Helicopter CFII Training Course Outline, Part 141

by Philip Greenspun and Kasim Te; updated August 2010

Site Home : Flying : Helicopter Instruction (Part 141) : One Course

Developed for students at East Coast Aero Club which operated under FAR Part 141 from July 2008 through July 2010.

Want to start training in Boston with East Coast Aero Club? Call 781-274-6322 to enroll, or email philg@mit.edu


Location

East Coast Aero Club, located at Laurence G. Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, is owned and operated as:

East Coast Aero Club, Inc.
200 Hanscom Drive, Suite 111
Civil Air Terminal
Bedford, Massachusetts 01730

Course Title

Flight Instructor Instrument Helicopter Certification Course.

Content Requirements

This syllabus meets all of the content requirements of FAR 141.55 and curriculum requirements for the Flight Instructor Instrument Helicopter Course contained in Appendix G of FAR Part 141.

Course Sequence

The training syllabus herein contains a ground training course and flight training course to be taught concurrently. Some flight lessons may require particular ground lessons to be completed beforehand. These prerequisites are noted within the flight lessons. Course sequence may deviate at the instructor's discretion as long as all deviations are noted. Stage checks are included for recommended progress checks but shall not impede a student from continuing training at the discretion of a flight instructor. A student may not graduate from the course unless he or she has completed all elements of both the ground and flight courses.

Course Objective

The student will obtain the knowledge, skill and aeronautical experience necessary to meet the requirements for a flight instructor certificate with an instrument helicopter rating.

Completion Standards

The student must demonstrate through written tests, practical tests, and through appropriate records that he/she meets the knowledge, skill and experience requirements necessary to obtain a flight instructor certificate with an instrument helicopter rating.

Ground Instructional Facilities

Ground instructional facilities are located in the Civil Air Terminal at Hanscom Field. All facilities comply with the regulations described in FAR 141.45. They include the following:

Airport

Hanscom Field (KBED) is the main operations base for training in this course. Hanscom Field meets the requirements of FAR 141.38. It has two hard-surfaced runways that meet the requirements of FAR 141.38 for day and night flight operations. At least one wind direction indicator in the form of a wind sock is visible from from each end of both runways at ground level. There are permanent runway lights available for night training flights. The airport has a control tower and a UNICOM advisory frequency when the tower is not operated. All flights for this course will originate at Hanscom Field.

Airport Facilities, Audio/Visual, and Training Aids

East Coast Aero Club has a pilot briefing area of which it has continuous use and meets the requirements of FAR 141.43. This is a room located within the Civil Air Terminal of the airport. It measures 12 feet by 18 feet and designed for a maximum accommodation of six people at one time. It is used exclusively by East Coast Aero Club students, instructors, and employees. It is equipped with a large dry erase board and colored markers for lecture, a few tables suitable for laying out aeronautical charts, a telephone for access to the flight service station, various VFR terminal and sectional charts from the New England area, and a current AIM. The local practice areas are shown and described on a detailed chart posted on the wall.

Continuous Use of the Facilities

As required by FAR 141.38, East Coast Aero Club has continuous use of Hanscom Field (KBED), where all flights for this course will originate.

Aircraft

Instruction shall be conducted in Robinson R-44 IFR trainers. These aircraft shall meet the requirements of FAR 141.39. They are equipped with gyroscopic instruments (usually electric) and GPS receivers (usually Garmin 430s). Each helicopter shall be registered as a civil aircraft in the United States, certificated with a standard airworthiness certificate or a primary airworthiness certificate, maintained and inspected in accordance with the requirements under subpart E of Part 91 with 100-hour and annual inspections, and equipped for day and night VFR flying as specified in section FAR 91.205. For aircraft that will be used in this Part 141 operation but are not owned by the East Coast Aero Club, East Coast Aero Club has agreed with the owners of the aircraft through written documentation for use of the aircraft.

Operator's Handbook

In compliance with FAR 141.75, every aircraft used for flight training and solo flights will carry a pretakeoff checklist, a prelanding checklist, and the operator's handbook for the aircraft, if one is furnished by the manufacturer, or copies of the handbook if furnished to each student using the aircraft.

Chief Flight Instructor

The Chief Flight Instructor for this course will be Michael Rhodes. He has met all the requirements under section 141.35(a) and (b). He holds an ATP certificate with a helicopter rating and a current FAA Flight Instructor certificate, #2359067, with a helicopter and instrument rating. He has over 1900 hours as PIC, 1330 hours in Robinson R22s, and 270 hours in Robinson R44s. He has given over 1600 hours of flight instruction, of which 1400 hours has been in helicopters, with 1175 in Robinson R22s and 225 in Robinson R44s. As long as he holds this position, this will be the only Part 141 school for which he will be Chief Flight Instructor.

Flight Instructors

Each flight instructor assigned to this course must be the holder of at least the following:

Flight Training Course

Note on Use of Simulators: This course will not use any simulators or flight training device (FTD). All flight training hours shall be acquired in actual aircraft.

Enrollment Prerequisites: The student must possess a Commercial Pilot Certificate with Rotorcraft-Helicopter and Instrument Helicopter ratings or an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate with a Rotorcraft-Helicopter rating. The student must also hold a current FAA medical certificate.

Course Objective: The student will obtain the aeronautical skill and experience necessary to meet the requirements for the issuance of a Flight Instructor Certificate with a Rotorcraft Category and Instrument Helicopter Class Rating.

Completion Standards: The student will demonstrate through flight tests and school records the necessary aeronautical skill and experience to achieve a Flight Instructor Certificate with a Rotorcraft Category and Instrument Helicopter Class Rating.

Course Completion Times: The total recommended completion time is 17.1 hours for the flight course. Lesson completion times are recommended and the student may graduate from this course with slightly less or more than the times described. In no case, however, may a student graduate from the flight training course with less than 15 hours completed in the curriculum.

If a student fails the end of course check, a retest of the end of course check will be required after the student receives additional instruction. The extent of the retest will be at the discretion of the Chief Flight Instructor or designee. Only areas found to be unsatisfactory will require re-testing.

Ground Training Course

Course Completion Time: The estimated completion time for the ground training course is 18 hours. The allotted time for each lesson is an estimate and the actual time may be slightly more or less. A student may graduate from this course with more or less than the hours described, but in no case should a student graduate with less than 15 hours.

Course Objective: The student will obtain the necessary aeronautical knowledge and meet the prerequisites to pass the CFII-H written exam as well as the oral portion of the CFII-H practical test.

Subject Areas: The student will study the following subject areas:

Completion standards: The student shall demonstrate through oral and written tests and other records that he or she meets the requirements specified in FAR Part 141 for the Flight Helicopter Instrument Helicopter Certification Course. The ground course will be complete when the CFII-H candidate has completed all of the ground lessons and created a lesson plan for each. The instructor will review each lesson plan with the candidate and discuss improvements. In addition, the candidate shall complete the FAA CFI-I Rotorcraft-Helicopter knowledge test with a passing grade.

Additional Documents

If you would like to adapt these plans for your own use, please feel free as long as it is within the terms of my online copyright statement.
Text Copyright 2008 Philip Greenspun.
philg@mit.edu