Helihead Posted September 25, 2007 Posted September 25, 2007 Question #1 I have heard to start a CFI job for helicopters, you need 200 hours in a helicopter. Has anyone heard of people doing it in less. Example if a 1,500 hour Saab SF340 pilot obtains a helicopter add-on commercial and CFI in the FAA minimums like around 75 hours. and then when he/she has around 125-150 hours in a helicopter a company feels comfortable to hiring them they get a CFI job, Is that a realistic, can it happen. Or is this an insurance requirement and there is no way around it. I am not saying minimum time pilots are good or that minimums are something to try and rush and get to so you can get your rating and get hired or whatever. I am just curios. Question # 2 Some Helicopter jobs require you to have a certain number of turbine hours. Can the turbine fixed wing time with turbo prop or turbo fan be counted toward that turbine time?
rick1128 Posted September 25, 2007 Posted September 25, 2007 Question #1 I have heard to start a CFI job for helicopters, you need 200 hours in a helicopter. Has anyone heard of people doing it in less. Example if a 1,500 hour Saab SF340 pilot obtains a helicopter add-on commercial and CFI in the FAA minimums like around 75 hours. and then when he/she has around 125-150 hours in a helicopter a company feels comfortable to hiring them they get a CFI job, Is that a realistic, can it happen. Or is this an insurance requirement and there is no way around it. I am not saying minimum time pilots are good or that minimums are something to try and rush and get to so you can get your rating and get hired or whatever. I am just curios. Question # 2 Some Helicopter jobs require you to have a certain number of turbine hours. Can the turbine fixed wing time with turbo prop or turbo fan be counted toward that turbine time? Part of the 200 hour deal is the SFAR 73 requirement for CFI's. So if you are instructing in a Robbie, then you have to have 200 hours helicopter time. I would say that unless you learned at the school, they would like to see a significant amount of helicopter time. As for question #2, I have been told that turbine helicopter time means turbine HELICOPTER time.
LB11 Posted September 25, 2007 Posted September 25, 2007 Dont most insurance policies want 300 hours these days?
RotorWeed Posted September 25, 2007 Posted September 25, 2007 Dont most insurance policies want 300 hours these days? Pathfinder is demanding CFI's have 300hrs before teaching in the Robinson. I don't know of any others. I have heard of one high time turbine fixed wing pilot being hired for twin ems work with less then the turbine requirement. Question 2 probably needs to be asked directly to potential employers (my opinion)
Helihead Posted September 25, 2007 Author Posted September 25, 2007 Well what if you dont plan on ever flying a robinson. snd going with the 300 CB or CBi. THen do you need 200 or 300 as you guys say?
Jeff Posted September 26, 2007 Posted September 26, 2007 Well what if you dont plan on ever flying a robinson. snd going with the 300 CB or CBi. THen do you need 200 or 300 as you guys say? I did it. With less than 200 helicopter, I found a guy who had a 300 who would let me instruct in it. He didn't hire me; I did it as an independent contractor (my student paid him for the helicopter and me for my time). I understand that not everyone can find that kind of deal, but keep looking and you might. And for anyone worried about the risk, I was given an instructor check-out and covered on the insurance. The only caveat was that before I soloed anyone, they had to fly with one of the instructors who were named on the policy. ~Jeff
jehh Posted September 27, 2007 Posted September 27, 2007 200 hours is required per the SFAR 73 regulation for the Robinson R-22 and R-44 helicopters. In a Schweizer 300 (or any other helicopter), then yes you could in theory teach with 75 hours of time. Insurance won't likely cover that, they like to see 150 hours of time, but exceptions do happen. Pathfinder insurance does indeed require 300 hours of helicopter time, that is why we fly both the R-22 and the Schweizer 300, so our CFIs can start when they are done with their training, then move into the R-22 once they have their time. As far as turbine time, your airplane time may help, some employers care, some do not.
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