By Lindsay Hughes | January 17, 2014 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 4 seconds.
A retired pilot and flight instructor has created a new online course to help helicopter pilots bridge what he says is a gap between the knowledge and skills required to complete flight school, and the reality of day-to-day operations. B.C.-based Ray Conant told Canadian Skies he hoped his course, which is free to take, would teach pilots the value of learning through others mistakes — before it’s too late.
“Over the years, pundits have been saying to learn from the mistakes of others, but those same mistakes keep being made,” Conant told Canadian Skies. “I’m revealing [those mistakes], and what pilots should know so that they’re not making the same ones over and over. It turns out to be more a matter of self-control than aircraft control.”
Conant’s course, available online, is based largely on a 190-page manual costing $22 (black and white) or $32 (color), which is packed full of practical advice. Worked into the lessons are accident reports and short stories from Conant’s personal experiences — and with his 16,000 flight hours, 14,000 of which are in helicopters, he has an enormous number to draw from.
“There are a lot of things in this course I didn’t learn until I had 10,000 hours,” he said. “I wanted to give back to the industry what I had learned from all of those experiences. The course contains what [operators] want their pilots to know, and that’s the experience of a high-time pilot. Covered is everything that has to do with public relations, paper work, self-discipline, character, professional piloting skills – there’s just no end to it.”
Conant’s experience covers almost 60 years. He began flying in 1946 at the age of 14, received his Commercial Pilots License in 1951, and transitioned to helicopters in 1962. Over the years, he flew extensively in the harsh climate of Northern Canada, and spent time operating a flying school in Pitt Meadows, B.C. He’s been chief pilot at two charter operations. The majority of his helicopter hours were recorded on the Bell 47, Hiller 12E, Bell 206, MD 500, Sikorsky S-55T, Bell 204, 205, 212 and 412.
Conant has been promoting the book and course to both flight schools and Canadian helicopter operators. He said the reaction to the content has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and hopes that eventually holding his Certificate of Proficiency (awarded to those who successfully complete the course) will help pilots become front runners in the job hunt.
“I want to assist operators in pilot evaluation,” he said. “Offered here is ‘experience’ without risk. I’ve put the complete course on the internet; anybody can copy it, anybody can see what’s in it, and operators can look through the course and ask themselves: ‘Do my pilots all know these things? Would I like my pilots to know these things? It’s hard to find anything in this book that’s taught in flight school, [but] it’s all necessary for flying a helicopter.”
The course is available at www.rayconant.com.
