I want to learn to fly a helicopter, but don't have the money to do so, what is the best way?

Question

I'd quite like to be a pilot for the police, or a transport company, just not the military. Would rather my body did not get bullet holes in it!

What would you recommend? What is the best way to go about it? How do I get in to those areas (above) ?

Answer 1

Ask your bank for a career development loan to fund your lessons

Answer 2

join armed services as a heli pilot

Answer 3

go to www.x-plane.com and order x-plane a flight simulator that pilots use to train with Airliners,to helicopters to Jets. I have it and it is awesome

Answer 4

Join the army. Worked for me. I ended up with the best pilot career ever.

Answer 5

can't really unless you have deep pockets or join the forces, tough that's the only realist options. Some sort of scolarship might turn up but it is rear very rear infact. Why not join the forces only one helicopter has been shot down.

Answer 6

First, don't exclude the military as an option. You do have to commit several years of your life to them, and you may end up in combat, but you get exceptional training and exceptional experience that will set you up for an entire career as a pilot. Don't forget about the Coast Guard either.

Next, if you have it in mind specifically to become a police pilot, be aware that they usually select their pilots from within. That is, they choose officers with several years of police experience. The good news is that they sometimes pay for it. A school in my area is currently training several state police on the state's dime. Of course, joining a police force just to be a pilot would be unwise, as there is no guarantee that you would be chosen to send to flight school or that any given department always pays for it.

As far as civilian training is concerned, you should expect to pay somewhere around $60,000 to complete your certification. You will then likely spend a year or two as a low paid flight instructor to gain experience, further straining your finances.

The bottom line is that funding your training is very very difficult, and there is no sure fire easy way to do it. Your local bank would likely not be willing to give you such a large loan for aviation training, but it is possible to get student type loans. Be very careful before you take out a loan and make sure you understand the terms of the loan so you don't get screwed.

The financing possibilities are few and far between, and incurring such a large debt has risks. You should plan carefully and do your homework before sacrificing your financial security. It is sometimes better to work hard and save up to pay for training rather than getting a loan.

Here are some financing ideas to investigate:

These two offer loans for training, but they may not be adequate to cover the entire cost, especially in a helicopter. I also understand that their interest rates are rather high:

Pilot Finance

http://www.pilotfinance.com/pages/539359...

AOPA

http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/funds...

Sallie Mae offers student and career loans. Check if your flight school is set up with them:

http://www.salliemae.com/

Also look for aviation college programs like Utah Valley State College. You train at a flight school of your choice while doing UVSC's online classes. You don't need an aviation degree to be a pilot, but you may have better financing options through them. Many people have had success with their program. The disadvantage is that you will have the additional costs of their tuition, and the online classes are designed for airplanes instead of helicopters. Take a look at them and see if it may work for you:

http://www.uvscaviation.com/

Some time ago "Av8trxx" posted this answer to a question about financing. I don't know if any of those would be useful for helicopter training, but she gave a lot of links and you might find something.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Spend some time on the following helicopter websites. They have a lot of information, as well as discussion forums and flight school listings:

http://www.verticalreference.com/

http://www.justhelicopters.com/home/defa...

One more I'll throw in here is Helicopter Association International. I seem to recall reading somewhere that they might offer grants.

http://www.rotor.com/

Aviation is an awesome and rewarding career, but you can get burned if just dive in head first. Talk to pilots, research schools, get information from several different sources, figure the costs, and go into it fully prepared and knowledgeable about every possible path towards your goals. Don't start until you can prove to yourself that the path you have selected is the right one.

Good luck!

Answer 7

log on to www.hurtwood.demon.co.uk - you can fly all day, it's addictive.