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| » Number of reviews : 147 - viewing 10 Per Page |
| Last Review Posted by Brazierf - posted: Thu June 5, 2008 15:09 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 13496 |
I initially started with the thirty minute demo flight (120.00 dollars) to see if helicopter training was for me. The demo (which counts for your flight training) gives the student the chance to meet the Certified Flight Instructors, look at the helicopters, and see what the training areas area like. Unlike other helicopter schools that advertise that they are located at an airport but train 20 minutes away at a practice area (since the airports they are located at are too congested to cater to student pilots). This means that you will spend 40 minutes of your money flying straight-level, and only have 15 minutes of actual practice time. You can start practicing maneuvers 5 minutes into your flight at Helicopter Services, Inc at Hooks Airport. The airport is relatively small and allows students to train on their runways. The flight instructors generally work six days a week. They are will work with you if you can only come on the evenings or mornings. My instructor occasionally comes in a hour before he is suppose to be at work to do ground lessons, stays a hour after to do flight lessons, and comes in an hour on his day off to make sure that I am getting my hours in. Safety is the number one priority. Students are required to check weather, calculate their weight and balance sheets, write flight plans, display where they are flying to, and dispatch the aircraft in/out with the administration. Instruction is on a one on one basis, therefore, there are no set classes and you can start training as soon as you want. Since Helicopter Services, Inc uses online scheduling; you can schedule what days, hours, or if you’d like to train for ground school or flight. For Instrument training Helicopter Services, Inc has its own simulator. As for the facility itself, Helicopter Services Inc provides free wireless internet. If you forget your laptop at home, there are several computers connected to high speed internet. There is a lounge area with a huge flat screen TV, all the free coffee you can drink, a couple of vending machines, and several classrooms. The administration is friendly and willing to help you whenever you need assistance. The instructors are professional, properly certified, and will train you to meet aviation standards. Helicopter Services Inc is located in the suburbs of Houston. Here are plenty of places to find a place to live. (I found my place on Craigslist under rooms for rent). It is a good place to live if you enjoy suburbia living, but want to escape to downtown Houston, Austin, Galveston, San Antonio, or Dallas. Rating: 10 |
Product Details: "Spring, Texas" by vertrefadmin - posted: Sun December 18, 2005 - Rating:  9.33 |
| Last Review Posted by Unregistered - posted: Fri May 30, 2008 21:31 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 1659 |
I haven't gone through the program at this school, but I went to check them out recently and feel they are a very good school. The location in Logan, UT not only provides high DA training, but the mountains around Logan are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Ed Mitchell is the chief pilot there and seems like a stand up kind of guy. I also met one of the mechanics of their Robinson R22's and R44 and heard from a friend that he is an excellent mechanic. Rating: 9 |
| Product Details: "Professional Helicopter Training" by Mitchell99 - posted: Thu April 10, 2008 - Rating: 9.00 |
| Last Review Posted by Unregistered - posted: Wed May 28, 2008 18:09 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 14463 |
I would not recommend this school. The prices are way too expensive and when you run out of money you are left high and dry with a lot of debt and not much to show for it. Also, there is a fuel sur-charge on ground instruction which I didn't even realize until i was in CFI training. Rating: 1 |
| Product Details: "Arizona, California, Utah" by vertrefadmin - posted: Sun December 18, 2005 - Rating: 3.71 |
| Last Review Posted by hawkerxprt - posted: Mon May 26, 2008 12:12 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 12445 |
I have been to many flight schools. SILVERHAWK WAS THE BEST!! All of the instructors were very knowledgable and accomidating. Their training mentality is great. You will save a huge amount of money on ground school. The EXAMINERS are EXCELLENT! The exmaniers are mello and relaxed during your checkrides and try to make you feel comfortable instead of intimidated. HIGHLY RECOMEND THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "Caldwell, Idaho" by vertrefadmin - posted: Sun December 18, 2005 - Rating: 9.67 |
| Last Review Posted by caross@gmail.com - posted: Fri May 23, 2008 16:11 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 10464 |
I'm currently a VFR141 student at Hillsboro Aviation (HAI), nearing the end of my Private Pilot training and have nothing but good/positive comments for HAI and their staff. Let me expand a little on each of the Pros and Cons listed above. Cons: -Popular: Clearly the school has a great reputation... it has a lot of students. As it gets more popular it gets more crowded too; in the classrooms, in dispatch, during scheduling, on the ramp and in the air. There is a downside to having a good reputation. I've run in to this mostly in the scheduling of time with CFIs and getting helicopters. If you follow the rules and your CFIs instructions, you have a very good chance of getting time (and a helicopter) each day. You can't be lazy and try to grab a slot last minute though. This popularity also manifests itself in difficulty getting patterns at the airport. There can be, at most, 4 helicopters in the KHIO patterns and students do have to line up to make sure they get one - first come, first served. This is, by far, my biggest complaint about the school. -Oregon Winter Weather: While not the school's fault, it is an issue if you plan to attend here. Oregon (and Pacific North-West) weather can be awful; during the months of November to March, you can expect low ceilings, icing conditions and high winds (with significant gusts). Don't come to the NW if you can't handle dreary days. It's not like Seattle; all rain... just miserable grey skies. -Little Worn: The school gets lots of use, and for that matter, so do the helicopters. The campus (ground training rooms, dispatch, waiting areas) could use a few coats of paint and some money to get them back in to top quality condition. You don't come here for the looks of the rooms and walls, but a nice atmosphere makes things a little better. The helicopters, while very well maintained and safe, get some hefty use. There are approximately 18 R22s, and they are available constantly - 7:30a to 7:30p. Consider what your car would look like if you drove it, hard, for 10 hours a day... every day. Maintenance keeps 'em safe, but we students can put some wear on these birds. Pros: -Great CFIs: During my time at HAI, I've flown with 4 different instructors at various times (regular flights, stage checks, etc) - each and every one is a true expert in their field. I've never felt, as I've read on the board, that the instructors are here "just to build time" or "don't have much more skill than the students". Not only are they excellent instructors, but they are friendly and courteous. There are monthly student gatherings (BBQs) to keep things light and friendly. -Delta / Towered Airspace: Portland Hillsboro Airport (KHIO) is designated Delta airspace[/ur] and that is an edge over many of the smaller schools. This is a real airport with real traffic. You come out of this school fluent in tower speak and are comfortable with position reports and other high-volume airport operations. Friend have told me of their experiences on private fields; and the fact that when they end up getting to a busy airspace they are flubbing their calls. HAI is near [url="http://www.airnav.com/airport/KPDX"]Portland International Airport (PDX), Charlie airspace, and that provides you with additional real-world training. Honestly, all the traffic and radio chatter is a bit un-nerving as a beginning student, but it certainly makes you learn fast and well. -Large Helicopter Fleet: HAI has quite a few F/W and R/W aircraft. My numbers are surely, slightly, off here, but there are approximately: 18 Robinson R22 1 Robinson R44 1 Schweizer 300CB 2 Bel 206 Available for training. There are quite a few Bel helicopters based at HAI that are used for firefighting, surveying, etc... but they are usually out on jobs. -High Standards: I'm, personally, nearing the end of my VFR141 Private Pilot training at HAI, and I've got to say, they do prepare you well for the world. Every stage you complete you are challenged with a take-home test, written exams, and oral exams. When I got to the FAA Written exam I felt like I'd seen it all (on paper). -Maintenance Facilities: The school is paired with a top-notch maintenance shop. They are a FAA licensed repair station servicing Cessna Airplanes and Bel, Robinson, Schwizer helicopters. As I mentioned before, students are tough on helicopters; the crew at HAI keeps them in great shape, inspected and ready to fly almost constantly. -Real world weather: I mentioned weather as a con, above. It is... but it is also what makes HAI a great place to learn. I know more about weather and making good weather decisions than I would have ever imagined. Having to cancel your flight due to low ceilings or icing is a real pain... but it is real world... and everything important takes practice. I'm confident in my ability to make good weather calls... training here gave me that - no question in my mind. There were even a few times where I have to make a weather diversion mid-flight due to a front rolling in from the coast. Sure, it is annoying to change / cut short a flight, but unless you plan on flying only in perfect sunlight... you will need this ability. In short, Hillsboro Aviation is a great flight school. They have trained me well in an amazing skill. Come out, see the school for yourself. Rating: 9 |
| Product Details: "Hillsboro, Oregon" by vertrefadmin - posted: Sat December 17, 2005 - Rating: 7.25 |
| Last Review Posted by samnelson74 - posted: Fri May 23, 2008 13:18 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 2165 |
Claudio has a wonderful thing going at one of the most beautiful places in the world. I've been receiving instruction from him and could not be more excited or thankful to have this extremely dedicated and thoughtful instruction. He has so much time and knowledge not only with helicopters but also with the aviation field as a whole. I don't think i know anybody who loves their job more. He doesn't want his students just to squeak by, but go above and beyond, by being the safest most knowledgeable pilot posable. Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "HeliTahoe" by lynburks - posted: Mon February 18, 2008 - Rating: 9.88 |
| Last Review Posted by coop223 - posted: Tue May 20, 2008 16:00 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 24515 |
Guidance is a great school and training environment for new helicopter pilots. Our training is all high DA and we have great off airport training grounds. I did all of my training here and now work as an IP. I could not be happier with were my training has taken me. I can very proudly recommend Guidance Helicopters as a training platform. Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "Prescott, Arizona" by vertrefadmin - posted: Thu December 15, 2005 - Rating: 8.50 |
| Last Review Posted by paulhenrichs - posted: Mon May 5, 2008 13:47 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 11137 |
Wow,these guys really went the extra mile to help me get my PPL rating.I learned a lot more than just the book knowledge of helicopters, I learned about being "pilot in command". They do full down training and they recently had a full down contest!! which was unique,challenging and fun. Great location with the Monterey Bay and the redwoods right there. My cross country flight was up to the SF Bay area then over to the coast and then all the way down the coast to Watsonville. It was so beautiful it was more of a tour than a training flight. The whole training experience has changed my life. Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "Watsonville, California" by vertrefadmin - posted: Sun December 18, 2005 - Rating: 10.00 |
| Last Review Posted by Goldy - posted: Sat May 3, 2008 01:39 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
 Views: 13974 |
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| Product Details: "Los Angeles, California" by vertrefadmin - posted: Sat December 17, 2005 - Rating: 9.00 |
| Last Review Posted by ponch - posted: Tue April 29, 2008 18:38 | [ POST A REVIEW ] |
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Views: 2165 |
Claudio and HeliTahoe offer high quality training and true interest in the well being of students and Aviation as a whole. Claudio's extensive knowledge, enthusiam, and Unique approach to teaching Create an effective and enjoyable Learning expereince. I would recomend HeliTahoe 100%. Philip Rating: 10 |
| Product Details: "HeliTahoe" by lynburks - posted: Mon February 18, 2008 - Rating: 9.88 |
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