharp piloting skills. This means that by the time that you want to fly a light aircraft, it will be absurdly easy. The only new challenges are management of an engine and all the endless radio calls that the powered flying fraternity feel are necessary. What this means is that your necessary flying hours in an expensive powered aircraft to get your licence will be small. The current shortest that I am aware of (in the UK) was two hours! but the guy was a qualified (full category) gliding instructor before he started!

The website Vertical Reference has some useful information and here are some relevant links:

Reviews of Upper Limit:

http://www.verticalreference.com/helicopterreviews/showproduct.php?product=20&cat=2

Discussion threads about Utah flight schools:

http://verticalreference.com/helicopterforum/index.php?showtopic=5941&hl=upper+limit

http://verticalreference.com/helicopterforum/index.php?showtopic=4885&hl=upper+limit

http://www.sacusa.com/1directory/states.asp?category=FS#Pennsylvania

http://www.bestaviation.net/helicopter_schools/pennsylvania/

http://www.helicopterschoolinfo.com/pennsylvania_helicopter_schools.html

Make sure to shop around and do a lot of research before choosing any school.

Good luck!

I have flown at a lot of different places and this honestly is one of the best places you can end up at. Do your research, but do check them out.

Requirements (United States):
You will undergo flight and ground training at a local flight school, a flight physical, written tests, and practical tests. A private helicopter license takes 40 hours minimum flight time. If you are planning on completing the private only, you should expect to go beyond the minimum. Perhaps 60-80 hours is average. How many hours it actually takes will depend on how frequently you train. If you can fly at least 2-3 times per week, you will be more likely to finish in less time, and therefore less cost.

You will spend additional time on the ground with your instructor, and studying on your own.

Duration:
How long it will take depends on how frequently you fly, and what your ultimate goals are. Of course it will take longer to get a commercial certificate than a private. I’ve seen some people complete all of their ratings (private, instrument, commercial, CFI, CFII) in as little as 8 months. I have also seen others take several years just to get their private.

How often you fly will depend on three things: your schedule, the flight school’s schedule, and the availability of funds. Any one of those may cause you to get stuck, and to take longer. Do some research, and plan ahead carefully to minimize delays created by any of these.

Costs for Private License:
Flight time is the bulk of the expense. If your average instruction rate is $250/hr., then 40 hours will cost $10,000. If you take 60 hours, that would be $15,000. Your books, supplies, written tests, ground training, etc. will be in addition to that.

To find a helicopter school near you, you can refer to this website:

http://www.verticalreference.com/helicopterreviews/showcat.php?cat=2

Vertical Reference is also a great site for the helicopter industry in general, and the forum in particular is a good resource for many of your questions.

On Training Aircraft:
The two main civilian training aircraft are the Robinson 22 and the Schweizer 300. Investigate the differences between the two, as there are pros and cons to each. Some people prefer one or the other. I personally prefer the Schweizer.

Flying Airplanes:
Some people make the argument that you should fly airplanes first to save money. They assume this to be true rather than actually tallying the costs to see if it holds true. They are basing this on the assumption that you will finish your helicopter add-on in the minimum time, which is unlikely. In my opinion, if you really want to fly helicopters, then fly helicopters.

For Further Information:

http://www.verticalreference.com/

http://www.justhelicopters.com/home/default.asp

Aviation is a lot of fun, but you can get burned if just dive in head first. Talk to pilots, research schools, get information from several different sources, figure the costs, and go into it fully prepared and knowledgeable about every possible path towards your goals. Don’t start until you can prove to yourself that the path you have selected is the right one.

Good luck, and have fun!