What is the difference between CPL(H) and PPL(H)?

PPL(H) lets you fly a helicopter privately, without pay. CPL(H) is a commercial licence, which lets you fly for remuneration and work as a pilot. In training this shows up as stricter requirements for precision.

How long does CPL(H) practical training take?

It depends on your flight hours at the start, how often you fly and the weather. A pilot with the required experience, flying several times a week, finishes the practical part faster than someone flying up the missing hours. We put together the schedule after reviewing your logbook.

Do I need to have passed CPL(H) theory before the practical part?

You start the practical training after completing the theoretical course, and to get the licence issued you need passed exams at ULC, with a 75 percent threshold on each subject.

Which type is the practical exam flown on?

The one you trained on during the course and hold a rating for. The rating stays on your licence, so you choose the type with your future work in mind, not the hourly price. We do not use display or operational machines for training.

How much does CPL(H) training cost?

The amount depends mainly on how many hours you still need to fly, and then on the helicopter type. It also includes the Class 1 medical, official fees, and the examiner and exam flight. We quote rates after talking about your flight hours.

What can I do right after getting my CPL(H)?

You can fly a helicopter for remuneration within the scope your type ratings and the operator's requirements allow. It usually starts with scenic and passenger flights, or with the FI(H) rating, which lets you build flight hours while training others.

CPL(H) practical training: commercial helicopter pilot licence

CPL(H) practical training is the stage where a pilot stops flying for themselves and starts flying professionally. What matters is no longer just handling the machine, but flying precisely and repeatably, to the standard an employer expects. We run the course at an approved EASA training organisation at Radom-Piastów airport, and it ends with a practical flight test.

What changes between PPL(H) and CPL(H)

On PPL(H) you learn to keep the helicopter where you want it. On CPL(H) that is not enough: you hold altitude, speed and heading within tight tolerances for the whole flight, and the examiner checks them in every section.

The rest of the difference happens on the ground, before you start the engine. Mass and balance calculated for the real load, performance checked for the day's temperature and altitude, the go/no-go decision drawn from the forecast and the numbers. In the air, you add staying ahead of the situation: you plan a change of configuration, route or landing site before the weather forces it on you.

Who this course is for

The training is for a pilot with a valid PPL(H) licence who has completed the CPL(H) theoretical course. Theory gets you passed exams, practical training gets you the skills and the entry in your licence.

If you do not hold any licence yet, the integrated 0-CPL(H) path is often the more sensible route. Get your Class 1 medical certificate at the very start, because without it a commercial licence cannot be issued.

What the flying looks like

Training follows an approved ATO syllabus: a series of flights with an instructor, each with a specific goal, with a briefing before takeoff and a debrief after landing.

The scope is wider than on a private licence. It adds navigation flights with in-flight planning, operations from confined areas, elements of instrument flight, and emergency procedures and autorotations practiced to proficiency. We run CPL(H) training on the piston Guimbal Cabri G2 and Robinson R44, and on the turbine Robinson R66 and Airbus AS350; the rest of our fleet, display and operational helicopters, is described on the Fleet page.

Flight hours required before the exam

To issue the licence, Part-FCL rules require a defined amount of experience, not just a completed course. After modular training you need to show total flight time of around 185 hours, including hours as pilot in command of a helicopter, navigation flights and night flights. Check the exact minimums with your instructor at the start.

Planning therefore starts with the pilot's logbook, not the calendar. If you are short a few dozen hours, you need to fly them, and that usually takes the most time. The VFR Night rating is normally picked up along the way.

The CPL(H) practical exam

The course ends with a flight test conducted by an authorised examiner. It starts on the ground: documentation, navigation planning, mass and balance, performance, and a go/no-go decision based on the forecast. Then comes the flight, split into sections, among them a navigation route, manoeuvres in the training area, emergency procedures and autorotation.

The examiner looks at more than the manoeuvre itself. They check whether you stay ahead of the situation. A weaker section is usually retested, without repeating the whole exam from scratch. After passing, the licence application goes to the Polish Civil Aviation Authority (ULC).

What a CPL(H) licence gets you in practice

CPL(H) lets you fly a helicopter for remuneration: scenic and passenger flights, specialised operations, work with an air operator. The exact scope depends on your type ratings and the employer's requirements.

The licence alone is rarely enough for a first job. A common next step is the FI(H) instructor rating, which lets you build flight hours while training others, followed by ratings on further types, especially turbine ones. Turbine experience is often a condition operators set before they will even discuss a job.

What makes up the CPL(H) bill

For this course, the biggest cost item usually is not the training programme itself, but flying the missing hours up to the required experience. A pilot close to 185 hours pays mainly for the flights the programme requires. Someone short by seventy hours ends up buying roughly twice as much flying.

The hourly rate depends on the type of machine. Flying a piston helicopter costs noticeably less than a turbine one, but the type rating stays on your licence and recruiters notice it. The budget also includes the Class 1 medical, official fees, and the examiner and exam flight. We quote rates after a conversation, once we know how many hours you actually still need to fly.

Course programme

practical training following an approved ATO syllabus
flights refining piloting technique and precision in handling the helicopter
cross-country navigation flights with in-flight planning
performance, mass and balance planning for the real load
emergency procedures and autorotations
operations from confined areas and off-airport flights
elements of instrument flight
pre-flight briefings and post-flight debriefs
exam preparation and the CPL(H) practical flight test

After passing the exam and meeting the requirements, the pilot receives a commercial CPL(H) licence with a type rating for the helicopter they took the exam on.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between CPL(H) and PPL(H)?: PPL(H) lets you fly a helicopter privately, without pay. CPL(H) is a commercial licence, which lets you fly for remuneration and work as a pilot. In training this shows up as stricter requirements for precision.
How long does CPL(H) practical training take?: It depends on your flight hours at the start, how often you fly and the weather. A pilot with the required experience, flying several times a week, finishes the practical part faster than someone flying up the missing hours. We put together the schedule after reviewing your logbook.
Do I need to have passed CPL(H) theory before the practical part?: You start the practical training after completing the theoretical course, and to get the licence issued you need passed exams at ULC, with a 75 percent threshold on each subject.
Which type is the practical exam flown on?: The one you trained on during the course and hold a rating for. The rating stays on your licence, so you choose the type with your future work in mind, not the hourly price. We do not use display or operational machines for training.
How much does CPL(H) training cost?: The amount depends mainly on how many hours you still need to fly, and then on the helicopter type. It also includes the Class 1 medical, official fees, and the examiner and exam flight. We quote rates after talking about your flight hours.
What can I do right after getting my CPL(H)?: You can fly a helicopter for remuneration within the scope your type ratings and the operator's requirements allow. It usually starts with scenic and passenger flights, or with the FI(H) rating, which lets you build flight hours while training others.