Kenny Keller explains why helicopter pilots need an instrument rating and when to get it. Do the training between private and commercial certificates to build PIC time, train in an R44 if you're going professional, and know that EMS and other jobs require it.
Okay. In this video I want to talk about why the instrument rating is important and give you a few tips along the way. There are numerous reasons why the instrument rating is very important. Okay? It makes you a better pilot. It helps keep you current, obtain your training after your private. If you're going to continue on a commercial, many times people will say, well, hey Kenny, should I go ahead and get my CFI so I can get out working and do my instrument later? I did that where I did my instrument rating two or three years after I was a cfi once I got the hours and it was getting close to time to get that first job that required an instrument rating. So then I had to go out and find the money and struggle as an instructor to pay for that. If you are planning on the professional pilot route, you're already here. You're inside the instrument course. If you're dabbling with it, go for it. If you're in between private, go ahead and stick with this rating and do it, do the studying, get through it. Because to go from private to commercial, you have to have pic time in there. So why fly around for 100 hours just goofing off when you could be doing duel with an instructor, getting PIC time and building that time towards your commercial. So it's a very, very important reason to do it in between private and commercials. To help you build that time, make good time of your use and your money. It's a great reason. So if you're on that path, stick with this and do it. Pursue your training. Even if your private is your only goal, if you found your way in here and you're just kind of dabbling and thinking about doing it, you should continue this training for several reasons. One of them being it helps you make a good no go decision. Because you get better in your skills. You'll go through weather again, you'll learn more about pre flight, you know, planning and the go no go decision. So it helps make you, you know, helps it easier to make those go no go decisions. You keep yourself current by studying and flying instrument procedures. A tip is if you're one of Those people flying R22 and R44, if you can do the instrument training in an R44, I would highly recommend it. You know, if all you ever gonna fly is an R22, that's fine. But if you're on the professional pilot route, later on you're probably gonna want to fly an R44 for a tour company. You might want to teach in the R44. So if you can swing the money during this time going from private to commercial and you're building your time. If you can swing the money to find a way to do that dual training for your instrument, training in the R44, it's going to help you later in your career and you'll be really, really, really happy you did it. So another really tip that's really important. So hopefully that just gives you some ideas on why this training is important. So again, I highly recommend it if you're here at the private level. Not sure if you're going to go to commercial. A lot of people say, well, I'm just getting my private and you know, I don't really need the instrument. Well, even if you're staying at the private level, we highly encourage you to continue with this training, get that instrument rating for the reasons I mentioned. Makes you a better pilot, builds your skills, helps you with the no go decision, helps keep you safe, so it makes you a better pilot and you might change your mind later, maybe you'll go, you know what? I think I do want that commercial. I'm going to do some commercial flying. And then again, if you're going to go for the CFI route, you're building your skills all along as you do private, you do commercial, you do cfi. It's going to help you getting ready for that cfi. You're just going to be more knowledgeable. And again, this is me talking after the training, doing my instrument later on. So hopefully there's some good reasons to help you understand why you want to be in this course and why you would need that instrument rating. Most of your EMS jobs require an instrument rating. So if EMS is your final goal, you need that instrument rating, you need to get it. And there are other jobs that require that instrument rating as well. So you could put it off. But I highly recommend it, especially if you're here, you're in the site, you're already going through the training, you may or may not be in the aircraft yet. I highly recommend go through the videos, study hard, apply yourself and get out there and get that rating. So put your comments down below and we will see you in the next video.
