COURSE SELECTION STIMULATES DEMAND FOR HELICOPTER TRAINING
U.S. helicopter training organizations are stimulating customer demand by offering a wider variety of instruction, including specialized courses in cockpit resource management and emergency medical services (EMS) flying. The chief beneficiaries of the revived emphasis on helicopter training have been the bigger training centers, especially those with sophisticated simulators. Sales of light piston helicopters for training use amounted to about 20% of all 1988 new aircraft sales by Robinson Helicopter Company. Schweizer Aircraft Corporation has sold out its entire 1989 production. Begun in 1947 to train first-time helicopter buyers, the Bell Helicopter Customer Training Academy has graduated more than 35,000 pilot and maintenance students. In 1987 the Bell center trained more than 2,300 non-military students. It is scheduled to train 2,700 in 1988, with about 45% of this number pilots and the remainder maintenance staff. Approximately 90% of the academy's current students attend for recurrent training courses. The academy trains pilots in any language, using translators if necessary. FlightSafety International offers initial helicopter and fixed-wing instruction at Vero Beach, Florida and advanced helicopter training in West Palm Beach and Ft. Worth. FlightSafety's West Palm Beach Learning Center has generated new business by increasing the number and variety of courses it offers. In 1987 the West Palm Beach facility trained 621 helicopter pilots and mechanics, and expects that figure to reach 790 in 1988. It has offered courses in EMS flying for slightly more than a year. The course replicates a typical EMS mission from start to finish, and usually involves inadvertent entry into instrument weather conditions--a major factor in EMS helicopter accidents. Most smaller helicopter training organizations are also reporting increased student numbers. The cost for a private pilot helicopter license averages around $7,500 at Arizona Wing and Rotor, one of the smaller training centers.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1518944
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Corporate Authors:
McGraw-Hill, Incorporated
330 West 42nd Street
New York, NY United States 10036 - Publication Date: 1988-10-17
Media Info
- Features: Photos;
- Pagination: 3 p.
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Serial:
- Aviation Week & Space Technology
- Volume: 129
- Issue Number: 16
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill, Incorporated
- ISSN: 0005-2175
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Air pilots; Airline pilots; Costs; Disasters and emergency operations; Hazards and emergency operations; Helicopters; Training
- Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Aviation; Education and Training; Finance; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00476922
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Oct 31 1988 12:00AM