I am often asked about how best to move forward with learning to fly helicopters, and one of the first things I suggest is to go get a relatively inexpensive Discovery Flight (sometimes called a Demo Flight) at a helicopter flight school. This serves few purposes:
- It helps determine if you actually really like flying helicopters – an idea sometimes doesn’t match with reality
- It gives you a glimpse of a flight school, to help evaluate if the school is right for you – I would be hesitant to sign up for flight training at a flight school without a visit & discovery flight
- Even if you are not ready to commit to flight training, it is a great experience on it own
Discovery Flights
I tried discovery flights at 4 or 5 flight schools in the USA before I made my final decision to train at Leading Edge Flight Academy (LEFA) in Bend Oregon. I never regretted my choice and went on to work there as a flight instructor (which is when most of my training videos were recorded) and after 10+ years of flying, I am back to LEFA as an instructor again! So I can say with confidence, LEFA is one of the very best flight schools out there, in terms of instruction, equipment, training environment, flying weather, success rate, a college option and a great quality of life outside of school.
Don’t just take my word for it, check out an article by Vertical Magazine. And because of my confidence and regard for the school, I often recommend people to come try a discovery flight at Leading Edge if they are considering the Oregon as an option for flight training. LEFA also offer airplane training, so you can also use this discount offer for an airplane discovery flight too.
Some of the key reasons to consider a Discovery Flight at Leading Edge Flight Academy:
Instruction
If you have seen my training videos, you know the sort of instruction you can expect at Leading Edge. Available training courses cover Student Pilot all the way through to Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) and beyond with advanced training in Night Vision Goggles (NVG), Mountain Flying, Longline and Turbine Transition in the Bell 206.
Equipment
The school uses the R22 Beta II and R44 Raven II helicopters, with latest avionics, including the Garmin G500H ‘glass cockpit’ as well as traditional ‘steam gauge’ aircraft. All aircraft are equipped with ADS-B Out & In, which can allow pilots to access traffic advisories, inflight weather and more.
Training Environment
Bend airport (KBDN) sits at 3,460′ above sea level, with vast areas of public land to the south and east, the 10,000’+ Cascade Mountains to the west and Redmond Airport a few minutes flight to the north for towered airport operations. This variety and higher elevation, makes for a well-balanced and experienced pilot at the completion of training.
Flying Weather
Being in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains allows for many days of good flying weather for much of the year, reducing training delays. But Central Oregon also receives plenty of varied and challenging weather, including hot summer days (high density altitude), strong winds, thunderstorms and snow storms, all adding to a pilot’s weather experience.
Career Opportunities
LEFA graduates are successfully working in all aspects of the helicopter industry, including instruction, tours, air ambulance, fire, powerline, offshore, and more. Leading Edge graduates are recognized by many companies as well-trained and experienced. There is also opportunities to stay at Leading Edge after becoming an instructor, with pathways to work on their charter side of business, flying Bell 206 and 407 helicopters on a variety of contracts.
College Connection
LEFA is also partnered with Central Oregon Community College (COCC) to offer Aviation Degrees and a pathway for veterans to use the GI Bill to fully fund flight training as well as allow non-veterans access to federal financial aid.
Bend Life
Bend often ranks as one of the best places to live in the USA. It has a huge variety of outdoor activities from hiking, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, paddle boarding, rock-climbing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, skiing, and more. Throughout the year there are various music concerts, festivals and events with over 20 breweries in the area to try out.