Certified Flight Instructor
Master the skills unique to rotorcraft flight (hovering, autorotations, confined-area work) and teach the next generation of Northwest Arkansas helicopter pilots.
No min.
Hours required
2
Written exams
1
Checkride
About the Course
This certification qualifies you to teach students the skills unique to helicopter flying — hovering, autorotations, and confined-area operations. Teaching out of Springdale lets you build paid hours close to home in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Whether you're building hours toward an EMS career or want to fly rotorcraft for a living, becoming a CFI is how you get paid to do it.
With This License You Can
- ✔︎Teach helicopter students from first hover to checkride
- ✔︎Get paid to fly while you build hours
- ✔︎Build the experience tour, EMS and utility operators hire for
- ✔︎Add instrument instruction with your CFII
Before You Start
- 01Hold a Commercial Pilot License with a helicopter rating
- 02Be at least 18 years old
- 03Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language
Flight Time You'll Log
There are no minimum flight hours. You'll train in the helicopter until you can teach every maneuver and pass the required tasks:
- ✔︎Two written exams
- ✔︎Checkride
PLAN YOUR INVESTMENT
Know the Real Cost Before You Start
Flight training is an investment in your future. You should have a realistic picture of that investment before your first lesson.
The FAA sets minimum experience requirements for every certificate and rating, but proficiency, not the minimum hours, decides when you're ready for the next step. The rates below help you plan for a realistic total, not a best-case number that may not match your training.
Current Training Rates
Robinson R44
$585 /hr
Flight & ground instruction
$65 /hr
CFI & CFII instruction
Incl.
Our aircraft are dedicated to flight training and aren't available for standalone rental.
Class Name | FAA Minimum Experience |
|---|---|
Private Pilot License | 40 hrs total, incl. 20 hrs with an instructor and 10 hrs solo in a helicopter |
Instrument Rating | 40 hrs instrument time; 50 hrs cross-country as PIC, 10 of them in helicopters |
Commercial Pilot License | 150 hrs total flight time |
Certified Flight Instructor | No minimum hours; commercial helicopter certificate required |
Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument | No minimum hours; helicopter CFI and instrument rating required |
Why Do Training Costs Vary?
No two students learn the same way or at the same pace. Your total can shift with how often you train, how you prepare between lessons, previous experience, weather, and the flight and ground instruction needed to meet FAA standards.
The FAA minimum for a Private Pilot Certificate with a helicopter rating under Part 61 is 40 flight hours, but most students need more — plan for about 50 to 60. Plan for the reality of learning to fly, not just the regulatory minimum.
Build a Plan Around Your Goals
Starting from zero, transferring previous flight time, or adding to a certificate you already hold, we'll help you understand where you're starting, where you want to go, and what it will realistically take to get there.
Our goal isn't to sell you flight hours. It's to make every hour count.
From your first lesson through CFII, each stage of training should build the knowledge, skill, judgment and professionalism you'll need for the next one.
Training costs are not guaranteed or fixed-price programs. Actual costs vary with student proficiency, training frequency, previous experience, aircraft used, weather and other factors. Costs may not include FAA knowledge tests, examiner fees, medical certification, training materials or other third-party expenses. Aircraft and instruction rates are subject to change.
Private Through CFII
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START FLYING
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
Questions about the course? Send us a note and an AIRO instructor will get back to you.