Becoming a helicopter pilot: licenses, costs and fields of work

A rescue helicopter lands in the meadow next to the highway, a police helicopter hovers over the city for minutes, an H135 thumps low over the airfield: if you spot helicopters, you eventually wonder how to get into the right-hand seat yourself. Becoming a helicopter pilot works differently from the path into the airline cockpit. There are fewer flight schools and fewer training places with a job guarantee, the hours are expensive, and before the dream job comes a long phase in which you build experience. This guide explains the licenses under EASA rules, the hour requirements, the cost factors and the fields of work – from air rescue to offshore flying.

Becoming a helicopter pilot: the short answer

You become a helicopter pilot by earning a helicopter license under Part-FCL at an approved flight school (ATO). For private flights the LAPL(H) or the PPL(H) is enough; for paid flying you need the commercial pilot license CPL(H). You take the path there either in a continuous, integrated course or modularly via the PPL(H) and your own flying experience. Alternatively, the Bundeswehr and the Bundespolizei train their helicopter pilots themselves.

Above all comes medical fitness: Class 2 for the private licenses, Class 1 for the professional licenses. What happens during the examination is explained in the article Aviation medical certificates Class 1 and 2.

Helicopter licenses at a glance

Pilot licenses are regulated uniformly across the EU, in Part-FCL, Annex I of Regulation (EU) No. 1178/2011. For helicopters, every license carries an “(H)” in its name. It is issued by the national authority – in Germany, the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Aviation Office) is responsible for professional licenses and, as a rule, the state aviation authorities for private licenses. The license is valid in all EASA states.

License	Purpose	Minimum age	Medical	Core requirement
LAPL(H)	private flights with light helicopters, limited privileges	17	LAPL medical	40 h flight training
PPL(H)	private flights, non-commercial	17	Class 2	45 h flight training
CPL(H)	paid flying, commander in single-pilot operations, co-pilot	18	Class 1	professional course, integrated or modular
ATPL(H)	commander in a multi-pilot helicopter	21	Class 1	1,000 h flight time as a helicopter pilot

LAPL(H) and PPL(H): the private entry

The LAPL(H) is the light private license. It requires at least 40 hours of flight training, 35 of them on the type used for the practical test, with a portion in dual instruction with an instructor and at least 10 hours solo under supervision. The privileges are more narrowly defined than for the PPL(H), for example regarding helicopter size and the number of passengers.

The PPL(H) is the classic private pilot license. Part-FCL requires at least 45 hours of flight training on helicopters. Of these, you fly at least 25 hours with an instructor and 10 hours solo under supervision, including cross-country flights. 35 of the 45 hours must take place on the type on which you take the test. On top of that comes the theory with subjects such as air law, meteorology, navigation, technical subjects, flight performance and planning, human performance and communication. How training works for fixed-wing aircraft is compared in the article Private pilot license PPL(A).

Important: the minimum hours are a legal minimum, not a figure from experience. Hovering, which is the biggest challenge at the start in a helicopter, takes many students more time than planned.

CPL(H): the commercial pilot license

With the CPL(H), you may fly for money. Part-FCL lists the privileges as, among other things: pilot in command in non-commercial operations, commander of a single-pilot helicopter in commercial air transport and co-pilot in commercial air transport. The minimum age is 18, and you need a Class 1 medical certificate.

There are several training variants for the CPL(H). The numbers come from Appendix 3 to Part-FCL:

Course	Theory, minimum	Flight training, minimum	Result
CPL(H) integrated	350 h (200 h with PPL(H))	135 h	Commercial pilot under visual flight rules
CPL(H)/IR integrated	500 h	180 h	Commercial pilot with instrument rating
ATP(H) integrated	650 h	150 h	CPL(H) with ATPL(H) theory, visual flight only
ATP(H)/IR integrated	750 h	195 h	CPL(H) with IR and ATPL(H) theory
CPL(H) modular	250 h	from 30 h dual	requires PPL(H) and 155 h flight time

The integrated courses run continuously at a flight school, without an intermediate step. You can start with no prior experience, and an existing PPL(H) is partly credited. The modular route starts with the PPL(H). Before the flight training for the CPL(H) begins, you need 155 hours of flight time, 50 of them as pilot in command on helicopters. For the license itself, Part-FCL requires a total of 185 hours of flight experience.

ATPL(H): the multi-pilot cockpit

You need the ATPL(H) to fly as commander of a multi-pilot helicopter – typical in offshore traffic or on large types. The requirements are at least 21 years of age and 1,000 hours of flight time as a helicopter pilot, including 350 hours on multi-pilot helicopters, 200 hours cross-country, 30 hours of instrument flight and 100 hours of night flight. Many pilots take the ATPL(H) theory during training and collect the hours later on the job.

Additional ratings: type, night, instruments

With the license alone, you can only fly the type on which you were tested. For everyday professional life, further ratings are usually added:

• Type rating: For helicopters, a separate rating is generally obtained for each type. Switching from a piston training helicopter to a turbine like the Airbus H135 or the Airbus H145 therefore means separate training. For multi-pilot types, Part-FCL requires in advance, among other things, 70 hours as pilot in command on helicopters and a passed ATPL(H) theory exam.
• Night rating: For helicopters, it requires 100 hours as a pilot after license issue, 60 of them as pilot in command and 20 cross-country. The course itself comprises theory, instrument flight training and night flights.
• Instrument rating IR(H): It permits flights under instrument flight rules. For many operators it is mandatory, especially in offshore and multi-pilot operations. The difference between the two sets of rules is explained in the article Visual and instrument flight.
• English: For radio, you need proof of language proficiency. When English and when German is spoken on the radio is explained in the article English or German in flight radio.

What the training costs

There is no honest figure for “the” helicopter training, and flat amounts from forums or advertisements help you little. The costs consist of a few large blocks:

• Hourly rate of the helicopter: by far the biggest item. Helicopters cost more to buy, maintain and operate than single-engine training aircraft, so every flight hour costs correspondingly more. Turbine types cost significantly more per hour than piston types.
• Number of hours actually flown: Don’t count on the legal minimum. Every extra hour spent on hovering, autorotations or before the test counts in full.
• Theory, exams, fees: Theory course, the authority’s exam fees, examiner fees, license issue.
• Aviation medical examiner: Initial examination and regular renewal, more involved for Class 1 than for Class 2.
• Hour building: On the modular route, you usually pay for the flight time between the PPL(H) and the CPL(H) yourself – an item many underestimate.
• Type ratings: Later type ratings on turbine types are partly covered by the employer, partly not.

How financing works on the path into the airline cockpit is shown in the article ATPL training and its costs. Many considerations there also apply to helicopters, except that there are fewer programs here in which an employer prefinances the training. What you earn in the end depends heavily on the field of work; an overview of pay structures in the cockpit is given in What do pilots earn?.

The fields of work: where helicopter pilots fly

Hardly any pilot profession is as varied. The fields differ greatly in working hours, types and above all in the experience employers expect.

Field of work	Typical types	What you need to bring
Air rescue (HEMS)	H135, H145	CPL(H), lots of experience as pilot in command, night flying
Police	H135, H145, larger types depending on the agency	Police career, training by the agency
Military	NH90, Tiger, CH-53	Career in the Bundeswehr, training by the armed forces
Offshore	H175, AW139, AW189, S-92	CPL(H)/IR or ATPL(H), multi-pilot experience
Utility flying	light and medium turbine types	External load experience, mountain flying depending on the job
Sightseeing flights and charter	R44, light turbines	CPL(H), often the entry point after the license
Training	training helicopters	CPL(H) or PPL(H) with instructor rating FI(H)

Air rescue

For many, the dream goal. In Germany, ADAC Luftrettung, DRF Luftrettung and – on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior – the Bundespolizei, among others, operate rescue helicopters; the H135 and the H145 are often used. In Switzerland, Rega is the best-known operator.

The entry is demanding. EU operating rules (Part SPA.HEMS of Regulation (EU) No. 965/2012) require the commander in HEMS to have either 1,000 hours as pilot in command, 500 of them on helicopters, or 1,000 hours as co-pilot in HEMS operations, 500 of them as pilot in command under supervision and 100 as pilot in command on helicopters. On top of that come 500 hours of operational experience on helicopters in a comparable environment and, for night flights, 20 hours of night flight under visual flight rules as commander. Operators can go beyond that. Freshly licensed pilots therefore almost never land directly in emergency medical service.

Police and military

Government agencies train their pilots themselves. The Bundespolizei flight service has its own flight school in the Luftfahrerschule für den Polizeidienst (aviation school for police service), and the aviation squadrons fly under the callsign “Pirol.” Several state police forces also have their own helicopter squadrons. The path usually runs through the police career: police officer first, pilot second. The respective agencies publish the exact requirements.

In the Bundeswehr, helicopter pilots of the army, air force and navy complete their basic flight training at the International Helicopter Training Center in Bückeburg, which also trains pilots from friendly nations. Training there is on helicopters of the EC135 series, followed by the operational types such as the NH90, the Tiger or the CH-53. Career, term of commitment and selection are described in the article Pilot in the Bundeswehr. If you want to experience helicopter history on site, you’ll also find the Hubschraubermuseum (helicopter museum) in Bückeburg.

Offshore, utility flying and sightseeing flights

Offshore flights to oil rigs and wind farms are mostly flown in multi-pilot operations with medium types such as the H175, the AW139 or the larger AW189 and Sikorsky S-92. Instrument flying and experience in the multi-pilot cockpit count here.

In utility flying, often with light turbine types like the H125, you carry loads on a line, support construction projects, inspect power lines or fly forestry missions. That is demanding flying and requires precision in hover. Sightseeing flights, charter and instructing are the first job after the CPL(H) for many. For the instructor rating FI(H), Part-FCL requires, among other things, 250 hours of flight time as a helicopter pilot – so teaching often becomes a bridge to the hours that emergency medical service and offshore require.

Your path into the helicopter cockpit in steps

What to keep in mind

• Medical first, then the contract. A medical fitness problem that only shows up after the course starts can get very expensive.
• Don’t look only at the hourly rate. A school with a low price but long waits for free helicopters stretches out your training.
• Plan for the time after the license. The bottleneck in the helicopter profession often isn’t the license but the hours employers require.
• Take selection procedures seriously. Government agencies and some operators have aptitude tests. How such tests are structured is shown in the article DLR test and pilot selection.
• Know the alternatives. If you love the technology but can’t or don’t want to fly, the aircraft mechanic apprenticeship offers another path to the helicopter.

Spotter knowledge as a head start

If you spot helicopters, you often already know the types, the operators and the registrations better than many flight students. How to tell types apart reliably is explained in Identifying helicopter types, and where to best experience rescue and police helicopters is in Helicopter spotting. On flight trackers, you can find many aircraft live – how that works is shown in Tracking helicopters on a flight tracker. This knowledge doesn’t replace training, but it helps you assess fields of work realistically and ask the right questions in conversations with schools and operators. The overview of all paths into the cockpit – including fixed-wing – is given in Becoming a pilot: the paths into the cockpit.

Conclusion

Becoming a helicopter pilot is doable, but not a given. The licenses are clearly regulated under Part-FCL: 45 hours of minimum training for the PPL(H), an integrated or modular course for the CPL(H) and 1,000 hours of flight time for the ATPL(H). The biggest hurdles are the high hourly costs and the experience that sought-after employers like air rescue require. If you don’t want to finance the training yourself, look at the careers in the Bundeswehr and police.