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Helicopter Lessons for Groupon Customers (May 2012) |
This offer has expired. At this time your Groupon may be credited toward our regular helicopter offerings at their regular rates.
Thank you for buying a Groupon for a helicopter lesson at East Coast Aero Club. We hope that this will be your first step into the big fraternity of American aviation. This is the greatest country in the world for flying, with more than 613,000 active licensed pilots, 15,000 airports, and more than 200,000 private aircraft (150,000 of which are purely personal). Because private aviation is so popular here, the U.S. has the world's lowest prices for rental aircraft, which puts aviation within the reach of any middle-class American.
East Coast Aero Club has been operating at Hanscom Field since 1985. We've served more than 7000 customers, currently operate more than 30 rental aircraft, and employ 25 flight instructors. To learn more about the flight school, watch this interview with a customer or this tour of the club.
What's it like? Watch these YouTube interviews with some of our customers on March 27, 2010. Our goal with the ground lesson and flight is that you be familiar with the controls and concepts and comfortable during all phases of the experience.
Do the introductory reading recommended in our "preparing for your first lesson" page. We'll ask you the "study questions" at the bottom of the reading list when you book your lesson (ground plus flight). Ground school is thorough, but you'll be a lot more comfortable in the helicopter if you've done some reading first.
Once you've done the reading and can answer the study questions with confidence, use our online scheduler (below) to book a convenient time for your ground lesson and flight (about two hours total). The ground lesson will be an interactive discussion mostly about the material that you've read, but also covering information specific to the Robinson R44 helicopter that you'll be flying. Click the magnifying glass icon next to that slot and then click on "New Reservation". From here you'll enter your study question answers as well as contact information (important in case we need to reschedule).
If you don't see a convenient time on the schedule above, please check this page in a week or two. We add spots constantly as people complete their reading and fill up the existing openings.
Hanscom Field in Bedford (Google Map) is one mile northwest of the intersection of Route 2 and Route 128 (Interstate 95). Take exit 30B to route 2A West and follow signs for Hanscom Field/Civil Air Terminal, which will be on the right. Continue straight down the access road and park in the lot on your left. Walk into the Civil Air Terminal, the East Coast Aero Club offices are on the ground floor down the hallway to the right. Hanscom Field should be in your phone's GPS system, but you can also type in the street address: 200 Hanscom Drive, Bedford, MA 01730.
This is a one-on-one lesson with an FAA-certificated flight instructor who will meet you at East Coast Aero Club for approximately one hour of ground instruction, after which you will receive a signed logbook entry indicating that you've received the required ground school for taking the controls of a Robinson helicopter. Following the ground lesson, your instructor will walk out with you to the helicopter, point out the major systems and preflight checks, and then you'll go on a flight together during which time you'll do much if not most of the actual flying. Expect to spend about 20-30 minutes with the engine running and 10-15 minutes in the air.
If you enjoy the challenge of your first lesson and want to continue flight training, please see our standard training page. It takes about 10 hours to reach the "James Bond" level of helicoper flying skill, i.e., the ability to jump into a helicopter, take the controls, take off into the sky, fly around, and bring the machine back down for a safe landing.
Send an email to helicopters@eastcoastaeroclub.com.