The Art Of Helicopter

Helicopter training schools are becoming more prolific. 30 years ago, after the Vietnam War, the helicopter industry was flooded with approximately 60,000 pilots. These pilots went many places upon re-attaining civilian life. Many were absorbed into the helicopter industry or became fixed wing pilots for the growing airlines. It is not a coincidence that the average age for a helicopter pilot is 52 years old. However, age, attrition and the lure of retirement have changed the amount of available pilots.
The Military has not been producing pilots. Our personal experience at ULA has been enlightening. Since Vietnam, with the exception of Iraq, and a few violent outbreaks in the world, our country primarily experienced many years of peacetime. Therefore, we have had military pilots who served 10+ years as helicopter pilots come in for training to meet FAA civilian standards and convert their licenses. We were surprised to learn that these pilots had very little actual flight time experience. The pilots who came into our office were not able to fly in the civilian world. Their skills needed more remedial training than they were willing to expend and in the end they decided on a different career path. With the current world conflicts this may be changing and the future remains unknown.