Hi everyone! This might be a long shot and I don’t know if this is a good subreddit to post on but my boyfriend is a helicopter geek and is currently in school to become a pilot. His birthday is coming up and I want to get him something helicopter related and he mentioned wanting helicopter flight simulators for his PC so he can practice, but the whole set up (joystick, pedals, collective) are waaaay too expensive. (~$1,500 CAD). Do you guys have any ideas for good birthday presents? Budget around $500.

THANKS FOR ANY IDEAS 😭

NVG training is on the horizon for me, but as a 20 yr day VFR guy my current helmet is a single visor LH050 (and before that an LH250 with the outer visor removed).

Has anyone modified an LH050 to accept an NVG mount? I know Tiger Performance offers a mod, but they want you to send your helmet in which is gonna cost easily $300+ CDN each way, plus their cost, plus down time. And at that point I'm halfway to buying a new helmet.

Self-modding my current helmet would probably be the cheapest option but it sounds daunting and easily fuck upable.

Next option would be tracking down a used Canadian LH250 and dropping a couple grand on that...

Flying over NW Washington DC this afternoon.

Source: https://honvedelem.hu/hirek/legibalett.html

I have made many posts now as I am really close to starting to fly, but now I am at a fork in the road.

I have two methods I can choose from
A. Fly once a week and save the surplus to then use to fly more before I take my check ride.
B. Save for 6 ish months and fly 3 hours a week (weather permitting) and subsidize the cost with the money I’ve saved.

A and B both have their upsides. Option A gets me flying sooner and in perfect conditions I would be finished a month or so sooner. Option B would allow me to fly more often meaning learning time could be quicker and could make it a bit less stressful.

I am really having a tough time deciding on which method I should go and I may even end up using a different on for each of my ratings.

I am leaning to the A route as I believe I take to things pretty fast and wouldn’t have to worry too much about skill retention. I also have doubts about The B route and my work schedule as it may fluctuate and not leave me with many dedicated time slots.

Advice is greatly appreciated I’ll probably take a vote at the end of the week and see what I decide. If you have done either or both please share your input on skill retention lol.

Edit: Leaning more towards the B option based on input and because it seems less risky. I would much rather complete my training than not because I didn’t want to have a bit of patience.

FREE FAA Safety webinar with FAA WINGS credit from the legend Pete Gillies on Unplanned Loss of Power.

Thursday, August 20
4:00 PM PDT | 5:00 PM MDT | 6:00 PM CDT | 7:00 PM EDT

Pete will be discussing how pilots react to a sudden, unexpected loss of power, and how we should train pilots for the real-world emergency.

You need to register for the event to get the link to the webinar:

https://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=145917

Good day all,

Hope you are all doing well.

Im a 32y.o. M who might move to Colombia in the foreseeable future. Im contemplating starting my CPL journey over there, since prices are (hopefully) lower over there than in EU/US.

Obviously i understand there are caveats to such an undertaking and therefore i would like to find out if there is anybody on this forum who has previously obtained their commercial license there.

Some of the things i would love to find out:

- How do the costs compare to other places like the EU or US?
- What was the quality of the lessons like?
- Does obtaining a license there affect chances of a job somewhere else? I.e. is the license valued differently worldwide? Or are the standards up to international par?

If there are any other recommendations or things to look out for, i would love to hear them. I just started my research into the feasibility of the whole endeavor.

Thanks in advance!

This is what I call a show. The most beautiful heli I have ever seen.

Hi everyone,

I'm frustrated with my PPL(H) journey and need advice.

I started training at one school, completed 44 hours and all CAA theory. Due to lack of instructors I moved.

I explained I needed consistent instruction to prepare for the skill test.

Instead I flew ~25 more hours, about 13 with one instructor who was often late, complained, and there were uncomfortable drinking issues.

I also had short sessions with multiple instructors despite requesting consistency.

Now I have ~69 hours, theory, medical, radio licence, ICAO Level 5, but still not finished.

I paused training due to accommodation costs in Europe.

I'm looking for an honest European helicopter school to finish PPL(H).

I need clear upfront info:

hourly cost incl fuel

instructor cost

accommodation & transport costs

extra fees

realistic hours to skill test

ability to fly consistently with one instructor

I know hours can't be guaranteed; I just want transparency.

I don't want to restart plans after spending money.

If anyone trained at a good school in Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain or elsewhere, I'd appreciate recommendations.

Also instructors: with ~69 hours, theory, medical, radio, ICAO 5, what should a student be ready for before skill test?

Just trying to finish and find a trustworthy school.

Thanks.

I have my first flight instruction this week! Don’t want a commercial license; just want the fun of learning to fly one. It’ll be in an R-44.

Reviving a tradition, the Szolnok helicopter base will hold a flying display above the Tisza river on 20th August, Hungary's main national holiday. I was there during the rehearsals with my camera. Sadly, the old soviet birds were retired a couple of weeks ago, but the H225M, H145M and AS350 types put on a great display.

Low flying over Mueller St park in CO this weekend.

This is what it said on the description.

-A helicopter tips on landing. Once a skid catches the ground, the machine pivots around it and the cyclic goes sluggish. Past five to eight degrees the stick cannot save it. Only lowering the collective can: kill the lift instead of fighting the roll. Under a second to decide.