operations include a training academy near Linz, Austria. Its 30 aircraft include Airbus BK 117s, H120s, and H125s; Bell 206s; Leonardo AW139s and AW169s; and Sikorsky (Schweizer) S300s and S-76Bs. Tey asked RotorSky founder and CEO Christian Gruber


A substantial amount of Civic Helicopters’ flight training


business involves instructing prospective


helicopter pilots, like the group shown


here with Chin Tu (in blue jacket) and


Candise Tu (in puffer jacket), for South Korea’s military services. (Civic


Helicopters Photo)


if the companies could partner to help returning students with a plan for converting their certificates and entering the European industry. Gruber said they should team up to train European students in Oregon under RotorSky’s EASA Approved Training Organization certificate so they could satisfy most FAA and EASA requirements. Tey did just that, jointly developing FAA–EASA training and launching the approved program in late 2020. Hillsboro Heli Academy says its combined syllabus can shorten a student’s training timeline, and reduce costs by more than 50% per flight hour. Hillsboro has other initiatives to smooth international


students’ entry into non-US operations too. Its Career Pathway Program has established agreements with German nonprofit air rescue operator ADAC Luftrettung and North Sea offshore operator Bristow Norway. Under the agreements, both operators use combined EASA and FAA training syllabuses


to fulfill requirements for certificates issued by each regulator ranging from private pilot to airline transport pilot. As part of the operators’ participation in the Career


Pathway Program, Bristow and ADAC require students to pass an aptitude test. Bristow requires students to do so before they’re admitted to the program. Each operator offers the accepted student access to one of its pilots as a mentor throughout the program. Students who complete the program and pass the aptitude test are also guaranteed job interviews and preferential hiring. “Tat’s a really neat thing for these students,” Friend says,


“to have this finish line and mentorship along the way.” Te Career Pathway Program agreements with Bristow


and ADAC also allow students to obtain an F-1 visa that grants them access after training to work in the United States for up to 23.5 months as a CFI or a commercial helicopter pilot. After that work, students may return home with up to 1,500 flight hours. Hillsboro Heli Academy has also recently added aerial


firefighting, air ambulance, and search-and-rescue operator Avincis Spain (formerly Babcock) to the Career Pathway Program. Te Avincis program is in its infancy, Friend says.


38 ROTOR MARCH 2024


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