Schweizer vs Robinson training

[Walt117]

Hi, I’m another newbie considering to start a career as helo pilot and wonder if I should learn on a Schweizer, R44, or splitting hours to get a rating on both. 
There’s a lot of different opinions out there, and like everyone, I I don’t want to waste time, money, and the chance to land a CFI job asap. 
Looking forward to your replies. 

[helonorth]

Unless you are not in the US, it will be a long time before you fly a helicopter that you need an additional rating in. I flew the Schweizer and skipped the Robinson all together. If I were to start today, I would just fly the R-22 and get a few hours in the Schweizer. If you do your CFI in a R-22, you can fly and teach in a Schweizer but the other way around is much more difficult. If you want to become a CFI and have the most options for employment, there really is no other choice than the R-22. If you want to do things really smart, fly airplanes. 

[MLH]

I learned in an H300C. During my training the instructor said he wouldn't put me in a Robinson because I'd accuse him of not teaching me anything. As soon as I passed the check ride I began flying an R22 and found out what he was talking about.  If you can fly a Robbie,  you can fly anything.  Stick with whatever you start in.

Mike

 

[Spike]

The Robinson products have specific SFAR hour requirements to teach in them. It’s probably a good idea to meet those requirements. Of those required hours, not all of them need to be in a Robinson.  I’d suggest getting time in the 300 while building that time to meet the Robinson SFAR. This would allow you be more marketable to wider verity of schools.

[Hand_Grenade_Pilot]

On 12/12/2020 at 2:26 PM, Walt117 said:

Hi, I’m another newbie considering to start a career as helo pilot and wonder if I should learn on a Schweizer, R44, or splitting hours to get a rating on both. 
There’s a lot of different opinions out there, and like everyone, I I don’t want to waste time, money, and the chance to land a CFI job asap. 
Looking forward to your replies. 

One of your main goals in training should be making yourself as marketable as possible, while spending as little as possible.

Thus, you should focus your training primarily on the R22 and meeting the SFAR requirements. The overwhelming majority of flight schools are using the R22/R44.

The S300 is a vastly superior training helicopter (higher useful load, much more robust landing gear / rotor head design, manual throttle, more stable auto rotational characteristics, larger cockpit, traditional cyclic configuration + an electric trim motor).

It really pisses me off that the industry leaned toward such an inferior airframe (the R22) for flight training. When I was in flight school, it was only about a $10-15/hr difference between renting the R22 vs. the S300. But apparently flight schools found it more profitable to operate the R22. So the reality is that your job prospects will be very, very limited if you train solely the S300.

While some flight schools are pushing the R44 (or the newer cadet... basically a cheaper R44 with only 2 seats) for primary training, it’s a waste of money. Do the majority of your training in the cheaper R22, and maybe a little in the R44 if it looks like it could open up a good opportunity.