top of page
DSC03758.jpg

KANSAS CITY flight school · Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport

Helicopter Flight Training

Five FAA certificates and ratings, from your first hover to teaching others to fly, all trained at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.

Your path, step by step

Most students start with a Private Pilot License and add ratings in this order. Jump in wherever you are.

Helicopter student pilot flying over the city with an instructor

Private Pilot License

Your first helicopter license: learn to hover, navigate, and carry passengers over the Kansas City skyline, flying for your own enjoyment rather than for hire.

40 hrs

FAA minimum

~55 hrs

Typical total

17

Minimum age

$650/hr

R44 with instructor · Ground $65/hr

View course
Ask a question
R44 helicopter instrument panel in flight over a town at dusk

Instrument Rating

Fly helicopters by instruments alone, with the skills to handle Kansas City's low ceilings, winter weather and busy airspace when VFR pilots stay grounded.

40 hrs

Instrument time

50 hrs

Cross-country (PIC)

15 hrs

With a CFII

$650/hr

R44 with instructor · Ground $65/hr

View course
Ask a question
Student watching an R44 helicopter hover over a grass field during training

Commercial Pilot License

Get paid to fly helicopters: the precision, advanced maneuvers and regulations required to work tours, EMS, utility, or charter across the Kansas City region.

150 hrs

FAA minimum

100 hrs

Pilot in command

18

Minimum age

$650/hr

R44 with instructor · Ground $65/hr

View course
Ask a question
Instructor and students in an R44 helicopter on a rooftop helipad

Certified Flight Instructor

Turn your rotorcraft skills — hovering, autorotations, confined-area work — into a paycheck, teaching the next generation of Kansas City helicopter pilots.

No min.

Hours required

2

Written exams

1

Checkride

$650/hr

R44 with instructor · Ground $65/hr

View course
Ask a question
Robinson R44 helicopter seen from directly below in flight

Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument

Add IFR instruction to your rotorcraft instructor credentials: teach instrument flying in Kansas City's weather and busy airspace, a rare, valuable certificate.

No min.

Hours required

1–2

Written exams

1

Checkride

$650/hr

R44 with instructor · Ground $65/hr

View course
Ask a question

New to flying?

Take the controls on a discovery flight with an instructor before you commit to a course.

Paying for training

Stratus Financial finances helicopter training. See our financing page for how to apply.

Talk to an instructor

Questions about a course, scheduling or cost? Call (816)-499-3342

bottom of page