Military Helicopter Pilot Transition

Transcription

1 Tired of logging 0.3 and 1.1 in your logbook? Don t want to sleep in a tent without your family? Or spend another six months on the back of a destroyer while your land based classmates are living large? The sad fact is your fixed wing comrades work a lot less, have more fun and take fewer risks than you do. And unlike the military, civilian airplane pilots make more money than helo pilots. Through my experience as a pilot career counselor, I ve assisted a multitude of helicopter pilots to make the transition, and you can do it too. AIRHEADpro has done all the research so it s up to you to execute. Now here s the Gouge: You will have to have an FAA commercial pilot s license with Rotorcraft Category, Helicopter Class ratings with an Instrument rating, If you haven t taken your Commercial Helicopter written exam DO IT. There are numerous testing facilities and prep courses throughout the USA. Ok, so what do you do? The goal here is to add a commercial Single Engine Land (SEL) and Multi Engine Land (MEL) with an Airplane Instrument add on. You really don t need an Airplane Single Engine Land category but get it anyway, trust me you may need it someday. I ll discuss this later.a side note on training: If you are going to use VA benefits for flight training you must enroll in a FAR part 141 training program. If you don t know the difference ask the school. IMPORTANT: Many civilian flight instructors are not familiar with the requirements to transition from a commercial helicopter pilot to an airplane pilot. We recommend you spend some time in the FARs to research the requirements for yourself before you discuss your training plan with your instructor. Most instructors are used to training zero-time pilots, or pilots with airplane experience only. Many civilian flight schools will want you to pay for as many hours they can get, knowing the FAR s will save you a boatload of cash.

2 The following section on training addresses FAR part 61 only! Since you were smart and already have a Commercial Certificate, you are not required to add private privileges for airplanes to your Commercial Certificate. You may train and add Airplane Single Engine Land to your existing commercial certificate. (Reference: FAR (i), FAR 61.63) At no point are you considered a Student Pilot. You must receive at least an FAA 3 rd class medical in order to solo an airplane, but you are not required to obtain a student pilot certificate. (Reference: FAR 61.3(c)). In some cases a military flight surgeon may issue a Class II medical certificate but you need to ask during your physical. AIRPLANE FLIGHT TIME REQUIREMENTS: REF: FAR You need a minimum of 70 total hours of airplane time; 20 of that being dual instruction and 50 hours solo time. The reason a minimum of 70 is needed and not just 50, is that even though you might be the sole manipulator of the controls, they may not log any instruction as PIC since they are not appropriately rated in the aircraft. (Reference: FAR 61.51(e)). The rationale for the required aeronautical experience is below: Here s the boring part FAR 61, fun! I know this is very confusing, I ve put a chart at the end of the article for easy reference. FAR a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least: You ve already logged at least 250 hours, so this requirement does not apply. Since you should already have a commercial certificate, and your previous experience is in a powered aircraft, you are only concerned with requirements that specify airplane. 1) 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes All that matters is 50 hours in airplanes. 2) 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes at least (i) 50 hours in airplanes; and... (ii) 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes.

3 Again, though you should already meet this requirement, (unless you are some REMF staff puke), it is unnecessary because it does not specify airplane. You will need 10 hours cross country in an airplane, log this during your solo time. If you don t have 50 hours helicopter PIC, you ll have to make it up in an airplane to total 100 hours. If you don t have 50 hours PIC by now, maybe you should consider a non-flying career. * Cross country time must be to a point which includes a landing at least 50NM from the point of departure. (FAR 61.1(b)(3)(ii)) (3) 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in (b)(1) of this part that includes at least You need at least 20 hours of dual instruction in airplanes. This time does not count as PIC. (i) 10 hours of instrument training of which at least 5 hours must be in a singleengine airplane; At least 5 hours of the 20 listed above must be in simulated or actual instrument conditions in an airplane. This 5 hours may be credited towards the instrument rating, as long as the instructor has an instrument rating on their instructor certificate (ii) 10 hours of training in an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is turbine-powered, or for an applicant seeking a single-engine seaplane rating, 10 hours of training in a seaplane that has flaps and a controllable pitch propeller; At least 10 of the 20 hours listed above must be in a complex airplane (iii) One cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in a single-engine airplane in day VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure; Included in the 20 training hours (iv) One cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in a single-engine airplane in night VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and (v) 3 hours in a single-engine airplane in preparation for the practical test within the 60-day period preceding the date of the test.

4 Included in the 20 training hours (4) 10 hours of solo flight in a single-engine airplane on the areas of operation listed in FAR (b)(1) of this part, which includes at least This will count towards the 50 hours of PIC required (Reference: FAR 61.31(d)(3)) (i) One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and- (ii) 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower. This will count towards the 50 hours of PIC required (Reference: 61.31(d)(3)). OK, add it all up and this only covers 30 hours, (20 instruction and 10 solo hours). However, the regs say you need a total of 50 hours PIC. So, you must fly 40 additional solo hours in a single engine airplane to meet the requirements for the rating. REQUIRED ENDORSEMENTS: COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND You re not a student pilot, so you won t need not the solo endorsements that pertain to student pilots per FAR s 61.87, 61.93, 61.95, and To solo, the only endorsements needed are per FAR 61.31(d)(3) To act as PIC in an aircraft in solo operations when the pilot does not hold an appropriate category/class rating. Additional endorsements may be required from FAR if the airplane is a tailwheel, complex, or high performance aircraft. Be advised though, the instructor may put any limitations on the solo endorsement that they see fit. The endorsement required for the practical test will be different than a conventional applicant as well. This endorsement is from FAR 61.63(b). There must also be an endorsement from FAR stating the applicant has received and logged training time within 60 days of the practical test. You will not be required to take a knowledge test per FAR 61.63(b)(5).

5 All the above-mentioned endorsements may be found in AC 61-65E. INSTRUMENT RATING: GENERAL Once the airplane category and class are added to your new commercial certificate it will contain the limitation: The carriage of passengers for hire in airplanes on cross country flights in excess of 50 nautical miles or at night is prohibited. This limitation will be removed when an instrument rating is earned. You will not be able to exercise any instrument rating privileges in airplanes because the rating is category, class, and type (if required) specific (FAR 61.3(e)). In other words, the instrument rating they hold for helicopters is only valid when flying helicopters. You will not be required to take a knowledge test per FAR 61.65(a)(7). INSTRUMENT RATING: AERONAUTICAL EXPERIENCE You need a minimum of 15 hours of instruction in simulated or actual instrument conditions for the instrument rating. A minimum of 5 of those hours would have been accomplished during commercial training. INSTRUMENT RATING: AERONAUTICAL EXPERIENCE You need a minimum of 15 hours of instruction in simulated or actual instrument conditions for the instrument rating. A minimum of 5 of those hours would have been accomplished during commercial training. (1) At least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes for an instrument airplane rating; and 2) A total of 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time on the areas of operation of this section, to include (i) At least 15 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in the aircraft category for which the instrument rating is sought; A minimum of five hours of this requirement will have been accomplished during commercial training (ii) At least 3 hours of instrument training that is appropriate to the instrument rating sought from an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the 60 days preceding the date of the test (iii) For an instrument airplane rating, instrument training on cross- country flight procedures specific to airplanes that includes at least one cross-country flight in an airplane that is performed under IFR, and consists of

6 (A) A distance of at least 250 nautical miles along airways or ATC-directed routing; (B) An instrument approach at each airport; and (C) Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems; Don t want to fly for a living? You can still get your Private Pilot Certificate a lot easier, here s how. You may train under the private pilot regulations. In this case, you would still hold a commercial certificate for helicopters. Your new commercial certificate issued would classify airplane single engine land under private privileges. The aeronautical experience required for this rating is found in part Essentially, you need a minimum of 30 flight hours in airplanes 20 instructional, and 10 solo. As with commercial training, at no time would the pilot be considered a student pilot. GOOD TO KNOW STUFF All the minimum hours listed for the commercial and instrument ratings are just that: minimums. You can expect to train more with an instructor than is required in order to build proficiency. It is highly unlikely you could be prepared for the commercial practical test in just 20 instructional hours. BE HUMBLE! Yes, as a bad-ass military helicopter pilot, you received some of the best training, but when it comes to civilian aviation and flying airplanes you WILL be behind the curve. Trust me on this, I ve been there. Be prepared for a 20 year old pimply faced kid to know more than you do. Learn how to read Jeppesen Charts. Learn the regs that are different for the military, ex. selection of an alternate is different. Most importantly the bottle-to-throttle rule is reduced to 8 hours. SO YOU WANT TO BE AN AIRLINE PILOT? Most airlines DO NOT COUNT your helicopter experience. Your hours in a helicopter are very useful for gaining airplane ratings at a quick pace, but may not help you to land a job. Research airline hiring practices. Every airline will value airplane multi-engine time above all, get as much as you can, PIC preferable. There are plenty of ways to build airplane experience to a hirable level. Some options are:

7 Visit all the airports in your local area. Ask around at FBO s and charter operators for flight time. I know many pilots that sit in the right seat of a King Air or Citation Jet logging time for free. Earn certified flight instructor certificates. Flight instruct until you have the required experience for your airline of choice. After you earn your multi-engine rating, apply to a Part 135 air freight or charter company. These companies require higher flight times than the regional airlines (1200 hours total time), but most generally will accept your helicopter time. Be prepared to go to a regional airline, at times the regionals have been hiring with a minimum of 250 hours Multi Engine time. Consider fractional flying like Netjets, it is very similar to airline flying and makes for a good career. Pursue corporate helicopter jobs, many of these companies have fixed wing assets. You can get your foot in the door and move into airplanes soon enough. If a corporate flight department has both FW & RW, they will consider a dual rated pilot valuable. Use AIRHEADpro.com to help you find these positions. And most importantly, do not get discouraged! It seems like a long and daunting process. Just remember, many before you have done it. John Thibodeau

8 Commercial Airplane Commercial Airplane Requirement What you need 250 hours of flight time as pilot If you have 250 hours as pilot then you on/y need 50 hours airplane 100 hours PIC, 50 hours PIC in airplanes If you don t have 50 PIC in Helos you ll have to make it up to total hours in cross country, 10 must be in airplanes 10 hours PIC cross country in an airplane 20 hours of instruction in airplanes This time does not count as PIC 10 hours of instrument training At least 5 hours of the 20 above must be in simulated or actual instrument conditions in an airplane 10 hours of training in an airplane that At least 10 of the 20 hours above must has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and be in a complex airplane a controllable pitch prop, or is turbine powered One cross country flight of at least 2 hours in a single engine airplane in day VFR conditions, must be more than 100 NM from point of departure Ensure this is included in your training One cross country flight of at least 2 Ensure this is included in your training hours in a single engine airplane in night VFR conditions, must be more than 100 NM from point of departure 3 hours in a single engine airplane in preparation for the practical test 10 hours of solo flight in a single engine airplane Included in your training, must be within 60 days of your practical exam Counts toward the 50 hour PIC requirement

9 Commercial Airplane Commercial Airplane Requirement What you need One cross-country flight of not less than Counts towards the 50 hours of PIC 300 nautical miles total distance, with requirement landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower. At least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes for an instrument airplane rating; and Counts towards the 50 hours of PIC required 10 hours of cross country time needed during commercial training

10 Instrument Airplane Requirement (1) At least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes for an instrument airplane rating; and Instrument Airplane What You Need The pilot will accumulate the 10 hours of cross country time needed during commercial training (2) A total of 40 hours of actual or The military pilot will have already met simulated instrument time on the areas the general 40-hour requirement of operation of this section, to include through their military training (i) At least 15 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in the aircraft category for which the instrument rating is sought; A minimum of five hours of this requirement will have been accomplished during commercial training (ii) At least 3 hours of instrument training that is appropriate to the instrument rating sought from an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the 60 days preceding the date of the test; Included in the required 15 hours (iii) For an instrument airplane rating, instrument training on cross- country flight procedures specific to airplanes that includes at least one cross-country flight in an airplane that is performed under IFR, and consists of (A) A distance of at least 250 nautical miles along airways or ATC-directed routing; (B) An instrument approach at each airport; and (C) Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems; Included in the required 15 hours