First name:Louis
Age: 26
Hometown:Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise (France)
Training: A.E.C.
Helicopters: R22, R44
Start of training:January 2020
Hi everyone, my name is Louis. I’m from northern France and I’m 26 years old. After studying aerospace engineering, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a helicopter pilot.
Designing and building helicopters is fun, but flying them is even more fun!!
Why Hélicraft?
I didn’t want to join the military in France to become a pilot, and it seemed to me that becoming a helicopter pilot was out of reach and that the only option was the military. I’ve always been drawn to living in Canada; I stumbled upon pilot training programs there, and the prices are more affordable than in France. As soon as I sent the first email to Benjamin, the process was set in motion. I waited for Benjamin and Jimmy to come to France so I could meet them during their tour, and I approved the quote right away.
My arrival in Quebec went really smoothly; my cousin had already been there for a year, so that made things easier for me. But Helicraft does everything it can to make your arrival as easy as possible.
I remember my first day very clearly: breakfast, meeting the whole staff, picking up our schedule and our things—we were quickly thrown into the deep end.
The classes are really great; the ground school instructors are very approachable and take the time to explain things. Most of them are French. You have to understand that becoming a pilot requires a lot of personal effort to pass the theory exams.
During flights, you’re assigned a dedicated instructor, but there’s nothing stopping you from talking to the others and asking questions. Everyone is really approachable. It’s like one big family.
What I like most about Helicraft is the atmosphere, the little get-togethers to celebrate everyone’s special occasions, and the organized go-karting events. Dealing with COVID hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve managed just fine.
As for me, I was lucky enough to be hired for the Career+ program by Helicraft—it’s truly a stroke of luck, since the pandemic hasn’t made it easy to land a first job.
In conclusion, I had a great experience at Helicraft—I highly recommend it!
Your experience will be as good as the effort you put into it. The helicopter industry is a small world, and everyone knows each other. Give it your all from the start, because your reputation will follow you throughout your career.