Helicopter Training News

By: Nick

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 05:02:42 +0000

It is unfortunate that we cannot afford to have the higher experience for FCI’s. As a Navy instructor I can’t think of any one who has less than 1500 hours who teaches our NEW students to fly, but we do have taxes to offset the added expense of experience. That being said, no matter how “good” the student seemed to be I never fly in a position that would not allow me to regain controls in a timely manner. It does lead to cramps and back pain, but its safer. So far, I have yet to meet a student who, on day one, said they were completely comfortable hovering(or trying). As a good instructor, especially teaching one to hover, you MUST allow at least some students to approach and even exceed their comfort level, but never let them exceed YOUR comfort level!

By: Sean C

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:37:18 +0000

it is ironic and unfortunate that in our country, the completely untrained are instructed almost exclusively by CFI’s who are barely more trained themselves. It doesn’t make much sense, when you think of it. It’s a challenge to even think of another industry or endeavor that uses this upside-down model as their norm. In countries other than the U.S., it requires quite a bit more experience before you can qualify as a CFI, and flight instruction is typical given by the most senior pilots instead of the most junior. Of course, this also makes it a bit more expensive to obtain instruction, since those senior pilots won’t work for the pittance that we pay our CFI’s here in America. If it was up to me, I’d switch things around and have the old guys doing the teaching instead of the pups.

By: Tim McAdams

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:31:21 +0000

Mick,

Here you go…

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20030804X01257&key=1

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20030408X00454&key=1

Thanks for commenting.

Tim

By: Mick Cullen

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 06:32:11 +0000

Thanks Tim, thats a pretty good look at how it is. Can you add some links to particular NTSB reports of the things you are talking about?