Welcome Back to the Cockpit
If you used to fly helicopters and miss it, this page is for you. Block-time packages designed for pilots who hold a rating but haven't flown in a year, five years, or twenty. We restore currency without condescension and put you back where you belong.
For pilots who haven't flown in a while
Most helicopter pilots stop flying for the same handful of reasons — career change, kids, retirement, or that one bad weather decision that took the joy out of it. Whatever brought you back here, you're not alone. We work with rusty pilots constantly. We'll meet you where you are, fly within your comfort zone on day one, and grow that zone deliberately.
This isn't a beginner program. We assume you have your certificate, you know how to weight-and-balance an R-44, you can describe a settling-with-power recovery, and you can tell us where the carburetor heat lever is by feel. What we're building back is currency, confidence, and the muscle memory that makes the aircraft feel like an extension of your hands again.
Rusty airplane pilot? Make your comeback a new rating.
The packages on this page are for helicopter-rated pilots. If your certificate is airplane and you have not flown in a while, the helicopter add-on is one honest way back into the air — and the checkride does double duty.
- The add-on checkride counts as your flight review. Under 14 CFR 61.56(d)(1), a pilot who has passed a practical test for a pilot certificate, rating or operating privilege within the preceding 24 calendar months does not need a separate flight review. Passing the helicopter add-on practical test satisfies it.
- One honest caveat. FAA Advisory Circular 61-98E (§4.1.2.3.2) still recommends considering a review in the aircraft you normally fly — an airplane review after you earn a different-category rating. We would rather tell you that than overpromise.
- No additional knowledge test. Adding the category takes the training, the 14 CFR 61.109(c) aeronautical experience, an instructor endorsement and a practical test — but no additional knowledge test when you already hold a rating at that certificate level (14 CFR 61.63(b)(4)).
Typically 25–35 hours, $22,000–$30,000 depending on hours. See the add-on page → or book a 15-minute call with Walter →
Sources: 14 CFR 61.56 · AC 61-98E · 14 CFR 61.63
Four block-time packages
BFR Refresher
- Biennial Flight Review per 14 CFR §61.56
- 2 hours of focused ground
- NCHF "Currency Restored" certificate
- Personalized 5-flight follow-on plan
Reset Block
- Everything in BFR Refresher
- 5 additional hours of focused proficiency
- Doubled ground (4 hours)
- Cross-country planning refresher
Confidence Block
- Everything in Reset Block
- 15 additional Hobbs hours including 1 mountain check ride
- Logbook portfolio review with Walter
- Confidence in any weather your category allows
Pro Block
- Everything in Confidence Block
- 25 additional Hobbs hours
- One foliage tour day on us (you fly the route)
- Lifetime 10% NCHF discount on all future flights
Per-Hobbs rates assume a clean BFR exit. If we determine at hour 1 that the aircraft is not a good fit for your goals, we refund the unused balance per our cancellation policy. Ground instruction billed at $75/hr beyond included hours.
Building commercial time?
Bored of flying the same patterns over flat land? Come fly with us in the mountains, valleys and rivers of the Adirondacks. Every block is flown with a CFII in the Robinson R-44 II, ground included, so the hours you log teach you something: ridgelines, confined areas, real weather decisions. Block-time savings bring the rate from $725 down to $650 per hour, and on-site housing at no additional cost keeps your expenses down. We train year-round; November through April by appointment, weather permitting.
Tell us your hours and your goal — rusty@flyheliadk.com
Commercial-rated and short on R-44 time?
- Every hour dual in the R44 Raven II with Walter, CFII (Helicopter)
- SFAR 73 awareness and endorsement work
- Logbook portfolio, résumé and job-application review
- Housing on the field at no additional cost
Adirondack Mountain & Confined-Area Course
- Ridgeline and valley wind, confined areas, pinnacles
- Winter decision-making in actual winter
- NCHF completion certificate + logbook endorsement for the training received
Stay on the field — housing at no additional cost
Coming from a distance? Block-time students have two places to stay, and neither adds a dollar to your package. On the field: private quarters at our hangar at Harris Airport (83K) — a full office, bed, full bath and kitchen, steps from the aircraft, so an early launch or a short weather window is never wasted. Or a B&B setting at Walter's home, 55 minutes from the base. Housing is arranged at booking: tell us your dates when you book your block via rusty@flyheliadk.com and we will hold a spot.
Ask about housing — rusty@flyheliadk.com
Winter currency camp
November through April is the best time to come get current. The tour calendar is quiet, the CFII's schedule is wide open, and the cold, dense air over the Adirondacks makes the R44 perform at its best. We fly year-round — tours and lessons book online any day, weather permitting — with a heated hangar for the briefing and the preflight.
- Pick any block above — BFR Refresher (5 h), Reset (10 h), Confidence (25 h) or Pro (50 h)
- Fly it in a concentrated week or two instead of spreading it across a season
- Stay at no additional cost: private quarters at the hangar or the B&B setting at Walter's home, arranged at booking
- Mountain and confined-area work in winter conditions, with a resident CFII and uncongested airspace
Three-line intake
Rating, hours, last flight, goal, dates. Walter reads every one and replies within 24 hours with a candid assessment and a block recommendation.
Prefer email? rusty@flyheliadk.com · or call (518) 634-6375 · info@flyheliadk.com
How it works
Email us your situation
Send a 3-line note to rusty@flyheliadk.com: what rating you hold, when you last flew, and what you want to be able to do again. Walter responds within 24 hours with a candid assessment and a block recommendation.
Pick your block, schedule your first flight
Pay the block via the secure payment link we send, then schedule your first session on a day that works. Most rusty pilots like to start with 2-3 sessions in a single week to get the rust off, then space out the rest. Your call.
Fly with confidence again
By the end of your block, you'll have a current BFR, restored muscle memory, and a personalized plan for what to do next. Many of our rusty pilots transition into our Partner rental program at $650/hr wet so they can keep flying without rebuilding currency from zero every time.
Common questions
How long has it been "too long" since you last flew?
What if I have a fixed-wing rating but want to add helicopters?
What's the difference between a BFR and a regular flight review?
Will my insurance carrier accept the BFR sign-off?
I don't want to get current; I just want to fly for fun. Can I just take a Discovery Flight?
By booking or purchasing, you acknowledge the inherent risks of helicopter flight and agree to our Liability Waiver & Assumption of Risk.
What's the catch with the lifetime 10% discount on the Pro Block?
Ready to get current?
Three lines is all we need to start: rating, last flight, what you want to do again.
Email rusty@flyheliadk.com Book a 15-minute call with WalterWe reply within 24 hours.