See ya Hillsboro Aviation. Hello Jerry Trimble Helicopters!

Backdated.

As of today, I'm done with Hillsboro Aviation.  Don't get me wrong, HAI gave me 100% of my helicopter flying to date. They taught me well, and I truly appreciate that. And, honestly, I would recommend them to anyone interested in their Private or Commercial certifications.  CFI training... no sir.  


Today I took my CFI : Fundamentals of Instruction (FoI) test with LaserGrade. Kicked out a 94%, so I'm happy with that, and I can say that today was a good day, in general because of that.  The other day, I could not be more pissed off - here's why.


We were all sitting around in the HAI classroom putting the final touches on our training folders.  See, HAI is a 141 school and they have an approved syllabus.  Even though there are not any requirements on hours set forth by the FAA for the CFI certification, HAI has set up a program which they have to follow - to the letter.


Well, it turns out that with all the cancellations and errors around the CFI class, we were .7hrs short of the requirement.  We had to sit there... and I mean sit there and burn the time.  They did not charge us for the time we sat there, which is only fair, but the poor planning was just too much.  I'm done with HAI.


So, that day, I took my FoI test. Took my "First Solo" picture off the wall, grabbed my training folders, and left the school.  No more money being spent there.


Again, thank you for the education, and everything you gave me so far... but the recent changes and lack of respect for student CFI's time is just too much to handle.


I called Jerry on the car ride on the way home, and we started planning my first CFI lesson with him.  August 10th.

CFI : The Next and Final Step...

Note: I'm backdating a number of these entries because, for a number of reasons, I was unable to do them at the time. Based on my logbook and classroom notes I'm re-creating these entries as best as I can.


Done with my Commercial, and I've decided to kick right off into my CFI Training.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with Hillsboro. 


Look, HAI gave me a great education. They taught me to fly.  I got my Private here and just now got my Commercial license. I've paid them many thousands of dollars and have put some real time on their birds.  So, I owe them a debt of gratitude, no question.  Good school. Buuuuuut....


...isn't there always a "but". Here it is... and this is probably one of the big reasons I did not blog about this in real time and waited till months later.


I think HAI is a shitty place to work.  I'm not at all impressed how they treat their CFIs.


Ok, so here is all the back story.  I started this journey in 2008 with my instructor.  She was fresh off the CFI boat and had 20x hours in the sky.  Compared to me, she was infinitely more qualified. I had 0, she had 20x.  No question, she was qualified.

As the hobbs time ticked by, I gradually picked up skill, and so did she.  Obviously at a much highter rate that me since she had multiple students.  Throughout the entire process I would fly with other, high time, CFIs for Stage Checks and pre-Check Ride checks, etc.  All good.

Well, just before I got my Commercial w/ about 180hrs of my own, Hillsboro decided they needed to make changes with their hiring policies.  They decided that in order to maintain a predictable and constant flow of CFIs in the school, they needed to set a cap on the hours that a CFI could have and still work in the school. The cap would be at 1000hrs.  My instructor had 1400, the others I regularly worked with had 1500, 1100 and 1200.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand the school's position.  However, in the current business market jobs are scarce all over, and to eject someone from their job for too much experience so that you can replace them with less experienced people seems pretty unfair.  Obviously to the CFI, but also to the students they have.

Hell, l was down right pissed off at this for very selfish reasons.  I have paid thousands of dollars to get the best education I can and to be told that I am going to be given a CGI with 20% more hours than me is offensive. I'm pretty sure they had something to teach me, but certainly not as much as someone with 4x, 5x more air time.  

I literally finished up my Commercial with someone that had 25 more hours than me.  I was pissed.

It was at this point that I started investigating other schools. 

First Flight

Flight #: 001
CFI: Gabe J.
Aircraft: Schweizer 300C IFR
Aircraft ID: N27YS
Duration: 0.4hrs


Today I had my "demo flight". Wow!

It had to have been one of the most exciting things I've ever done. The best part of the whole flight was when I was given control of the collective and cyclic (no anti-torque pedals, this time) for about half of the flight.

The most surprising thing to me during the whole experience was the minimal pressure needed to change direction. The cyclic can move approximately 1 foot in any direction:

• left: roll left
• right: roll right
• fore: pitch nose down - forward flight
• aft: pitch nose up - backwards flight
  

However, only 1 inch adjustments move the helicopter significantly.

I was trying to describe it... and the best I can do is this - when driving down the road in your car at 75mph, you don't really turn the wheel, you make minute adjustments continually to adjust direction. It is probably unconscious, but if you think about it next time, you have ± 5º changes a few times a minute.

The most cyclic movement happened when I was moving forward (50-70 knots) and banking into a turn - maybe 2 inches of cyclic movement. This caused a significant banking and was, at first, a bit un-settling. Obviously this is a feeling one gets used to, but looking out the window at the ground at a 30º angle does give an interesting sensation.

Did I mention the helicopter did not have any doors?

Anyway, here is a Google Map estimate of the flight path - I've got to admit I was pretty focused on flying, but I do remember quite a few landmarks.


View Larger Map

I'm hooked! No question.

The tour was very interesting. I got a chance to see the entire school, sit in a few helicopters, walk through various hangars and meet the dispatch team. All very impressive.

Learned a lot as well. First, it's not going to be cheap. Each flight requires that you rent the time in a helicopter, pay for fuel and also pay for the instructors time. To receive FAA Part 141 certification, a Private Pilot's License, you will need a minimum of:

• 31 Dual Hours (Student + Instructor)
• 5 Solo Hours
• 35 Ground Hours
• 10 Pre- & Post- Flight Instruction
• 18 Hours video review

They stress this is all minimum requirements and that the majority of students are +20% on top of this.

With all of this... I still am going for it. The prospect of flying is just too enticing to let a little work get in the way.

I submitted my application. Still need to get my FAA Class II Medical examination, before I can start, but I've got some time - class starts October 8th.

Lets check this out...

I've always been fascinated with helicopters - the motion, the physics of helicopter flight and just their overall look. Don't know... just do.

Anyway, after a series of serendipitous events over the past few weeks I've decided that I need to know a little more about helicopters and the training that goes into becoming a pilot. So, I set up an appointment for a quick tour / walk through of Hillsboro Aviation's campus and airport.

I was surprised to learn that Hillsboro Aviation is well known in the industry and is in the top tier of helicopter and airplane pilot training programs. Apparently it has to do with the geographical and weather diversity in the Pacific Northwest. Within 60 minutes you can fly over oceans, coastline, mountain ranges, forests, deserts and cities. All of this, of course, with the ever present possibility of PNW mist, rain and cloud cover.

With all this... I just had to visit and see for myself what it really takes.

Hillsboro Aviation has posted their promotional video for viewing, if the mood strikes you.