Largest helicopter school

[amos]

Hello Everyone!!! I have been searching through different schools all over the US to find one of the bigger helicopter schools. From my understanding it starts at CFI so why not try and find a bigger or more popular school to do my training for better opportunities to be a CFI. I was wondering if anybody could help me out with trying to find some of the bigger schools in the US. Im in Kentucky right now but im willing to move so it doesnt matter where

Thank you!

[Snowman]

I’m pretty sure Bristow is the largest; I have heard good things about them.

 

http://www.heli.com/

[Rob M.]

Going to a bigger school doesn't always mean you have better chance to get a CFI job.

 

With the bigger schools you got to remember that they are graduating CFI's more often than the small to medium schools and that creates more competition for the few spots that are available if any at that school. It's all about timing and luck. I got a lot of friends that have finished there CFII with Bristow in the past 3 months and have been told they are not hiring because they are struggling with getting students financing.

 

Just my .02 cents but i would not rule out the smaller schools.

[Pohi]

Try Silver State Helicopters. I think they are the biggest flight training school network out there. I remember hearing something about 30+ school locations and over a hundred helicopters.

 

They must have done something right to get so big.

[RagMan]

Silver State Helicopters is no longer in business. They went bankrupt.

[Pohi]

Silver State Helicopters is no longer in business. They went bankrupt.

 

 

Yes.

 

Yes they did.

[RagMan]

Just checking Some people never get the news

[67november]

Just checking Some people never get the news

 

 

Pohi is just bein' a S.A.

[Snowman]

FYI

 

On 23 May 2008 US Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla) called for a Federal Trade Commission investigation of Silver State, indicating that he believes that it was a Ponzi scheme.

 

Senator Nelson said:

"What Silver State was doing was taking the $70,000 up front and then it was using it immediately and they were trying to go out and recruit more students to get more $70,000 per student and therefore pay expenses as they went along with the money they were collecting from the students. Now if that's what this investigation ends up being, what that is a ponzi scheme.

 

Writing in Rotor and Wing magazine in March 2009, Ernie Stephens concluded:

 

“ It’s been a little more than a year since Silver State Helicopters (SSH) abruptly shut its doors on Feb. 3, 2008 and went out of business. That day also marked the last time that approx. 2,000 of its flight academy students saw any hope of getting the training they had paid nearly $70,000 for in advance.

The perceived – and very probably factual - scam has been the talk of the helicopter industry every since. In fact, it has become a verb in some places: "If I sign up for lessons, you’d better not do a Silver State on me!"

Edited February 5, 2010 by Snowman

[r22butters]

Don't forget, there's also a WORLDWIDE PILOT SHORTAGE!

[zVo]

Don't forget, there's also a WORLDWIDE PILOT JOB SHORTAGE!

 

Fixed.

[ChprPlt]

I think you could do well with a smaller school that doesn't train a lot of CFI's. For instance the place I work trains a lot of private pilots. Not many students go from 0 hours to CFI. That means not a lot of competition when you get done.