Are you tired of traveling with your family like everyone else? Do you hate long road trips where you are forced to come up with things for your children to do the whole time? Wouldn’t it be great to just jump in your own helicopter and fly where you are going? The honest truth is that this option might not be completely out of your reach. Many people today are taking their love of flying to the next level and are becoming helicopter pilots. If you love to fly and have learned how to pilot a chopper there are a few things that you might want to consider. One of these is that it could be very beneficial to you if you owned your own helicopter. Of course most people do not have enough money to pay cash for a helicopter, but many do have enough to finance one.
Financing Options for a Helicopter
The following are some of the financing options that might be available to you. Of course you should know that there are some additional expenses that often come up. Knowing these additional expenses can help you feel better prepared instead of being something that shocks you.
Taking Out a Loan
There are a lot of loan options available for you if you are trying to buy your own helicopter. One of the things that you should remember when getting one of these loans is that you will need to budget accordingly and make sure that you can afford it. A helicopter aircraft loan can be the perfect option for you.
Working with a Company for Ownership of an Aircraft
Some pilots find that they can sign a contract with a company to work as a pilot for them for a certain period of time (offering flights to the company when they need them) in exchange for helicopter ownership. This is something that most people do not realize is an option. In most cases fuel and things will be paid by the company but you would be offering your services as a pilot for free.
Buying with a Group
Another final option that needs mentioning is that many people choose to buy a helicopter as a group with other pilots. This can be done in a way that is completely legal and easily defined. What happens is that people have terms laid out that include details of ownership and when they each get use of said aircraft. This works well as long as everyone involved is honest and willing to really work towards these terms. Contracts can be created before these purchases are made so that you can make sure that you are all agreeing on fair terms beforehand.
Making Sure You Can Fly
Of course before you purchase your helicopter, you should make sure that you are going to be able to fly it. You have to be able to read, write and understand English and be at least 17 years old. You need to have over 40 hours of flight time and more than 20 hours of instructor flight time. You also have to have 10 hours of solo flight time that has been divided into specific categories including: 3 hours of cross-country flight training, 1 solo flight of 100 miles or more, and 3 take off and 3 landings to a full stop. Plus you have to be able to pass all of the involved tests.
Knowing this information and the information about financing a helicopter is something that can really benefit you when you are ready to be a helicopter owner.
Article Submitted By Community Writer