Commercial Pilot Training

The FAA requires that pilots who are paid to fly while performing most flying services have a Commercial Pilot's License. Due North Aviation's instructors offer training to earn the Commercial Pilot License, adding their real-world experience to the required maneuvers to help you move into a career pilot position with the decision-making abilities and flight skills to make a safe, professional aviator.

A Commercial Pilot must meet the following minimum experience requirements:

• 150 total hours of flight time, including, at least:
  • 50 hours in helicopters
  • 100 hours in "Powered Aircraft" (excluding hot air balloons, gliders, etc.)
  • 100 hours of "Pilot-In-Command" flight time, of which at least 35 hours must be in helicopters
  • 20 hours of flight time with a Certified Flight Instructor, or "CFI" ("dual" flight time)
  • Meet other night and "cross-country" flight time requirements
• Pass a multiple-choice written examination (typically administered by computer) on material related to that required of a Commercial Pilot
• Pass a "flight test" and oral examination by a designated pilot examiner which examines your ability to perform specific maneuvers and understanding of subject area related to being a Commercial Pilot
• Be at least 18 years of age (though you may "solo" at 16 years old and begin training at any time)
• Be able to read, speak, and understand the English Language
• Pass a Routine Medical Examination by an Aviation Medical Examiner

Specifically, your training must include maneuvers outlined in what are called the Practical Test Standards, which includes maneuvers such as normal take-offs and landings, hovering, cross-wind operations, slope landings, ground reference maneuvers, navigation, and so forth.

For pilots who have already earned the Commercial Pilot's License in another category of aircraft, you may use your previous flight experience to earn a Commercial Pilot Helicopter Add-On Rating.

What types of jobs might I be able to get with a Commercial Pilot's License in a helicopter?

Commercial helicopter pilots serve in a variety of industries, as flight instructors, pipeline or powerline patrol pilots, aerial photography pilots, corporate pilots, EMS pilots, military pilots, news gathering pilots, and as pilots on offshore oil rigs, among other opportunities.

Most pilots must spend some time "building flight time" to become eligible for the most desirable positions in the helicopter industry. As you gain more experience in helicopters and exposure to larger and turbine-powered rotorcraft, the number of opportunities available to you expands greatly.