A Little to Say About Real World Flying

Real World Experience

Midwestern Helicopters is staffed by FAA Certified Flight Instructors with many hours of true "real world flying" experience. All of our CFI's have the benefit of a military training and varied operational backgrounds, and their experiences span the period from Vietnam, through the First Gulf War, the Balkan War, and the present.

Real World Flight Instructors

Our Chief Flight Instructor, for example, has been flying helicopters since 1966. His experience includes over 1200 hours of "Huey" time in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division (yes the same unit portrayed in "We Were Soldiers" with Mel Gibson). After 'Nam he taught military pilots for 2 years. In addition, his flight experience includes work as a traffic 'copter pilot over Chicago, Ag work, TV photo work, multimedia film work, long line sling load work, police work, animal control, night surveillance work, medical evacuation, etc...

Our other flight instructor has been flying helicopters since 1989. He is an experienced night pilot flying in many of the military's most demanding environments, such as Nap of the Earth flight, night vision goggle and night infrared flight, and adverse weather flight. He has considerable experience in helicopter gunnery, basic and advanced combat skills training, and most importantly, he knows the importance of sound judgment, sound decision-making, and safe flying.

With countless flights in the most demanding environments, low level, at night, in adverse weather, in combat, and as commercial pilots, our instructors just don't speak about "real world flying," our instructors have lived it.

Real World Safety

We distinguish intelligent and conservative flight instruction that will bring you and the aircraft safely home at the end of the day, from foolish, dangerous, and macho type flying that has the potential to increase your risk to accidents, potential FAA violations, numerous close calls and even injury or death. I encourage you to check the safety records of your instructors and owner/operators of flight instruction companies before you decide. At Midwestern Helicopter, we will train you to be a safe, competent, and proficient pilot able to exercise good judgment in the "real world."