Explore the industry with a
Commercial Helicopter Pilot Licence
Dreamed about getting paid to fly? That’s where our CPL will take you! Flying helicopters for a living is a great way to get involved in a wide variety of jobs and industries worldwide.
This is where the basic foundations for a Commercial Helicopter Licence begins. Learn how to operate the helicopter in real commercial helicopter situations and with commercial helicopter pilots as instructors. To be eligible for a Commercial Helicopter Licence you need to meet the following criteria:
Be at least 18 years of age
Hold at least a class 1 CAA medical certificate
Pass 6 written exams which are listed in detail below
Meet the flight experience requirements which are also listed below
Meet the Civil Aviation Authority Fit & Proper Person requirements
CPL Examinations
You also need to sit and pass 6 exams as part of the Commercial Helicopter Licence, which are relatively straight forward and will teach you all the things you need to know about safely operating a helicopter commercially. These exams are as follows:
CPL Human Factors
Gain an awareness of how your body reacts to the challenging flying environment
CPL Aircraft Technical Knowledge (Helicopter)
Learn how the helicopter systems work along with engine and airframe limits and performance
CPL Law
Learn the rules that govern in a commercial air transport environment
CPL Navigation
Manage the aircraft and learn how to navigate the skies to the CPL requirements
Commercial Helicopter Flight Training
Learn everything you need to become a successful commercial helicopter pilot.
CPL Meteorology
About the weather and how it affects Commercial operations
CPL Principles of Helicopter Flight
Understanding the theory of helicopter is essential to enable you to make maximum and efficient use of the helicopter.
CPL Flight Time
The minimum experience required for the issue of a Commercial Helicopter Pilots Licence – CPL(H) is 150 hours of flight time. This time is made up of the following minimum requirements, which are in additional to obtaining the PPL H Licence:
30 hours of solo flight time
20 hours of cross country navigation
5 hours of basic mountain flight
10 hours of under slung load training
Once you have completed these requirements, flying competently and have passed all your exam credits you will be able to sit your CPL flight test with a flight examiner.
Both night restricted and unrestricted training can be completed as part of the 150 hour requirement. This can easily be incorporated in the training without the need for additional training hours – we strongly encourage you to do this as it will make you more employable and improve your practical flying skills.
Pre-requisites
To undertake the CPL Training
Find a breakdown of the requirements for your CPL training. If you have any questions, contact us anytime.
BE THE HOLDER OF A NZ PPL H LICENCE
41 hours minimum dual flying instruction in a Robinson R44 helicopter @ $1200 per hour
$ 49,200
57 hours additional PIC time at private hire rate of $1000 per hour
$55,575
Total - assumes 52 previous experience gaining the NZ PPL H
$104,775
ADDITIONAL COSTS:
Class 1 Medical Examination Fee (incl. issue) – $650 approx including the CAA fee
Examination Fees (6 x $ 141 – per paper) – $846
CPL Flight Test Fee and Issue of Licence – $900 (plus examiner travel costs)
MANUALS AND STATIONARY:
Additional text books (Meteorology, Aircraft Technology) – NZ $150
Personal Visual Flight Guide, Planning Manual, Maps, etc. – NZ $394
Total – $107,715 NZD
All prices are in NZ Dollars (excludes GST) and are subject to change
Total cost can be reduced by cost sharing in accordance with CAA rules
MOUNTAIN FLYING
Southern Alps flying