Commercial Pilot Licence

 

The Commercial Helicopter Pilot Licence allows the holder to fly for hire or reward. A Commercial Pilot may be paid to fly for a charter company or a private individual or company.  Any company or person who offers an aircraft for hire or reward must also hold an Air Operator Certificate.

 

The “Enrolment“ page will guide you in starting your training program and provide you with a list of ground school supplies required for the course.

 

It is not necessary to obtain a private pilot license prior to commencing training for a commercial helicopter pilot license.  Most CPL-H candidates skip the private pilot training program.

 

The cost of commercial pilot training is fully deductible from personal income tax for Canadian residents and is sales tax exempt provided it is completed with a HRSDC recognized Canadian flight school.

 

Requirements

 

To obtain a Commercial Helicopter License, candidates with no previous flying experience must:

• be eighteen years of age (training may commence prior to this age)
• obtain a Category 1 Medical
• obtain a Restricted Radio Operators Permit - Aeronautical
• accumulate 100 hours of commercial flight training, of which
      - 55 hours must be with an instructor
      - 35 hours must be solo
• attend 80 hours of commercial ground school
• achieve 60% on a written Transport Canada examination (CPHEL)
• demonstrate English language proficiency
• demonstrate ability on a practical flight test

 

Candidates who hold a Commercial Aeroplane Licence will be credited with 40 hours flight time and 60 hours ground school time and must:

• accumulate 60 hours of commercial helicopter flight training, of which
      - 37 hours must be with an instructor
      - 23 hours must be solo
• attend 20 hours of commercial helicopter ground school
• achieve 60% on written examination (CHRAC)
• demonstrate ability on a practical flight test

 

Candidates who hold a Private Helicopter Pilot Licence will be credited with 40 hours flight time and 40 hours ground school time and must:

• be eighteen years of age
• obtain a Category 1 Medical
• accumulate a further 60 hours of commercial helicopter flight training, of which
      - 37 hours must be with an instructor
      - 23 hours must be solo
• attend 40 hours of commercial helicopter ground school
• achieve 60% on a written Transport Canada examination (CPHEL)
• demonstrate ability on a practical flight test

 

These flight times are Transport Canada minimum requirements. Some students may require more training, depending on his or her progress during training; however, most students complete the course within the minimum requirement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A word about student employment prospects

 

Although employment prospects for experienced helicopter pilots are good, it is often difficult for newly licensed helicopter pilots to find work; mainly because of insurance requirements or customer requirements. There is no recent data on employment statistics for newly licensed pilots; however, the road to finding your first job is not easy. You must contact as many potential employers as possible and sell yourself as a good candidate for hire.

 

Newly licensed pilots usually find their first job as a dispatcher or in a ground support role. If opportunities exist, the candidate is usually assigned ferry flights with experienced pilots to build time and, at the same time, be assessed on flying abilities. If the employer is satisfied that the prospect fits in well with the organization, the prospect may be given advanced training and put on light flight duty and given more challenging tasks as experience is gained.

 

Advanced Heli-Flight Ltd. is also a commercial operator.  We will hire graduates from our flight school as the need arises.  Our graduates may be employed by our company as pilots who conduct helicopter tours at certain community events and to help load and unload passengers.  This is temporary employment and provides the candidate with an opportunity to gain experience.  We also have many industry contacts who do hire newly licensed pilots.  We will provide graduates with an introduction to these operators.

 

In many instances pilots must spend extended periods of time away from home while on the job; at least until they have enough experience to qualify for a position which operates from a fixed base.

 

Investing a large sum of money in obtaining a commercial helicopter pilot licence is a tough decision to make. Those who choose this career path should be be certain it is the career path that they want to pursue. For a third party view on helicopter employment prospects, job descriptions, and salaries visit: jobs.aviation.ca

 

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