Ever Wanted To Fly A Helicopter?
Sapphire Heli Services offers professional private and commercial pilot training for anyone who wishes to fly a helicopter.
Our training is carried out at our modern Heliport located at Merimbula Airport, half way between Sydney and Melbourne on the NSW far south coast. Training in this location will expose you to a plethora of options towards furthering your aviation career, our proximity to controlled airspace, military airspace and the Great Dividing Range gives you experience in many different environments.
Training is conducted in the Enstrom 280FX, a two seater, turbo-charged piston engine helicopter.
We can also offer endorsements on other machines once your qualified to broaden your horizons. Endorsements are available on the following helicopters: Robinson R44, Enstrom F28/A, Enstrom 280FX, and the Bell 206 Jetranger.
If you have any questions or you would like to obtain further information, please contact us, or drop into our office in the blue buildings at the northern end of Merimbula Airport NSW.
Trial Introductory Flight (TIF)
If you have often pondered a career in aviation or just interested in flying as a hobby, come and have a go! A trial introductory flight with Sapphire Heli Services doesn’t just consist of a flight; we give you a full pre-flight briefing of the helicopter itself, the principles of helicopter flight and how all the controls work. Then it’s out to the chopper, your instructor will take you through a start up procedure and get you ready for your half hour in control of the helicopter. After five minutes in the air YOU WILL BE FLYING. You will be given the controls one by one until the instructor gives you all the controls and takes you through multiple basic flight manoeuvres. A TIF is your first step to your private or commercial license, plus if you decide to go on, you can log the half hour flight time towards your license.
License Requirements
The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) lays down minimum training requirements for each license sought; hour and personal requirements are listed below.
Helicopter Private Pilot License ( PPL – H )
To obtain a PPL-H you must meet the guidelines below, however there are some exemptions to the rule if you already hold PPL-A or CPL-A (Private or Commercial Aeroplane License), See 'License Conversions' below for more details.
o Be at least 17 years of age
o Hold at least a CASA Class 2 Medical
o Passed the Private Helicopter License Theory exams
o Complete at least 50 hours of helicopter flight training
o Passed the PPL-H flight test
Helicopter Commercial Pilot License ( CPL – H )
To obtain a CPL-H you must meet the guidelines below, however there are some exemptions to the rule if you already hold PPL-A or CPL-A (Private or Commercial Aeroplane License), See 'License Conversions' below for more details.
o Be at least 18 years of age
o Hold a CASA Class 1 Medical
o Passed the Commercial Helicopter License Theory exams
o Completed at least 105 hours of helicopter flight training
o Passed the CPL-H flight test
License Conversion Courses
° Private Fixed Wing to Private Helicopter (PPL-A to PPL-H) = 38 hrs
° Commercial Fixed Wing to Commercial Helicopter (CPL-A to CPL-H) = 60 hrs
° Private Fixed Wing to Commercial Helicopter (PPL-A to CPL-H) = 70 hrs
° Flight Instructor Rating = 40 hrs (Pre-requisite is CPL-H & 360hrs)
Please contact us for further information on training by email or just give us a call on 0408 214 800.
Acting as a booking agent for Cloud Nine Helicopters Pty Ltd
AOC: S576371-13
