TORP (Aftenposten): They are the rescue when floods, fires or accidents occur. Now industry players warn of a shortage of experienced helicopter pilots.
22-year-old Preben Eken Nygård has previously worked as a car salesman. He is now taking helicopter pilot training at the European Helicopter Center in Torp. He expects to spend two million kroner during his school days. Photo: Paal Audestad
sea view
Published: 30/08/2023 05:35
The short version
Industry players warn of a shortage of experienced helicopter pilots in Norway in the near future. They point out that too few new pilots are being trained to meet the requirements of civil traffic. Anette Kruhaug Haldorsen, head of the European Helicopter Center (EHC), is concerned about public preparedness. Such pilots are important in the event of floods, fires and accidents. The lack of pilots is due to high costs associated with education, of which the Government’s loan fund covers only half. NHO Luftfart has asked the government for better loan arrangements for such education.
The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality assured by Aftenposten’s journalists.
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Both civilian and government helicopters were deployed during the extreme weather Hans and the flood that followed. The rescue mission was on a scale that has not yet been seen in Norway. A total of 27 helicopters were in flight at the same time. Among other things, they flew out patients and residents who were trapped in areas prone to flooding and landslides. Other transport out of the areas was completely impossible.
Helicopters are also important when it is dry. They are absolutely central when fighting forest fires.
Now players in the industry point out that too few helicopter pilots are being trained for civil traffic in this country. It has been like this for a long time. And that could create major preparedness problems in the near future.
– There are now 266 civilian helicopters in Norway. 57 of these go on the Norwegian continental shelf. In the North Sea alone, 250 pilots work, with a total turnover of approx. four billion kroner annually. Then it is a crisis that in this country we only train 15–20 new pilots annually, says Anette Kruhaug Haldorsen.
She is the general manager at the European Helicopter Center (EHC) at Torp by Sandefjord.
Many remember how important the helicopter’s effort over Bagnsdammen was during “Hans”. Watch the video here:
It takes a very long time for the fresh pilots to further their education. It is needed to be able to take the most prestigious jobs in, for example, search and rescue and passenger transport in the North Sea.
See the facts about the helicopter pilots’ career ladder at the bottom of the case.
Long career ladder awaits
It takes up to ten years before, for example, you can start flying an ambulance or police helicopter after completing your education. You have to build flight hours and experience as a pilot.
– In five to ten years’ time, we fear that there may be a major shortage of pilots to staff these jobs, which are so important for civil preparedness in Norway, says Haldorsen.
The school at Torp has been run for over 30 years. It is now Europe’s largest training center for helicopter pilots for civil traffic. Since the start, over 800 pilots have been trained to fly helicopters here.
And Haldorsen has pupils such as Preben Eken Nygård. But there aren’t many like him.
At the end of his education at Torp, Preben Eken Nygård will be allowed to fly a twin-engine helicopter which he will fly via instruments. For now, he only gets by at the levers of a single-engine helicopter, which he flies visually. Behind: Headmaster Peter Blom. Photo: Paal Audestad
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A loan from the parents secures the dream
The 22-year-old from Åmot in Modum has long had a dream of becoming a helicopter pilot. In February, he started a school race to be able to fly a twin-engine helicopter with instruments. According to the plan, he will finish in 2025.
He expects to spend close to NOK 2 million on education and living expenses during his time at school. From this, he receives approx. 1.1 million in loans from the Norwegian Education Fund.
– I have bought and sold cars since my teens and have been saving for a long time. And then I get help from the parents. They lend me money for the rest of the deductible, he says.
Fewer and fewer Norwegian young people have followed this path in recent years. Some of the reason? The education is too expensive, according to the management at EHC.
The loan fund only covers half
The loan fund covers only around half of school expenses with loans.
In addition, the pandemic led to the closure of several helicopter schools around Europe.
Another factor is that there are very limited opportunities for civilian helicopter training in the USA that qualify for certificates in Europe.
– Before, it was the case that many people studied in the USA and supplemented with certificates when they returned to Norway. Those schools are now gone, Haldorsen explains.
The European Helicopter Center (EHC) at Torp is Europe’s largest helicopter pilot school. Fv: general manager Anette Kruhaug Haldorsen, head of school Peter Blom and student Preben Eken Nygård in the hangar hall where the school helicopters are lined up. Photo: Paal Audestad
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Right now there are 50 students at the school in Torp. 70 percent of them are Norwegian.
Nygård has been given a dormitory in the EHC building. The days are long. Studying to become a helicopter pilot is far more than a full-time job.
– I have always been fond of cars and motorbikes. And have long thought that it would be cool to work with helicopter flying. But it is very expensive to go this way. It was only now that the financial issue was resolved for me, he says.
EHC is run entirely without state support. In the last two years, they have been running at a loss.
– That we per is now the only player, is worrying. Running a helicopter school in Norway is, at best, to be considered a voluntary social responsibility, Haldorsen believes.
The armed forces have their own training courses for pilots for their helicopters. It takes place in the USA and is not relevant to the civil helicopter emergency response in Norway, she points out.
NHO Luftfart has asked the government for a more reliable loan scheme for students.
The Ministry of Education has received the request. It is now being assessed together with other input for changes to education support. Beyond that, the ministry will not comment on the matter.
The Aviation Association: An industry problem
Jo Bjørn Skatval is acting union leader of the Norwegian Aviation Association. He shares the concern about the lack of recruitment of experienced helicopter pilots. But he does not believe that increased loan limits alone are a quick fix.
– Only facilitating financing through loans can turn young people into debt slaves. People must be aware that there is a financial risk associated with taking helicopter pilot training, he points out.
Skatval believes that the industry and the authorities must take a bigger view of this. He believes it is a problem that many newly trained pilots end up as helicopter loaders.
It makes the way to the cockpit longer. And that means that it will be difficult to build up enough hours and experience in the air.
Some of Skatval’s proposals are:
An apprenticeship with guaranteed flight time soon after the training. Strict admission requirements are needed to bring in people who have the qualities to solve complicated operations in the air. Then you get more people in than just those who “want to fly”.
The Airline Association has now set up a separate working committee which will put forward proposals on how the problems can be solved.
That’s how long it takes to train helicopter pilots. The European Helicopter Center has set up this career ladder:
0 years of experience: Fresh graduate
135 hours in the air during training.
0 years of experience: First job
Sightseeing.
Lastemann.
Passenger transport.
Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB
1–2 years’ experience: Hour requirement 250
Instructor.
2+ years of experience: Hour requirement 300
Simple flight.
Photo flight.
5-7 years of experience
Line inspection.
Heavy lifting.
Cargo pilot.
Forest fire.
Photo: Jan Kåre Ness
6–7 years’ experience: Hourly requirement 1,000
Mate offshore.
10+ years of experience: Hourly requirement 1500+
The pilot service.
Police helicopter.
Air ambulance.
All these jobs require 1,500 hours of relevant, advanced flying.
Photo: Jan Kåre Ness / NTB
10+ years of experience
Captain offshore (with approx. seven years’ experience as a coxswain)
Search and rescue (10+ experience as an offshore pilot)
2023-08-30 03:36:41
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