Become a flight instructor or examiner

At European Heli Center, we train helicopter pilots to grow their careers, whether by teaching as a Flight Instructor (FI-H) or assessing as a Flight Examiner (FE-H). Our courses give you the skills, knowledge, and qualifications to succeed.

Flight Instructor – FI(H)

During the FI(H) course, not only do you learn how to teach, and expand your career opportunities, you also get to know yourself a lot better. As you learn how to transfer knowledge (i.e. teach), you discover your own strengths and weaknesses, and you learn what drives you, and which qualities inside of you have gotten you this far in life. That is phenomenal. The flight instructor course consists of a theoretical part of 125 hours, and a practical part of 30 flying hours. The course is completed with an exam in which you teach a “student” an entire theoretical- and practical lesson.

Before starting the course, you need to be at least 18 years of age, and you need to meet a number of conditions.

If you already have your CPL(H) license, you can commence when you:

  • Have a minimum of 220 hours of experience flying helicopters;
  • Have a minimum of 100 hours of experience as a helicopter pilot in command (PIC).

If you have your PPL(H) license, you can commence when you:

  • Have a minimum of 200 hours of experience as a helicopter pilot in command (PIC).

You start with a number of theoretical lessons in which you learn about different learning styles, and how your teaching method works best with different types of students. After this, you will dig deeper into the theory of flying helicopters, and you will learn in detail what it is that helicopters do exactly, and why. You also learn how to transfer these knowledge parts to students through a variety of exercises and presentations. In all, the theoretical part covers 125 hours.

You are going to put into practice everything you have just gained from your theoretical lessons in a parallel manner, and you will teach your “student” actual flying lessons, so you can find out how another person responds to your lessons / teaching methods. This flight part covers 30 flying hours.

The course concludes with an exam. As soon as you pass this exam, you are qualified to train new students to be helicopter pilots.

Prior to this exam, your examiner will assign you a subject that you will need to teach. During the first part of this exam, you will give a presentation (theoretical lesson) to a group of students. In the second part of the exam, you will be giving your examiner a flight instruction.

The costs of the instructor course are approximately € 27.000.

Flight Examiner – FE(H)

The examiner training course trains you to the level at which you are qualified to evaluate students, and see whether they meet the quality requirements necessary to get their license. The European Heli Center module for this examiner course is a joint initiative with the Civil Aviation Authority (IL&T). This means you will need to register with IL&T prior to commencing this course.

To become an examiner, you are not allowed to have had your license(s) withdrawn or suspended as a result of violating an EASA regulation in the past three years. Depending on the exam level you wish to take (LAPL, PPL or CPL), you need to have sufficient theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

LAPL(H) examiner

  • You have a minimum of 500 hours of experience flying helicopters;
  • You have a minimum of 150 hours giving instructions as a FI(H);

PPL(H) examiner

  • You have a minimum of 1000 hours of experience flying helicopters;
  • You have a minimum of 250 hours giving instructions as a FI(H);

CPL(H) examiner

  • You have a minimum of 2000 hours of experience flying helicopters;
  • You have a minimum of 150 hours giving instructions as a FI(H);

Finally, you need to finish the entire FE(H) course within the course of one year.

The theoretical part is taught by the Civil Aviation Authority (IL&T) in a one-day seminar. For more information, please visit the IL&T website here.

The theory is then taught from a syllabus provided by the Civil Aviation Authority (IL&T), and it will discuss with the following subjects:

  • Explanation of the IL&T flight examiner manual (FEM);
  • Briefing of the exam candidate prior to the exam;
  • Debriefing of the exam candidate after the exam;
  • Knowledge of administrative procedures concerning exams.

The practical part consists of a number of flying lessons along with an instructor. On top of that, you will also fly independently.

  • Minimum of two 2-hour flights: The practical part consists, in total, of a minimum of two 2-hour flights.
  • With an instructor: You will fly the total number of hours along with an examiner.

During the course, you will be flying the Guimbal Cabri G2, or the Robinson R44 helicopter. You will provide two “exams” for a dummy student (your senior examiner), and you will take him / her through the entire exam process.

After completing the theoretical IL&T seminar and the two practical flights, you will take a practical flight exam at HeliCentre, with a senior examiner.

The costs of the FE(H) course are made up of the one-day IL&T seminar, helicopter usage, fuel, instructor, landing fees, and insurances. To determine the exact costs, please contact us for more information.

Contact form

Need a quote for a helicopter service, training program, or event? Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you shortly.

What our clients say