Wingman

[Wingman1]

Hey everybody

I want to fly helicopters, but am having a hard time finding the right school for me.I'm from Denmark and would prefer to take the certificate a more exciting place than here, and preferably in an English speaking country to get some routine in speaking the language (And generally for communication purposes).

My problem is, that the obvious choice is The United States - as i know they fly a fair bit over there and i figure it drives the prize of the certificates down - as well of meeting my other "requirements". I have even found a school with a reasonable cheap package deal for both civilian licence, commercial licence and instructor licence. But i have learned that if i want to fly in the EU i have to get the certificate at an "ATO" Approved Training Organization (Approved by EASA), or i'll have to take all the tests again when i come home again.

The school I've found is not on the approved list and all the American schools on the list have internet pages there are utter garbage and really hard to navigate. And i have not found anything appealing.

Do you have any advice as how to navigate this situation? your help would be much appreciated.

Bonus info: First time posting here, sorry if it shines through. My own thoughts have been to find another country to find a school in, but i don't know where to start or if anywhere is preferable. Have also considered if it's a viable option to re-take all the test when i get home, but it's hard find the consequences of such a choice anywhere, especially the economical.

[R0T0R]

The only thing I can tell you for sure it that there is a extensive amount of test to write in the EU and they take a long time. If you have patience, I’d do the US school and convert but I’m also talking with no financial background on where you’re at, and how much time it would take. I’m told that getting into a flying position is easier in the US by far than other places I’ve flown. Experience is a factor I would consider as well. The license is great, but what’s the point if you can’t use it due to lack of hours?

[old]

Chinook in Abbotsford can answer all your questions. It’s a very good school. 

[Icewind]

You have mentioned the obvious ideas; costs, tests to get the initial licence and to convert to a European licence.  An even more important thing is the quality of the instruction and primarily the experience of the instructor.  If at all possible get your training from an instructor with lots of operational experience.  Avoid schools that use low-time instructors trying to log time to get a "real" job.

[Wingman1]

This is a lot to consider, but have really helped me narrow it down. I think i will start by exploring the cost of converting here in Denmark. Chinook seems very promising as well, if i do decide to go over seas to get my licence. Thanks for all the ideas, please keep the posts coming if you think of anything else. 

[Winnie]

Hello Wingman1

Training in Canada can make trouble for you, unless you find work in Canada right after training due to ICAO rules. Canada has a few excemptions, one is to hours required. which means that even if you leave Canada with a commercial license you do not meet the minimum requirement from an EASA standpoint, and will have to cover those. Also in Canada you can't become an instructor and build hours that way. you'd basically have to start as a low timer on the hangar floor.

In the US, with the right school (FAR 141 approved) you can get a J1 Visa, which gives you 2 years to get a license, get a job, and build hours quickly so that you can go to Europe (Denmark/Norway perhaps) to convert your license and get a job. It SHOULD be possible to gain about 1000 hours in 2 years if you manage to find a busy school to  train and teach. 

So from that standpoint, US wins hands down. 

Now... there are numerous schools in Canada, from BC to the east coast, and they should be able to get you a commercial license, but you will struggle to find a job with your possible 18 months left on your visa. and if you DO find a job, you will not gain many hours. this is unfortunate but true, anyone tell you differently are lying. Search for threads in the main forum such as "lowtimers" https://forums.verticalmag.com/topic/22889-where-does-a-lowtime-start/?tab=comments#comment-154205

There are 2 large schools in Florida, and 1 in Oregon that used to do 141 and EASA training, but I'm unsure if I'd recommend the EASA training, simply for the reason that you will leave with virtually no hours. Anyway, that's what I can say so far...

 

Haaber det hjelper lit..

[Wingman1]

On 10/26/2019 at 1:23 AM, Winnie said:

Hello Wingman1

Training in Canada can make trouble for you, unless you find work in Canada right after training due to ICAO rules. Canada has a few excemptions, one is to hours required. which means that even if you leave Canada with a commercial license you do not meet the minimum requirement from an EASA standpoint, and will have to cover those. Also in Canada you can't become an instructor and build hours that way. you'd basically have to start as a low timer on the hangar floor.

In the US, with the right school (FAR 141 approved) you can get a J1 Visa, which gives you 2 years to get a license, get a job, and build hours quickly so that you can go to Europe (Denmark/Norway perhaps) to convert your license and get a job. It SHOULD be possible to gain about 1000 hours in 2 years if you manage to find a busy school to  train and teach. 

So from that standpoint, US wins hands down. 

Now... there are numerous schools in Canada, from BC to the east coast, and they should be able to get you a commercial license, but you will struggle to find a job with your possible 18 months left on your visa. and if you DO find a job, you will not gain many hours. this is unfortunate but true, anyone tell you differently are lying. Search for threads in the main forum such as "lowtimers" https://forums.verticalmag.com/topic/22889-where-does-a-lowtime-start/?tab=comments#comment-154205

There are 2 large schools in Florida, and 1 in Oregon that used to do 141 and EASA training, but I'm unsure if I'd recommend the EASA training, simply for the reason that you will leave with virtually no hours. Anyway, that's what I can say so far...

 

Haaber det hjelper lit..

Tusind mange tak
Thank you so much, this is great information. 

Right from the start, i have been looking at Hillsboro Aero Academy in Oregon and might return to that as my main focus again after this read.