Flight Schools "NW Oregon"

[1957-Lomcevak]

I reside in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, and I've be researching helicopter flight schools in the NW area of Oregon.

 

In brief, I have an extensive background in the civilian aviation field, which dates from the mid 70’s to the mid 1980’s. This background consists of fixed wing flight (SEL & MEL, 500+hrs. TT) and 8+ years of mechanics (general aviation, experimental & limited category).

 

I believe that I have found most of the schools with in a 50-60 mile radius of my residence (Applebee Aviation, Hillsboro Aviation, Precision Aviation & Sunset Helicopters). One school in particular has been eliminated (SSH, Salem, OR) not because of distance but, because of very obvious deficiencies’!

 

My general question is; What helicopter flight schools would you recommend, and why?

 

Thanks for your opinions!

[rick1128]

I did my Commercial add-on and CFI add-on at Precision. It is a small school so you will run into some of the normal small school issues, scheduling, maintenance issues and the like. I did look at Hillsboro and Applebee. My issues with Hillsboro was that they seemed to carter primarily to the foreign or full time student. Their pricing setup has what I consider 'got you's', like fuel surcharges. Applebee seemed more interested in their utility work than the flight school. They were not very quick in returning calls.

 

Good luck

[C.R.O.]

I called 3 of the 4 flight schools you have listed, and looked into the other, but didn't like what I heard, so never called them.

 

One never called me back, I won't mention which one, as I don't really want to say negative things about schools. Needless to say, I didn't bother trying to call that one again, so I never met with them.

 

I talked to Precision and Hillsboro, and did a demo flight at Hillsboro. These are the same two schools that I initially looked at almost 2 years ago, and asked about on this site when I first joined.

 

I went to Precision first, and the CFI I met with is actually a member here, and seemed like a good guy. The school impressed me, and I liked the location, as it was the 2nd closest school to my location. Seemed like a really nice operation, and I told my wife that night that I felt that I would probably end up there, based on my first impression. I did have some concerns, mainly with the schedule since they only had a few helicopters (IIRC, I was told they had 3 at that time, and were looking for a 4th.) I was also leaning towards Precision because of the fact that they were running Schweizers instead of the R-22s.

 

The small school made for a nice atmosphere, in my opinion, and I was left with the impression that they took good care of their aircraft.

 

A few days later, I went to Hillsboro, and met with Wayne, and then had a demo flight with a CFI.

 

Hillsboro also really impressed me. Despite the larger facility, and the greater amount of students, I was given the impression that they really got to know each individual. I liked the amount of helicopters they have (14 R-22s, 2 300s), and I also got the impression that they take good care of their aircraft as well. I asked about several different scheduling possibilities, since my schedule was going to be part time, but I wasn't sure what hours I would end up with, and was told it wouldn't be a problem, and that scheduling was always something being worked on, and made better all the time. The biggest downside for me is distance. I live down just south of the Aurora Airport, so it's a long commute!

 

I took notes while visiting both schools, and then compared them a few days afterwards. I also talked to another pilot back on the east coast who is a family friend, who had been a CFI at one point, and worked for airlines as well, but is now switching over to the rotary wing side. I already had a strong feeling towards Hillsboro at this point, but wanted to go over my notes with him, and use him as a sounding board.

 

From a distance, and working in the industry, he knew of Hillsboro by reputation, and had a very high opinion of the students that came out of there. He didn't know much about Precision, but I figure that is just because of the smaller size.

 

I went over every pro and con of both schools, not telling him which one I was leaning towards, and asked his opinion about various aspects of it.

 

Things like training at in the different airspaces the schools are in (he felt it was beneficial to learn in a fairly busy airspace, and learn off the bat to talk to the tower), R-22 vs. 300 (he leaned toward the R-22, saying that it's a harder aircraft to fly precisly, so those pilots really have to learn to fly it well, and that transfers over to bigger helicopters), and a few other things as well.

 

While these were his opinions, and opinions vary with different people, I felt comfortable with his advise to go to Hillsboro. Like I said, at that point, I was already leaning that way.

 

So that's what I did. I started the program a couple weeks ago, and am at about 21 hours right now, and I am really enjoying it.

 

There are a lot of other things that really help me feel that I made the right decision, for me atleast.

 

Scheduling is pretty easy, even for someone only going 3-4 days a week. Lot's of helicopters available, and the dispatchers really try to help out if you have an issue and need to switch the schedule around.

 

I have a good instructor who is really willing to spend the time to help me understand the concepts, and help me through some tough spots. He also doesn't just spoon feed me everything, but puts me in a good position to learn from experience. He has helped me out several times, while "off the clock" as well, so he's not just trying to earn a buck.

 

The other personel at the school are very friendly and helpful. They have offered to let me come back, and hang out while they are working on some of the helicopters, so I can ask questions, and get a better understanding of the aircraft. Nobody is getting paid extra for that, it's just them willing to help a student learn more.

 

I am having to communicate with the control tower every flight, which I am seeing as a very positive aspect.

 

Reality is though, that every person is different, and what may be the right school for me, may not be the right school for you. It would reallly be a good idea to go and talk with each of the schools, and see what impresses you about each one.

[Paisley]

For what it's worth - Iv'e flown with quite a few guys that came from Hillsboro and they always seem to produce quality pilots.

[Voluptuary5]

CRO,

 

I'm just curious, how does Hillsboro incorporate their simulator into their training (if at all)?

 

-V5

[C.R.O.]

CRO,

 

I'm just curious, how does Hillsboro incorporate their simulator into their training (if at all)?

 

-V5

 

Honestly, I am not sure yet, I haven't gotten to that point yet, and haven't really even asked much about it yet.

 

If you would like, I could ask my instructor, and get some information regarding it, and let you know.

[Voluptuary5]

Yeah, thanks CRO, but like I said I was just curious--don't go out of your way. I know they had one and were talking about upgrading it. I was most curious if it is part of the normal curriculum or maybe something they used to help a student through a deficiency in something like say 180 autos.

 

-V5