What do all these numbers mean ? Well lets try and explain some things here.... first of all don't let any school fool you with all approvals etc etc that they have , many can be completed online in a few minutes !
Of course Part 141 approval is the real important one and can take several years and not minutes ! Part 141 is a part of the FAR "Federal aviation Regulations " that explains that you can complete a course of training in a structured format approved by the FAA . So if you walked into a school and told them you wanted to get a private helicopter rating and you had zero hours then you could do it two different ways. The first way is to look in Part 61 of the FAR to find out how many hours are required to be completed to receive the rating, in the case of a private rating 40 hours . If the school has a private program approved by the FAA under part 141 then you could complete it in 35 hours IF you enroll in that Part 141 program .
Everybody with me so FAR ?!
This is also very useful when it comes to training for an instrument rating as it again reduces the amount of training required in part 61 when training for the instrument rating under Part 141 .
The same is not true for a commercial rating or flight instructor rating , many times you will actually need to have more hours for the commercial license if you complete it under part 141 than completing it under part 61 ! crazy I know. The flight instructor rating can be added to a commercial rating and does not have hour requirements , However to sign a student off for a check-ride under part 61 the instructor needs to meet some strict requirements including holding a CFI for at least two years .Many schools will enroll you in a Part 141 certified flight instructor program so they can have you fly longer and with a much less experienced flight instructor . would you want to be taught touch down autorotations by a low time helicopter pilot with only 3 or 4 hundred hours ? Not me !!!
So the only ratings that are really worth completing under part 141 are private and Instrument AND the best way to get your CFI is with an Instructor that has at least 750 hours in helicopters and has been a CFI for at least 2 years .
Having said all this ,the best type of school to choose is a Part 141 approved school , you can guarantee that the helicopters have been maintained to the highest standards and that the school has to meet some very strict requirements unlike part 61 schools .
If you require more information then feel free to call Blue Hill Helicopters on 781 688 0263
BHH
