Program Highlights

Offered in partnership with Okanagan Mountain Helicopters, this one-year program is in conjunction with Transport Canada’s guidelines/examinations and incorporates Business Administration courses that are applicable to the commercial helicopter industry.

Program Details

The Commercial Helicopter Pilot Certificate (CHPC) will complement the objectives of the Commercial Aviation program, allowing students from both airplane and helicopter courses to share common ground school courses. This will educate students with the unique challenges of operating helicopters in Canada and internationally.

This certificate follows the Transport Canada approved curriculum and shares courses with the Commercial Aviation Diploma. This includes fundamentals and advanced skills required for commercial helicopter pilots. Students will complete the program with the skills to take the Transport Canada Commercial Helicopter Pilots written and flight tests.

Okanagan College continues to incorporate business development skills with aviation course so students can advance their professionalism and work ethic within future career positions. By blending commercial helicopter pilot training skills with the Okanagan College School of Business, graduates will enter the industry with more advanced education than that of a general pilot.

This certificate will require two full semesters over one year with a total of 40 credits.

Graduates that successfully complete the Transport Canada written and in flight exams and accumulate a minimum of 100 hours of flight time, will be ready for employment as commercial helicopter pilots.

Program Outline

Students must complete the program as prescribed below:

Required aviation courses*:

Semester 1

• AVIA 104 Introduction to Aviation Theory
• AVIA 105 Professional Aviation Radio Communications and Theory
• HELI 110 Pilot Skills Lab I
• AVIA 112 Navigation and Air Regulations I
• AVIA 113 Meteorology I
• AVIA 114 Flight and Aircraft Systems I

Semester 2

• AVIA 122 Navigation and Air Regulations II
• AVIA 123 Meteorology II
• AVIA 124 Flight and Aircraft Systems II
• HELI 120 Pilot Skills Lab II
• HELI 130 Pilot Skills Lab III
• AVIA 226 Human Factors
• AVIA 227 Aviation Skills

Required academic courses,** four of the following:

• BUAD 111 Financial Accounting I
• BUAD 116 Marketing
• BUAD 123 Management Principles
• BUAD 201 Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
• BUAD 251 Personal Financial Planning
• BUAD 262 Organizational Behaviour
• CMNS 112 Professional Writing I
• MATH 114 Business Mathematics