Ratings

Inland Helicopters is located at Felts Field (KSFF) in Spokane, Washington and is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to teach our students under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 61.

Private Pilot Certificate:

The Private Pilot Certificate is for anyone who wants to fly for fun and recreation. You can take your family and friends for rides or just transport yourself from one location to the next. This is the first step in a professional pilot career.

You begin the work for this certificate with instruction in the basic operations of the helicopter. Ground training and flight training are combined so you will be in the cockpit from day one. Your ground training will include topics such as airport and heliport operations, radio procedures, weather and navigation, while your hands-on training will focus on your first major goal of flying the helicopter solo.

You will also start to learn maneuvers like hovering and autorotations and how to operate safely from a tower-controlled airport. From there you will move on to more advanced lessons such as night flying and cross-country flying.

The final part of your private training involves sharpening the skills you have learned in preparation for the FAA’s practical examination (checkride). Upon successful completion of this test, you will receive your Private Pilot Certificate.

To option a Private Pilot Certificate you must be at least 17 years of age and be able to read, speak, and understand English. The minimum hour requirement for a Private Pilot Certificate is 40 hours of flight training. Most people complete their training in 50-60 hours. However, since every student learns at his or her own pace we cannot guarantee a specific timeframe for completion. We will not compromise your safety just to guarantee a minimum number of hours towards your certification.

Instrument Rating: 

An instrument rating is required for flying into adverse weather conditions. Our training is designed to give you the necessary skills to pilot your helicopter using only the instruments. Without this rating, you are only able to fly in good weather conditions.

We begin the training with the basics. You will learn about attitude flying and move gradually to more advanced approach and landing procedures. We use flight simulators and R44 instrument trainers for this rating.

Commercial Pilot Certificate:

If you fly for hire, you will need to have a Commercial Pilot Certificate. These courses will take you beyond what you learned in the private pilot training and introduce you to many advanced maneuvers. You will start with ground training which includes advanced helicopter aerodynamics and the rules and regulations for operating a helicopter commercially.

It is not uncommon for some students to include an Instrument Rating during commercial training in order to build up the number of required hours between their Private Pilot Certificate and their Commercial Pilot Certificate.

To obtain this certificate you must be at least 18 years of age. The FAA minimum required hours for a Commercial Pilot Certificate is 150 hours of flight training.

Certified Flight Instructor Rating/Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Rating:

Being a flight instructor is often the first flying job a commercial pilot will have. A Certified Flight Instructor Rating (CFI) is required of anyone who wants to begin instructing other pilots. CFIs are responsible for all aspects of training students. Our CFI program will help you acquire the skills to provide helicopter flight lessons on the ground and in the air.

The Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Rating (CFII) is another option and a natural progression for students who have already achieved their Instrument Rating. This also gives you more valuable training and teaching experience.

To obtain these certificates you must be 18 years of age. Generally, the flight time for the CFI is the difference between your flight time upon earning a Commercial Pilot Certificate and 200 hours of total time which are required for those who wish to instruct in Robinson Helicopter.

Airline Transport Pilot Certificate:

The Airline Transport Pilot Certificate (ATP) is the highest level of aircraft pilot certification. Those certified as Airline Transport Pilots are authorized to pilot an aircraft in air carrier service with a max gross weight over 12,500 pounds or 5,700 kg and/or over nine passenger seats. To achieve an ATP, you must have at least 1,200 hours of flight time.

Instruction Rates