Schweizer Aircraft has joined the Pilot Career Foundation (PCF) in a bid to stimulate the helicopter training market by offering preferential pricing to US flight schools that are members of the non-profit organisation. High Desert Helicopters, a new flight school based in West Jordan, Utah has purchased its first aircraft, a Model 300C, through the Schweizer/PCF programme.
There is a shortage of helicopter flight schools in the USA, says PCF executive director Marc Williams, who says several of the organisation's members are interested in creating rotary-wing programmes. The PCF is working on financing for Schweizer's aircraft and is looking at creating a helicopter-industry equivalent of its JetConnect fixed-wing training programme, which provides an accelerated path to Delta Connection regional carriers.
Robinson, meanwhile, says an airborne law-enforcement service provided by Silver State Helicopters is proving successful. The programme is designed to help police departments that cannot afford their own aircraft by allocating helicopter time. Silver State's Las Vegas, Nevada-based R44 Raven II flies monthly to Merced, California to work for five consecutive days before moving to other contracts.
Source: Flight International
