Flight Training
There is no better way to see the world than from a helicopter — and few things more rewarding than learning how to fly one. Of course, not everyone is destined to become a helicopter pilot. It's a job that requires commitment, concentration, and attention to detail. But whether you're already a fixed-wing flyer or plan to launch your aviation career in choppers, Sunset Helicopters can get you where you want to be: on your way to becoming a safe, proficient rotor pilot.

Transitioning Pilots
For our purposes, we consider a transitioning pilot to be a pilot (or student pilot) who has a significant number of hours in fixed-wing aircraft. How much is "significant"? Well, at least enough to where the pilot will have to "unlearn" airplanes, since that's a lot of what learning helicopters can be all about.

Which is not to say that fixed-wing pilots don't have advantages — they do. If you're a fixed-wing pilot, you already understand aircraft instrumentation, aircraft systems, airspace, and FAA regulations. You've already experienced FAA-regulated flight training, and you are famililar with the sensation of flight. Best of all, you understand that nothing comes easy. Learning to fly a helicopter can be as challenging, and fun, as learning to fly a traffic pattern and land an airplane.

However, fixed-wing pilots also face challenges that novice helicopter pilots do not — namely, overcoming a lot of habits and reflexes that make sense in an airplane but have no place in a helicopter. For starters, a helicopter does not exhibit overbanking tendencies, right-turning tendencies, or adverse yaw, which means corrective inputs you might expect to make in various maneuvers (normally with the rudder) simply aren't required. In fact, a helicopter doesn't even have a rudder — instead, the tail-rotor (also called the anti-torque rotor) offsets the massive torque force enacted on the fuselage by the main rotor. The anti-torque pedals control the yaw-axis, similar to rudder pedals on an airplane, but with much greater independence and precision.

Even more importantly, unlike airplanes, helicopters are inherently unstable. This doesn't mean that they are liable to crash to the ground at any time — a bicycle could be described as inherently unstable as well. Nonetheless, choppers are very different from airplanes in this regard. Fixed-wing pilots know that straight-and-level flight can be maintained with one fingertip after an airplane's power and trim settings have been optimized. However, stable flight in a helicopter can only be achieved by small, constant pressure inputs from the pilot, which eventually become second nature.

Many fixed-wing pilots express an interest in flying helicopters, be it for the FAA Helicopter rating, expanding their aviation skills, or even just for the heck of it — trying it out to see what it's like. We welcome all kinds of transitional pilots, from those looking for a new rating to the merely curious. Even after once or twice at the controls, helicopter flying can reveal entirely new and unexpected horizons.

New Pilots
You don't have to know a thing about helicopters to start flying them — and as we've noted above, a new pilot has distinct advantages over high-hour fixed-wing flyers. If you're a new pilot, you aren't burdened with preconceived notions about aerodynamics and flight. You're also able to commit yourself to helicopter flying, rather than potentially splitting it between rotorcraft and airplanes. And you need not worry about trying to master airplanes before trying something "harder" like helicopters — in our experience, new student pilots earn their initial FAA Pilot's Certificates with either an Airplane or Helicopter rating in about as many hours.

For helicopter pilots who progress to earning an FAA Commercial license, the variety of jobs out there is seemingly limitless — corporate flying, agricultural support, forestry, flight instruction, industrial applications, pipeline inspection, fire-fighting, air medical services, law enforcement, news reporting, and more. Think about how often you see or hear helicopters, and how many different companies are dependent upon them. Each one of these companies requires experienced, professional pilots.

We offer FAA-regulated flight training with our Certified Flight Instructors in accordance with the FAR Part 61 curriculum. We're also the only helicopter instruction facility on the east side of the northern Willamette Valley, making our location an attractive choice for students who are building hours at larger airports like Hillsboro but would like to log some additional time closer to home.

Please contact us for more information by hitting the "Request More Info" button below.