First Name:Kevin
Age: 27
Hometown:Pau (France)
Training: A.E.C.
Helicopter: R22, R44
Start of training: September 2017
Having been in Helicraft’s CPL-H program for seven months now, I’d like to share my experience at this school with you.
I’ve always wanted to become a pilot, but since I didn’t have the funds to pursue that goal, I initially decided to pursue a military career after earning my science-focused high school diploma. During my four years in the Navy, I was able to save some money, as that training is still quite expensive.
As I mentioned, I chose Canada mainly because the cost of living is about two to three times lower than in Europe, but also because job opportunities are significantly better in North America.
While searching online, I came across Helicraft and began contacting them by email to get more information about the training program.
It was very easy to communicate with the school, and we then scheduled a phone call with the marketing and sales director to discuss various questions I had—such as the school in general, the administrative process, and life in Canada.
After that, I decided to go to Canada for two weeks, on my own, to visit the school. This gave me a chance to get to know the environment I would be living in a little better. It was important for me to see the school itself, since we spend most of our days there. The school has many classrooms, which allowed me to be in a very good working environment.
The most time-consuming part for me was going through all the administrative procedures to obtain the visa. It took me two months to get my CAQ and my student visa.
Once I got my visa, all that was left was to find a place to live. This step was very easy because Helicraft provides us with a house, but they can also put us in touch with landlords.
When I arrived in Canada, someone from the school picked me up at the airport. I then had the chance to meet all the instructors at the school.
I quickly got started on the theory as well as the flying lessons, which allowed me to put what we were learning into practice right away.
Unfortunately, winters in Canada can be quite harsh, which can cause slight delays in training due to the weather; and when the weather is bad, some flights are canceled. Of course, this is for our safety.
The school has a wonderful fleet of helicopters, including two Robinson 22s, which allows us to fly every day.
Since I’m used to traveling, I was able to quickly adjust to life in Canada. Today, I live in the Helicraft house with two other students from the school.
Each instructor brings their own professional experience to enhance the quality of the training, which allows us to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the written exam and the flight test.
In addition, Helicraft has contracts outside of the school, which allows us to support pilots on their various missions. This gives us a completely different perspective on the piloting profession and the realities of the field. It also allows some young pilots to work for the company for a season, which helps them build up their flight hours and gain professional experience by conducting city tours of Montreal, photo/video flights, or pipeline inspections.
It's really nice to take a course at Helicraft because the atmosphere is great.
Once I’ve obtained my CPL-H license, I’ll move on to the AEC training program, which prepares me for both the European and U.S. licenses, helps me secure permanent residency, and eliminates the stress of visa requirements for staying and working in Canada.