Helicopter Rental - Business POV

5Aces

Is there much demand for helicopter rental these days? Can you make a comfortable living giving helicopter tours? What are the legal requirements to fly helicopters for reward? Thanks.

Victor

Well, first off, you need a licence (and insurance) to carry passengers for reward.

However, in a recession, any discretionary spending gets cut back and helicopter travel is difficult to justify for many. No doubt there will be niches, but I imagine they are all full at the moment.

jimbis

Pulling the thread slightly off topic but is there any companies around the Dublin area that do this?
Is it expensive?
Just for say a quick spin around dublin and a quick glance over my house!

Sterling Archer

Best way to describe it is the arse end has gone out of the helo industry in Ireland.

Regarding attaining a pilot licence , you need to be a commercial pilot to fly for reward, this requires 45+ hours to get a private pilot licence (ppl) then another 150+ hours to get a commercial pilot licence (cpl), then you will need to be type rated in a larger aircraft (generally you are trained in a r22) so it's another 5+ hours (i think) to be type rated in a robinson r44, after this you will need hours as pilot in command, before any company will look at hiring you.. also there is ifr/night flying ratings, allowing you to fly in bad weather and at night, this is another few hours, oh and don't forget all the exams you have to do and your physical/medical.

a simpler explanation/comparison would be
ppl = car driving licence,
cpl = truck driving licence,
pilot in command hours = clocking up hours driving your lorry,
Type rating = from rigid lory to articulated lorry.

Regard the hiring of an aircraft,
It depends how many people you want to go and what aircraft, most likely it would be in a Robinson r44 (seating 4 people, pilot + 3 passengers) and i think they are around €500 upwards per hour to rent(not sure about this, i think it's more, someone else will shed more light on it)

Celtic helicopter, Irish Helicopters, Kildare Helicopters, Eirecopter and Premier Aviation are all base near Dublin.

Your best bet is to go as far as Weston airport and inquire there as that will probably be where your flight will depart and arrive.

Regards, a very broke pilot in training - Shane

airvan

No as the others suggest there is no demand for helicopter rental these days and no one can make a comfortable living giving helicopter tours even in the good times at least not in this country. The flight schools are now ekeing out a living since the developers kids no longer have enough pocket money to spend on flying.

The classic example is the Galway races. A couple of years ago it seemed every helicopter in the country was there. Last year it got very quiet indeed.

One further point you cannot simply get yourself a helicopter even if you have a CPL and rent yourself out. There are plenty of other requirements from the IAA before you can set up an organisation like that.

Having said that, more than a few people haven't allowed the rules to stop them. There are plenty of examples of private pilots taking money to carry people and privately owned helicopters being used commercially. Not to mention very dodgy practices using US registered helicopters. I was recently told of someone in the midlands who uses a helicopter to transport people around illegally at low level. However the authorities are having trouble stopping it because of the difficulty in catching him.

None of this enhances the reputation of helicopter flying in this country.

Incidentally,

ifr/night flying ratings, allowing you to fly in bad weather and at night, this is another few hours,

I think few understates it. In any case very few helicopters are equipped for IFR flying and not many helicopters pilots are instrument rated in any case. Night flying is mostly illegal anyway outside class C airspace and impractical in any case.

pclancy

A intro flying lesson would be a good way to get up and overfly your house if you live in Dublin.