Colorado Heliops/Helicopters NW

[R44girl]

Hello everyone, prospective student here.

 

I was curious if there are any pilots that trained at either of these schools, and what your experience was like training and finding a job after.

 

For what it's worth, I've visited both schools, and they both seem like great, financially stable businesses run by good people.

 

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[adam32]

I'm friends with the owner of HeliOps. It's a top notch operation with no expense spared on aircraft or maintenance. Clean and reliable aircraft will get your training costs down too. The scenery is pretty darn nice too.

[WolftalonID]

I know the chief pilot of Heliops trained at the school I trained at and teach at. The owner also seems like a very solid individual with a strong interest in good pilots and good pilot training.

[Guest pokey]

not that it really matters, but? didn't the owner get caught doing commercial work with a private license? (or rating, for all you 747 drivers)

[adam32]

not that it really matters, but? didn't the owner get caught doing commercial work with a private license? (or rating, for all you 747 drivers)

 

I don't believe so?? He may have been in the co-pilot seat??

[Carpenter]

not that it really matters, but? didn't the owner get caught doing commercial work with a private license? (or rating, for all you 747 drivers)

 

No, it doesn't matter because there is a pilot shortage!

[Jaybee]

The people I met from NW seemed knowledgeable, though the cost of living in Seattle is mucho expensive. I would look for the closest school to where I lived and if that doesn't work I would look for a school where the cost of living is very low. At the end of the day no one cares where you train.

[r22butters]

not that it really matters, but? didn't the owner get caught doing commercial work with a private license? (or rating, for all you 747 drivers)

I believe its Private Certificate!,...but I'm just guessing as I only hold a Commercial Rating.

[ridethisbike]

The people I met from NW seemed knowledgeable, though the cost of living in Seattle is mucho expensive. I would look for the closest school to where I lived and if that doesn't work I would look for a school where the cost of living is very low. At the end of the day no one cares where you train

 

 

They might not care where you train, but there are most definitely reasons to avoid certain schools. While they should all be teaching the same information, some of them don't go nearly as in depth as others. Some schools/instructors want you to be a knowledgeable and safe pilot, while others just want to try and get you through the check ride, and then there's the ones who half ass everything they teach you in order to keep you coming back, rather than giving you their best right off the bat.

 

Find the school that fits your needs while getting yourself the best training you can. Make sure you check out more than just a few schools before you pull the trigger, though.

[WolftalonID]

That sir was an excellent piece of advice to a new student. Ask lots of questions at each school and research them like you were the CIA before paying a cent.

[eagle5]

Yep, ask lots of questions, and believe only half the answers. Except the pilot shortage that one's definitely real!

[Lindsey]

I went to HNW. There are some great, great people at that school, and the Chief Pilot has 20,000 hours in mostly Robbies. They also have a couple satellite schools; and that's where I worked. It's a good place. Training at KBFI, an extremely, extremely busy Class D airport under the Bravo shelf of SeaTac is great experience. It is not the end-all be-all flight school; I've never heard of one. In the end I've found that the drive of the student is the most important thing. A good student will succeed almost anywhere. If the school seems decent enough for you and you can find an instructor you work well with, that's what matters. Unless of course it's a place like Silverstate.

[Goldy]

Like em both, love only one of them. Wish I lived in Colorado.