LogoROTOR
Student pilot in Robinson R22 cockpit with gloved hands on cyclic, instrument panel glowing green, horizon tilted through bubble canopy at golden hour
ALT 120 FT MSL
R22 N4417G · KRHV
STUDENT PILOT · DUAL
Next Cohort Starts

Your First
Hover Is
30 Days
Away.

Robinson R22 dual instruction from dawn patrol to solo cross-country. No experience required — just the nerve to lift off.

Saturday, March 28, 2026

00
Days
:
00
Hrs
:
00
Min
:
00
Sec
4,200+
Dual Hours Logged
97%
FAA Written Pass Rate
12 mo
Avg. Private Certificate
01─────The Call
0–5 hrs
"I watched the same YouTube video for the third time that week — a student pilot lifting a Robinson R22 to a hover for the first time, the skids dancing six inches above the grass. I called the school at 7 AM. They picked up."
  • 60-minute Discovery Flight in the R22 — you hold the controls
  • Medical certificate guidance (FAA 3rd Class)
  • Student Pilot Certificate application walkthrough
  • Logbook issued, first entry signed
  • Flight training agreement & schedule locked
Progress to Certificate8%
✓ Discovery Flight Complete
FAA Milestone: Student Pilot Certificate issued (14 CFR Part 61.83)
Robinson R22 helicopter on sun-drenched tarmac at dawn, pre-flight inspection in progress
01
02─────Ground School
5–20 hrs
"The whiteboard looked like a physics nightmare — retreating blade stall, translational lift, vortex ring state. By week three I could draw the diagrams from memory. The simulator was worse. Hovering in a box with no wind inputs and I was still chasing my own tail."
  • 40-hour ground school curriculum (FAA Part 141 syllabus)
  • Helicopter aerodynamics: rotor systems, retreating blade stall, autorotation theory
  • R22 Pilot Operating Handbook — every system, every emergency
  • SFAR 73 awareness training (Robinson safety program)
  • Full-motion FRASCA helicopter simulator — 6 hours included
  • FAA Knowledge Test prep: practice exams until you score 85%+
Progress to Certificate22%
✓ FAA Written Exam Passed
FAA Milestone: Aeronautical Knowledge Test ≥ 70% (14 CFR Part 61.105)
Student pilot studying helicopter aerodynamics diagrams on whiteboard in aviation ground school classroom
02
03─────First Flight
20–40 hrs
"The CFI said 'you have the controls' and I immediately climbed fifteen feet and started drifting toward the runway lights. The collective, the cyclic, the pedals — all fighting each other through my hands. Then one morning around hour twelve, the machine went quiet. My inputs stopped being corrections and started being intentions. That's the morning everything changed."
  • Hovering: stationary, taxi, takeoff & landing from hover
  • Normal and crosswind approaches to confined areas
  • Emergency procedures: autorotation to touchdown, engine failures
  • Slope landings, pinnacle approaches, wire-awareness maneuvers
  • Solo flight authorization after CFI endorsement
  • Night dual instruction (5 hrs minimum)
Progress to Certificate48%
✓ Solo Flight Authorized
FAA Milestone: Solo flight authorized — CFI endorsement (14 CFR Part 61.87)
Helicopter in flight at golden hour, skids light, horizon tilted, student pilot visible through bubble canopy
03
04─────Solo Cross-Country
40–60 hrs
"The first solo cross-country, I flew from Reid-Hillview to Hollister — 28 nautical miles, no instructor, just me and the sectional chart folded on my knee. The Central Valley opened up below me at 1,500 feet and I realized I was actually doing this. Not watching footage. Doing it."
  • Solo cross-country: minimum 100 nm total, one leg 25 nm+
  • Pilotage, dead reckoning, GPS cross-check navigation
  • Mountain flying and density altitude awareness
  • Weather decision-making: go/no-go criteria, TAFs, METARs
  • Night solo: 3 hrs dual + 3 takeoffs/landings to full stop
  • Towered airport operations and ATC communication
Progress to Certificate72%
✓ Cross-Country Requirement Met
FAA Milestone: Solo cross-country (14 CFR Part 61.109(c))
Aerial view from helicopter cockpit looking over California Central Valley at 1500 feet, sectional chart visible on knee board
04
05─────Checkride
60–70 hrs
"The DPE asked me to demonstrate an autorotation to the 180 position. I set up, lowered collective, established 65 knots, flared at 100 feet, and touched down on the numbers. He wrote something in his clipboard. I was a private pilot."
  • 70-hour minimum total flight time (40 dual, 20 solo)
  • Oral exam: 2–3 hours with FAA Designated Pilot Examiner
  • Practical test: all ACS maneuvers to private pilot standards
  • Autorotation to touchdown — the defining maneuver
  • Certificate issued same day upon pass
  • Path to instrument, commercial, CFI outlined at debrief
Progress to Certificate100%
✓ Private Pilot Certificate Issued
FAA Milestone: Private Pilot Certificate — Rotorcraft Helicopter (14 CFR Part 61.109)
Fresh private pilot holding FAA certificate on airport ramp in front of Robinson R22, sunlit, proud expression
05
Your Crew

Instructors Who've
Been There.

Combined 13,400+ flight hours. Every one of them was a student once — they remember exactly what the hover felt like.

13,400+
Combined Flight Hours
200+
Pilots Certified
97%
First-Attempt Pass Rate
3
FAA Gold Seal CFIs
Chief flight instructor Marcus Webb in uniform on airport ramp, confident expression, aviation sunglasses
Military Transition Specialist

Capt. Marcus Webb

Chief Flight Instructor

ATP-H · CFI-H · CFII-H8,400 hrs

Former Army UH-60 pilot. 8,400 hours across 14 rotorcraft types. Has certified over 200 private pilots.

Female flight instructor Diana Osei in flight suit standing beside Robinson R22 helicopter
Career Change Expert

Diana Osei

Senior Flight Instructor

CFI-H · CFII-H · AGI3,200 hrs

Career-changer turned CFI. Former software engineer who earned her private at 31. Specializes in adult learners.

Young flight instructor Rafael Montoya smiling in helicopter cockpit during pre-flight briefing
Young Eagles CFI

Rafael Montoya

Flight Instructor

CFI-H · Commercial-H1,800 hrs

Earned his commercial at 22. Passionate about building the next generation of rotor pilots. 98% first-attempt checkride rate.

From the Logbooks

"

I spent 14 years as a software architect. At 38 I walked into Rotor with zero flight time. 11 months later I had a commercial certificate and a job offer from a tour operator. The instructors treated me like a professional from day one.

Kevin Nakamura headshot, career change pilot
Kevin Nakamura
Career Changer · Commercial Pilot
"

I had 1,200 hours in UH-72s from the Army. Rotor got me a civilian commercial certificate in 8 weeks. Marcus understood exactly what I needed — no hand-holding, just the FAA gaps filled.

Darnell Brooks headshot, military veteran turned civilian pilot
Sgt. (Ret.) Darnell Brooks
Military Transition · Commercial Pilot
"

My parents wanted me to study accounting. I showed them my certificate on graduation day. They cried. So did I — but mine were happy tears at 800 feet.

Priya Chandrasekaran headshot, young student pilot
Priya Chandrasekaran
Student Pilot · 18 yrs
Free · No Payment Required

Reserve Your
Discovery Flight.

60 minutes. You in the co-pilot seat of a Robinson R22. Your hands on the controls. No experience needed — just show up and we'll take it from there.

🕕Arrive at 6:30 AM — first light, calm air, perfect conditions
📋Brief pre-flight walkthrough with your CFI (30 min)
🚁60-minute flight — you hold the controls for at least 20 min
📝Post-flight debrief + your first logbook entry signed
🗺️Receive the 12-page Student Pilot Roadmap PDF

Not ready to book? Start with the roadmap.

No payment required · Cancel anytime · Seats limited to 4 per date