Helicentre Aviation Academy has unveiled plans to introduce an Integrated Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with Instrument Rating (IR), scheduled to start in 2024.
This announcement was made at Pilot Careers Live in London on 20 April, and the new courses will be available at the academy’s Midlands and London Oxford Airport bases.
Having offered modular training programmes since its founding two decades ago, Helicentre first launched its Integrated CPL(H) course in 2019. Helicentre reported that all graduates of the first course achieved a 100% employment, securing First Officer roles offshore. Currently in its twelfth intake, the success of this integrated course has prompted over 40 graduates to pursue further modular instrument training.
Helicentre said the development of the Integrated CPL(H)/IR course has been in progress for over 18 months. Following recent approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) course, which utilises an AW109 SP/MCC simulator at the London Oxford base, he academy is poised to offer the new CPL(H)/IR course once approval is granted.
Helicentre operates 17 company-owned aircraft and employs 15 full-time, permanent flight instructors. These instructors are approved to deliver training on the Integrated CPL(H) courses. The new CPL(H)/IR course is designed to integrate seamlessly with the existing training programmes, offering a streamlined path from novice to qualified commercial helicopter pilot with an instrument rating. This integration is expected to provide significant time and cost savings for trainees aspiring to advance their careers in aviation.
