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PROFESSIONAL HELICOPTER SERVICES Pty Ltd is one of the most experienced and respected helicopter flying schools in Australia. PHS is managed by Ron Newman, who has been in the industry since 1955.

We have trained more helicopter pilots since Ron established PHS in 1981 than any other school in Australia, and thanks to our well-earned reputation throughout the helicopter industry, we are continuing to do so. 

What do I need to do to get my licence?

First off, you need to be sure that flying helicopters is something that you really want to do, so what I suggest is... HAVE A GO!

Give us a call and arrange a «Trial Introductory Flight» (TIF) for ONLY $320, a real bargain on a once only basis. This is a no obligation flight, consisting of a pre-flight briefing and a 35 minute flying lesson. If you decide to continue learning to fly, this flight counts as part of your training.

Once you have made the decision to get a helicopter licence, the type of flying that you intend doing will determine whether you want a Private or a Commercial licence. A Private licence allows you to carry passengers for recreational purposes (but not for hire or reward), whereas a Commercial licence allows you to conduct commercial operations and charge for your services - in other words, you can be employed as a pilot. For a Private licence you need a minimum of 50 hours flying prior to your flight test. A Commercial licence requires a minimum of 105 hours flying prior to the flight test.  No fixed wing (aeroplane) experience is required.

You don't have to make a firm decision about which licence you want prior to commencing your training. If you get your Private licence and then decide you want to continue on and get a Commercial licence, you just continue with your training and do the extra 55 hours flying, pass the Commercial theory exams and the Commercial flight test.

Before your first solo flight, you will need to pass a medical examination with a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME) before being issued with a Student Pilot Licence. If your ultimate aim is to get a Commercial licence, I recommend that you do your initial medical at Commercial standard. Contact us for the name of an approved Doctor near you.

This is where the fun begins!

You will begin your flight training in one of our Robinson R22 or Schweizer 300 CBi helicopters, which are all in perfect condition. For more information on why we changed from the Hughes/Schweizer 300C to the R22 and now the Schweizer 300 CBi as our training helicopters see Training Helicopters.

We are proud of the condition in which we keep our helicopters and invite you to come and inspect them at any time. The Robinson R22 is by far the most popular training helicopter in the world, and the Schweizer 300 CBi (not the Schweizer 300C) is rapidly catching up, and our training is amongst the best available. For instance, in many schools, engine failures are initiated by the instructor saying «Engine failure now» instead of snapping the throttle closed, and the descents are often terminated with a «Power Recovery» to the hover, instead of an «Engine Off» landing.

Our autorotation training is conducted by closing the throttle to simulate the engine failure, and finishing with an engine-off landing, thus making your training far more realistic. You will do many of these during your training.

We know of some schools that have sent students solo without them ever having done a full «Engine Off» landing. We are continually getting inquiries from pilots who have learned at schools who do not do autorotations to the ground, wanting us to do their training in autorotations. This is a CASA syllabus requirement but unfortunately they do not police it, consequently many schools are not doing them. Because of the number of these inquiries, we have introduced a policy of adding a 50% surcharge for pilots who have done their training elsewhere and come to us to learn how to do auto's. 

  1. As well as offering basic training, we also offer our students a Turbine endorsement in our Melbourne or Gold Coast based Bell Jet Ranger at a special rate.
  2. Bell Jet Ranger, Aerospatiale Squirel, and Hughes 500 turbine endorsements are available. An endorsement in the Robinson R44 is also available.
  3. Float endorsements are also available in the Robinson R22.
  4. A «Night Rating» is available in the Robinson R22 or the Bell Jet Ranger. This requires a minimum of ten hours training plus the flight test. CASA stipulate that this flying must be done in addition to the hours required for your licence.

How long will it take me?

There is no definite answer to this question; the time taken to gain your licence depends on how long it takes you to complete your theory, and how often you fly. The frequency that you fly can vary to suit you; it can be anywhere from once a fortnight, to twice a day - five days a week, depending on the availability of bookings, the weather conditions, and your availability.

Due to our reputation and competitive prices, we are one of the busiest schools in Australia, therefore the more notice you give us of your booking requirements, the less likely you are to be disappointed.

We realise this can be a problem, but think about why we are so busy while other schools are not.

How much will all this cost me?

This really depends on which licence you want, and how you choose to complete your theory, etc. To minimise your cost, we offer an incentive for buying blocks of 10 hours at a time. This is outlined in the Training Rates page. We do not ask for, or accept, full payment up-front for the flying training as we believe the standard of our training is enough to keep you flying at PHS.

Why should I train with Professional Helicopter Services?

Professional Helicopter Services Pty Ltd is one of Australia's most respected and experienced helicopter training schools, and has an exceptional reputation within the Australian and overseas industry. Since commencing pilot training in 1981, PHS has trained more local & overseas helicopter pilots than any other company in Australia. We are fully approved by the «Civil Aviation Safety Authority» (CASA) and the «Department of Employment, Education and Training» (DEET), for all helicopter pilot courses for both Australian and overseas students.

The senior instructors at PHS are myself (Ron Newman), with over 17,500 hours on helicopters, and my son Brett, with around 11,000 helicopter hours. We are both Grade One Instructors in single and multi-engine helicopters, and Ron is a CASA «Approved Test Officer» (ATO) with authorisation to conduct flight tests for the issue of Private and Commercial licences as well as Night VFR and is one of the few ATO's approved to issue Instructor ratings.

Many schools do not have an ATO authorised to conduct Commercial licence tests, and have to hire a CASA examiner to do the test for them. This cost of around $300, is usually passed on to you.

My experience has been gained in over 40 years in the helicopter industry as both a Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (LAME) and as a pilot. After competing an apprenticeship with Trans Australia Airlines (now QANTAS), I joined Ansett Airlines Helicopter Division in 1960, became a Helicopter LAME in 1961, and learnt to fly helicopters in 1968. I have flown throughout Australia, New Guinea and the British Solomon Islands, as well as 2 trips to the Antarctic. I have over 9,000 hours of instructional flying (this is more than most helicopter instructors have as a total). Apart from instructing, my flying experience includes Mustering, Aerial Survey, Sling work, Media and Display flying (you may have seen the formation aerobatic displays put on by Brett & myself at various airshows).

I also set up the Victoria Police Helicopter Air Wing in 1978, where I did several years of Police & Rescue flying, and was awarded the Royal Humane Society «Bronze Medal» for a night rescue in 1981. I have also done a lot of flying for feature films such as «The Man From Snowy River (1 & 2)», Jackie Chan's «First Strike» etc, as well as numerous commercials.

Brett is one of Australia's leading film pilots, with a lot of experience in Stunt & Film flying for feature films & commercials (including several trips interstate to film in areas with local helicopter operators). He has flown throughout Australia and is also experienced in Mustering, Shooting, Aerial Surveys, Sling work, Media and Display flying. Brett has over 5,000 hours of instructional flying.

I was mustering cattle by helicopter years before there was a helicopter mustering industry, and later on, PHS owned and operated Kimberley Helicopters for several years. This was a mustering company in Kununurra, West Australia, where we operated 5 Hughes 300's on mustering operations and a Jet Ranger on general charter. Both Brett and I conducted mustering operations and check flights with the other pilots from Kimberley Helicopters prior to selling the operation to Slingsby Helicopters (now one of the largest mustering companies in Australia), so as you can see, we are well versed in mustering techniques.

We have trained fourteen helicopter pilots that have gained employment with the Victoria Police Air Wing, including two of their Chief Pilots. Four of those that we trained have subsequently left the Air Wing (including the previous Chief Pilot and Deputy Chief Pilot). We have also trained five pilots from CASA (two of them from other states that have local helicopter schools). Brett & I conducted all the helicopter pilot training for the National Safety Council of Australia (NSCA) prior to their demise and did the «Check & Training» for Seaworld Helicopters. There are numerous helicopter schools and helicopter instructors in Queensland and yet Seaworld paid for us to travel from Melbourne to Surfers Paradise twice a year to conduct the «Check and Training» flights for all of their pilots.

These are obvious indications of our reputation within the industry. This reputation has been gained by industry judgement of the consistently high standards that PHS has maintained since commencing operations in 1981.

Discover the many advantages associated with training at PHS

  1. We operate a Helicopter Training School in 2 locations, Moorabbin Airport in Victoria, and Gold Coast Airport in Queensland.
  2. In Victoria we operate out of our own modern training and maintenance facility located at Moorabbin Airport, which is only 3 miles from the training area. This location offers you the advantage of training in a radio-controlled environment without any wasted time flying to and from the training area.
  3. We are the only helicopter school in Australia with it's own Maintenance facility, it is NOT someone else's Maintenance facility, who may or may not allow you access.
  4. Our maintenance facility is treated as part of our overall training package and is always accessible to enable you to learn as much about the maintenance requirements of a helicopter as possible. You are encouraged to participate in the maintenance activities and fill out a CASA «Schedule of Experience» book, that can be counter-signed by our Chief Engineer. This certified engineering experience gives you a considerable advantage when seeking employment, especially in bush related operations.
  5. Having our own maintenance facility on the premises is an enormous benefit to you during your theory course, as it enables you to see the helicopters and their components in various stages of disassembly. This increases your awareness of the function of the various components that make up a helicopter.
  6. In Queensland we operate out of a modern facility at the Gold Coast Airport. This gives you the advantage of operating in a relatively quiet «Primary Controlled Airspace» without the delays normally associated with operating out of Primary airports. This facility is only a 10 minute walk from the famous Gold Coast beach with accommodation available close to the airport at very reasonable rates.
  7. Another advantage of training with us is that you have the option of doing some of your training in Melbourne and some in Queensland. On completion of your training (subject to meeting our recency requirements), you can hire a helicopter from us at either location.
  8. Our rates are very competitive (particularly when you consider the standard of training we offer) and we do not charge for landing fees, briefings, the comprehensive briefing notes that we give to all students or the Approved Test Officer when he conducts your flight test. Many schools charge for these services and have to get a CASA examiner to do the test at a cost of approximately $300.00.
  9. It may not seem very important, but PHS has a very casual and friendly atmosphere, not just among the staff, but also between the students. It is a great place to make new friends that share a common interest, and it gives you the benefit of having others to study with. As well as this, our social functions are for the staff, the students and the ex-students.

If this sounds interesting, come along and have a «Trial Introductory Flight». For more information on Trial Introductory Flights click here.

Should you require any further information, or wish to make a booking for your first lesson, please don't hesitate to call or drop in to see us. If you wish to visit on a weekend, please call ahead as we may only have one instructor on duty and, if he is out with a student, the school will be locked.