Silver State Helicopters dashes student pilots dreams!
Friday, February 8, 2008 at 01:54PM The news this week of Silver State Helicopters closing their doors, has prompted me to do what I have been considering for some time. Blogging about police helicopters. So what’s the connection you ask? When Silver State Helicopters closed it’s doors I can only imagine that they also slammed the door shut on the hopes, dreams and aspirations of many would be helicopter pilots. Some only temporarily, but others more permanently.
One morning recently I was driving to work at Gillespie Field, El Cajon Ca., when I heard a Silver State Helicopter commercial come on the radio. Since one of their schools was only a few doors down from our base, and since I had already heard a number of negative things about how they operated, I listened intently. The commercial talked about the vast shortage of police helicopter pilots, and the big paychecks that would be waiting once your training was completed.
The commercial struck me as being somewhat less than the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The thing was, I knew a little something about How to Become a Police Helicopter Pilot!
It is my understanding that some of the students at Silver State were on the hook for as much as $60,000 and were still working on ratings. Most of the complaints that I heard about Silver State, was that they take your money, but it was tough to get flight time because they wouldn't hire enough instructors. It was no surprise to many of us when they closed their doors.
In contrast, I was just completing my first full year as a commercially rated pilot, for the Sheriff’s Department, (I use the term Police Pilot as a generic term covering all law enforcement pilots). Not only was my entire flight training paid for, but I was also paid my regular salary while I attended flight school full time.
Of course I know that there are other helicopter flying jobs besides being a police pilot, and I know that not every helicopter student has a desire to be a law enforcement officer. But the differences between the unfortunate Silver State Helicopter student and myself are quite stark. I wish each one of them the best.
I said that the story of Silver State Helicopters is what ultimately got me to start this blog, but it was not the original inspiration. You see for some time in the law enforcement/internet/aviation circles I have noticed a complete lack of information, or lack of accurate information on How to Become a Police Helicopter Pilot. It is my goal to make this blog the #1 source in the nation on exactly how to become a Police Helicopter Pilot.
I know that somewhere in America there is a boy or girl sitting in a high school math class, full of hopes and dreams, but also uncertainty about their future. I know because I was that young boy sitting in class at Oktaha High School back in 1982. What are they going to do to carve out a place in this world that will reward them both financially, and in countless other ways. For those who dare to dream of becoming a police helicopter pilot, the free information still to come in this blog, will be priceless.
Please check back for regular updates.
Reader Comments (1)
I have been on this site many times, but have just noticed the article about Silver State Helicopters and their demise. I too heard about the program while driving to work one day, I have been a police officer for 20 years now, I started out when I was 22 years old. I had always wanted to be in a Law Enforcement Aviation Unit, but it seemed like a pipe dream and unobtainable. I focused on just being the best police officer I could be, and after a few years put the dream of being in an aviation unit behind me. That is until I heard the Silver State commercial, I had absolutely no knowledge of the program or what the rest of the industry was like, I saw this as my chance to bring that dream back to life and get it going, only this time I had a wife, two kids, a mortgage, two car payments and medical bills to deal with. After many arguments with my wife, I was able to convince her that it would be an investment in our future and a way to get out of the financial mess we were in, since the money the SSH manager said I would make was more than twice what my wife and I made. She reluctantly agreed to support me on the decision to sign up.
The bank that SSH was using at the time sent 4 checks to me covering the entire 62K in a matter of about two months, I was still in the ground portion of the class and had only flown maybe two times at that point. The management seemed to know when our checks would arrive and would call us to the office to ask us for them, I was advised one time that I would not be able to come back to class until I gave them the check, even though I was more than paid up for the instruction I was given at the time. They wanted it all, it was either that or no training. About 3 months into the course several students had already seen the writting on the wall and quit, but it was a little too late for them, the school would not refund their money. I had a very hard time with the training, it was inconsistant and I had been with no less than ten different flight instructors, all with different personalities and expectations of the students, On several occassions I was to a point where I was ready and had been scheduled for a PPL checkride with an examiner, but sudden changes in school policy or chief flight instructors would cancel it out. On the week SSH closed it's doors, I had been scheduled for a PPL checkride, this was devestating, if I would have had the money I could have taken it on my own, but I had already sunk all the money I had into the class and did not have a dime to my name. Since then my financial situation has gotten extremely bad, I am making the $600.00 a month payments to the bank, who will not help at all, and cannot afford to continue my training. It has been two years since SSH closed down. I am in a position now where I will have to start from day one on my training, the only thing I have is the flight time I accrued at SSH. I have not given up my dreams of flying, but I have pretty much given up on ever doing it for a living or incorporating it into my law enforcement career. SSH ruined the dreams and future careers of a lot of good people, I hope that people do not forget what happened there and do some serious research before they make the mistake I and 2700 other people made.