Private Pilot (also available as Part 141)

Choose your helicopter: R-44 or R-22. Train in the helicopter that is the most widely used piston helicopter in the world. Choosing a Boston Massachusetts helicopter flight school for attaining your private pilot license should include the following phases of training.

The PRIVATE PILOT LICENSE begins the initial journey of your helicopter training and will be your formal introduction to the world of flying. This will also be the first step of your training to become a professional helicopter pilot. All our instructors have the same expectation of their students, and ALL students train to become professionals. At NAFA, we believe that this license is best divided into phases:

Phase I (pre-solo)

This important phase is designed to develop the solid foundation upon which you will build your flying skills. Our curriculum will include a formal private pilot ground school. The ground school is designed to provide you with all of the knowledge to pass the Private Pilot written exam. Learning in a classroom will save you thousands on your helicopter training by reducing the expensive 1 on 1 instructor ground training. We will train you to operate the helicopter in the safest manner possible and transfer the skills necessary to safely and professionally operate the helicopter. You will learn the airport environment, radio, and all the other operations to pilot the helicopter without the instructor. This phase ends with your first solo. After you safely solo the helicopter, you will move on to phase II. Phase I also includes the ground instruction necessary to understand the regulations and calculations necessary before you pilot the helicopter without the instructor.

Phase II Navigation

As you build upon the skills acquired in Phase I, you will now learn how to navigate away from the airport. How to get from point A to point B is an important step and will be the basis for most of your future as a pilot. Since our instructors are also experienced in commercial operations, you will pickup the real-world skills necessary to safely navigate the complex airspace around Boston, Massachusetts. At this time, you will also receive the ground instruction which explains the finer points of navigation.

Phase III Solo Navigation

Now you are completing the navigation portion without the instructor in the aircraft. For many, this is the most exciting part of the entire license. You are succesfully completing trips to other airports! You are by yourself, but never alone. You are always under the close supervision of your instructor. You are also learning to understand weather and how it affects your flight planning.

Phase IV Checkride

This is where it all comes together. You will take the skills from Phases I-III and practice for your checkride. You will review all the coursework and practice all the flight manuevers necessary to pass the checkride. Now you are a private pilot and can legally take your friends up in a 4 place helicopter!

Requirements

The FAA mandates that all students have at least 40 hours of flight training to take their checkride. In addition, you must pass a written examination at some point before your checkride. In reality, it usually takes more than 40 hours to be fully prepared for your checkride, and we have adjusted some of programs to reflect this.

Ground School

The written examination can be daunting for some students, but our helicopter groundschool is specifically tailored to make this worry-free. North Andover Flight Academy has a complete groundschool offered to all who are interested. You do not need to be enrolled as a student to attend our helicopter ground school. Most helicopter schools don’t even allocate for ground instruction time when preparing students for their checkrides, nor do they teach their private pilots to commercial standards. Don’t leave your training to chance. Train with our Boston Massachusetts helicopter flight school.

Medical/Other Requirements

Before you will be allowed to solo, you must obtain a 3rd class medical certificate from a designated medical examiner. This consists of a simple physical checking eyesight, hearing and other physical characteristics. You must also be 16 years of age to solo, 17 to take your checkride, speak, read, and write English.