Flying helicopters is very different to flying aeroplane in terms of the skills involved and the type of flying involved. Flying could range from traffic reporting to mountain rescue to oil rig operations. Because of the general nature of helicopter operations, the risk is far greater which has the effect of pushing up insurance premiums. This is one reason for the high cost of training.

Training

Training requirements for a helicopter PPL are the same as for an aeroplane PPL, excepting for the hours required. A minimum of 50 hours is required and obviously the syllabus is also different. It is not necessary to have any previous experience on aeroplane before doing a helicopter PPL. In fact, if a person has an aeroplane PPL or CPL, he is still required to complete the full 50 hours of helicopter training.

Training in the SA Air Force is different. A prospective helicopter pilot must undergo the complete wings training course on fixed-wing aircraft before converting onto helicopters.

Prospects

There is generally a shortage of helicopter pilots, or at least not an oversupply. There are two reasons for this. The first one is the high cost of training. The second reason is that insurance companies require the pilots to have a lot of helicopter experience, usually at least 1500 helicopter hours. Depending on the type of helicopter to be flown, this requirement could also be coupled to multi-crew experience and turbine time. So despite a general shortage of helicopter pilots, unless you do your training through the Air Force, it is not easy to enter this area of flying.