Optional · 1 of 2

Ratings and paths that open doors

• Instrument rating

  Flying by reference to instruments in cloud. Effectively mandatory for air ambulance and offshore work.

• Flight instructor certificate

  The standard hour-building job, and teaching makes you a better pilot.

• Turbine time

  Most training helicopters have piston engines. Employers want turbine hours, and getting the first ones is the classic chicken and egg problem in this career.

• Military aviation

  The Army trains more helicopter pilots than anyone. You are paid throughout, you leave with hours and turbine time, and you owe a service commitment of several years.