Fly for a living and get paid to do the job you love!

Want to fly for a living? A commercial licence is essential if you want to advance your PPL(H) and get paid to do the job you love.

We offer CPL(H) modular training at our base at White Waltham Airfield. The requirements are that the applicant has passed the CPL(H) exams, and has completed 155 hours in helicopters, at least 50 of which are pilot-in-command and 10 hours cross-country. Please give us a call to discuss pricing.

Helicopter Services train pilots to a high standard for their UK & EASA CPL(H). We aim well above what is required to just pass the skill test at the end of the course. Your training will include the ground-based aspects of planning, organisational structure, and flying.

We usually train on the R22 helicopter but can accommodate many other types if required. ICAO and military licence conversions have different requirements from the ones listed below but contact us if you are unsure of your requirements and we will be happy to help.

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Commercial Pilot Licence Requirements

Before starting the CPL(H) course at Helicopter Services, you must hold a Class 1 medical, and have 155 hours of flight time on helicopters. Of these, 50 hours must be pilot-in-command time with a minimum of 10 hours of cross-country flying.

If you hold a PPL(A) you may claim up to 20 hours credit towards the 155 hours.
If you hold a CPL(A) you may claim up to 50 hours credit towards the 155 hours.

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You must also have completed the CPL(H) or ATPL(H) ground exams, which we do not offer training for at Helicopter Services. However, we work in partnership with Caledonian Advanced Pilot Training and would recommend them for ground training.

The commercial pilot licence course consists of 30 hours of dual-flight training. Of this, 20 hours are visual flight instruction and 10 hours are instrument training. We also offer the night rating which requires 5 hours of additional flying at night if done within the CPL course.

At the end of the flying course, you will demonstrate your abilities to a CAA-accredited examiner before acquiring your CPL(H).

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What next? Why not consider our Flight Instructor Courses to improve your flying further?

For military pilots, Helicopter Services is an ELCAS Approved Learning Provider. We recommend contacting us or reading CAA CAP 2254 to find out what credit you receive for your military experience.