Training Schools

[Saltire]

Hey Guys,

 

Just looking for some advice. I'm quite sure you've been asked this question many times before however to put my mind at ease I was wondering if any of you could assist. Having saved for a considerable amount of time I have decided that there is no better place to complete my CPL(H) than Canada (not to mention the cost in comparison to the UK).

 

Anyway, as many of you will know, there is only so much you can learn from a training school from their websites and brochures. Therefore, I shall be travelling across to visit a number of schools in April/May with a view of commencing my training in July/August. I've decided to train in BC and have narrowed my choice down to three schools:

 

BC Helicopters

Heli-College Canada

Chinook Helicopters Ltd

 

(Bearing in mind these schools are within travelling distance of each other)

 

I was wondering if any of you have any advice on my choice of schools and if there's any one in particular that you recommend?

 

I appreciate any responses.

[3Lions]

Do you know what aircraft you want to train in? The reason I ask, from the 3 schools you've lised they each train with different machines:

 

BC Helicopters - Schweizer 300

Heli-College - Robinson R22

Chinook Helicopters - Bell 47

 

I'm not in a position to recommend one school against another, as I've only experienced training at one school, but I have recently finished my CPL at Heli-College. The ground school and flying instruction worked well for me, and I felt well prepared for both the written and flight test.

[shaggy]

i trained at chinook. they were good to me and i enjoyed it very much. at altitude the 47 is a good training a/c that performed like a heavily loaded 206 and is much the same size. all 3 of those places are in one of the most spectaculay paces to train that i can think of that will provide you with any challenges.

as far as the other schools go i know nothing of them so cannot give a meaningful comparison

good luck and enjoy.

[mtnhopper]

Saltire, pick your school carefuly,Where you train could mean the difference between getting a job or not,all of the above are great schools but do your homework it will really pay off, good luck :up:

[412driver]

as an instructor at one of your choices i may be a little biased , but i will say that your decision to visit all three schools is a good one. i am not a competition basher, whichever school you choose will give you very good instruction. :up:

 

although i do have reasons why our 300's are a better training vehicle

 

make sure you ask ALOT of questions. i believe heli-college has an article on their website about "11 questions you should ask" or something like that. you should feel free to ask any questions you think are necessary.

 

look forward to seeing you in april/may

 

412driver

rob dyck

instructor bc helicopters

[Helilog56]

I'll be even more biased....as I am a Canadian, most notebly a Westcoast resident, your choice of picking British Columbia here in Canada as a place to train is by far superior to most anywhere else in the world. As 412 stated, picking any one of those schools will give you quality training, as they all have access to some of the most challenging mountains and weather that you could ever wish for. Good luck in your search... :up:

[downwash]

Saltire, I'd back up everything that's been said here so far, but I'm surprised

you don't have the 'Valley Helicopters' school on your list. They're in the same

marvelous area for training and use the Bell 47, which I personally consider the

best trainer of the three, although the others are certainly good. It's not my

intention to start another of the open-ended debates about which trainer is best

here, but I would encourage you to take a look at Valley, given that you'll be in

the general area. Whatever your choice(s), good luck to you.

[412driver]

"the Bell 47, which I personally consider the best trainer of the three"

 

oh downwash..... that's like an arrow through the heart

[Skids Up]

'Valley Helicopters' school on your list.

 

Anybody hear lately how **** is doing?

[Saltire]

I’d like to thank all of you for your responses to date. I realise that my choice in a/c is obviously very important when deciding where to train and although I do have my own opinion on my preferred choice, I wanted my original post to focus on the quality of training provided by the schools (i’ve read too many debates on what is the best training a/c and these seem to spiral out of control at times!)

 

Thanks once again, keep the advice coming. :up: