When you’re looking at becoming a pilot, you’ll quickly discover there’s a massive difference between flying helicopters and airplanes. In fact, learning to fly one won’t enable you to drive the other. It’s not hard to tell why; the flight system and laws are different, and the skillsets don’t translate that well. So, should you become a helicopter or an airplane pilot? Learn more here.
Expense
It’s generally true that helicopter training is more expensive than airplane flight training. This is because the cost of maintaining a helicopter is much higher than that of a small plane. Luckily, a good flight school can help mitigate the costs of learning with scholarships and deals.
Time Invested
The amount of time it takes to become a pilot for either airplanes or helicopters depends on the rating you’re trying to get. In terms of simple flight hours, the basic private license for helicopters takes 20 hours, and the airplane license takes 40. However, those are just flight hours. It takes equal amounts of time at most schools to get either license. The more complex airplane licenses, such as the commercial airplane rating, can take hundreds of hours.
Different Career Paths
The careers that each path offers also determine whether you should become a helicopter pilot or an airplane pilot. Helicopters pilots have various jobs in transport, entertainment, and public service. They also get to stay in the same location if they want. Airplane pilots often travel longer distances, ferrying goods and people to distant destinations, though there’s some variety in airplane jobs as well.
In the end, to answer the question, “should you become a helicopter or an airplane pilot?” you need to weigh the pros and cons of each route. Your choice will depend mostly on your preferences. If you want to travel the world and see many places, becoming an airplane pilot may be better. Helicopter pilots can pick a job that best suits them and stay more local.
