"Helicopters Canada provided me with
the knowledge and training I needed"








Testimonials
After comparing and visiting 6 different schools, I chose to attend Helicopters Canada. The commercial training I received there was challenging and thorough. The fixed Monday to Friday schedule was great as it left lots of time to study at school, which also gave me the ability to work evenings and weekends.

The school has a relaxed but professional environment. The ground school instructors were very helpful and knowledgeable, and were always available. The flight instructors were excellent and ensured I was being continually challenged, always making the most out of all flight time. Autorotations were practiced right to the ground, the confined areas were tight, and sling work was introduced at 12 hours.

Some extras included log pad construction, short and long line slinging with many different types of loads, a 3 day winter survival course, and all types of re-fuelling operations. I am very pleased with my decision to take my commercial training there. It provided me with the knowledge and skill necessary to get a job right out of school. I am now employed with Western Aerial Applications in Chilliwack BC on spray program.

Nathan Savoie



My name is Tomasz, I came to Canada in 2008 for two reasons; to become a professional helicopter pilot and to play hockey with the best skaters in the world! I chose North Bay and Helicopters Canada for many reasons; the busy airport environment, the variety of seasons throughout the year and the individual style approach to teaching, to name a few. These helped me get the necessary experience for the aviation industry that I will use through my career.

I got lots of help right from my first contact with all the instructors and staff.
They helped me research the helicopter industry, find accommodation, and upgrade my English. Their experience, their commitment to the job and unbelievably friendly environment made me wish I was a student all my life.

I strongly recommend Helicopters Canada for all people considering one of the best careers in the world.

Tomasz Sienkowski, Poland
Graduated April 2009



I completed my commercial license at Helicopters Canada and was extremely happy with the quality and environment in which I was taught. Having grown up in a small northern Ontario town, and lived in Newfoundland and Manitoba while spending much time outdoors in the woods I can say the landscape that surrounds North Bay has everything you need to learn how to perform at the industry standard like confined areas, log pad landings, confined area slinging, and many more things you will encounter in your career.

Take that along with Heli-Canada’s relaxed one on one instructing techniques and you have what I found to be the best and most efficient way to learn. Having instructor who actually worked in the field and have thousands of hours of field time is priceless when it comes to teaching. Jeff Sullivan and his staff are more than qualified flight and ground instructors. They were very honest with me in any questions I had about the industry and were always willing and available to help me.

Other things I was taught while attending Heli-Canada that proved beneficial to me in my career is fuelling from barrels, construction of log pads, long line training, hover exiting and entrance of passengers, slinging with a variety of loads differing in weight, size and shape.

I am now working for an aerial spray company in northern Ontario that has job sites located all over Canada and the United States. I highly recommend attending Helicopters Canada if you are interested in flight school.

Danny Mercer



After many months of research into various flight schools around the world, I eventually chose to train at Helicopters Canada in North Bay in January of 2007 and thankfully my experience there turned out to be a very good one. The bush north of North Bay is full of real world confined areas, the cross country flying is done across some really spectacular country and the full-on autorotations are invaluable.

Also, the opportunity to get ratings on the R44 and 206 during training was an added bonus as were the hours of slinging, log pad landings etc.

My original plan was to return to Europe after finishing at Helicopters Canada to convert to a JAA license and HeliCanada were extremely accomodating in addressing my needs to qualify for the JAA conversion. In the end however, I ended up getting a Canadian work permit and, with the help of Helicopters Canada, looking for work in Canada. I'm now with a company out in Western Canada and I have Jeff Sullivan and the people at HelicoptersCanada to thank for that.

Overall, a good school, a relaxed atmosphere, and professional instructors with thousands of hours of experience.

Carl Faichney



My name is Carlos, and I attended Helicopters Canada from May to December 2003. Being from Mexico, it was a big step for me to go to another country to get the training necessary to become a helicopter pilot. Back then I didn’t fully realize the importance of this decision, but now, some years later and trying to start a successful career as a pilot, I know that I made the right choice.

The training I received at Helicopters Canada was exhaustive, complete and, most of all, extremely personalized, one of the advantages of not having too many students at the same time. I learned to fly both in airports and out in the bush in all kinds of weather; from sunny days with clear skies, to cold, snowy and windy days with low clouds, which really came to be useful once I started flying for a company.

When I came back to Mexico to start my career, having in my resume training in Canada has proven to be the advantage necessary to get the job amongst other pilots, some of them with actual work experience in the helicopter industry. Once I started flying for a company, I happily realised that I was better prepared than other pilots that went to flight schools in my own country.

I am happy to say that in the couple of years that I’ve been flying in the industry I’ve been fortunate to fly in different places and kinds of operations; from geosurvey studies in the mountains of Nicaragua, to overflying mines in Panama and Mexico. Right now I’m working for Transportes Aereos Pegaso, in the south of Mexico, taking personnel and equipment to oilrigs off-shore. I am sure that the training I got at Helicopters Canada gave me the skills necessary to make it possible.

Carlos Pesina



Hello, my name is Paula. I attended Helicopters Canada from September 2003 to April 2004.

There were other flight schools closer to my hometown, but I decided to make the move to North Bay, so that I could train in the bush environment that Helicopters Canada offered.

During my training, my experiences included slinging operations, landing in confined area and landing on log pads.

In July of 2005, I worked for an aerial spray company in Chilliwack, BC. We worked in remote sites that required all of the equipment to be slung in by helicopter. I felt fortunate to have already gained slinging experience from flight school, which helped me with this job.

I've spoken to several low time pilots over the last two years, and I have realized that the training I received at Helicopters Canada surpasses that of many other flight schools. I am very happy with the decision I made to do my training with Helicopters Canada.

Now, I'm working for Airborne Energy Solutions in Alberta, and look forward to establishing my flying career.

Paula Fuss


Hi, my name is Ryan. While I was researching training facilities to get my commercial helicopter license I talked to a few pilots, and looked at several other training facilities in Ontario and came to the conclusion that Helicopters Canada was my best option.

While attending school I learned at my own pace in a relaxed atmosphere and always had my questions answered by knowledgable instructors.

At Helicopters Canada I learned how to land on log pads, manouver in confined areas with unprepared landing sites, and navigate in remote areas all within minutes from the airport.  This meant no wasted time flying to and from training areas. I also recieved sling training, which in most schools you might receive at the end of your course, time permitting.

A few months after my training I was hired as a ground school instructor at Rotorworks in Whitecourt Alberta. On a daily basis I apply the skills and knowledge that I learned at Helicopters Canada, and I realize that this facility was definetly the right choice for me.

Ryan Cluff
Sept '05 - May '06


Hello my name is Derek Massey from Wawa Ontario, Canada. I own a wholesale bait business, selling minnows and leeches all over Ontario. I spend a lot of my time driving to remote areas to harvest bait.

I have always wanted to fly helicopters and would like to be able to utilize a helicopter of my own for my business to save a lot of time and money.

II am very happy with the training at Helicopters Canada, which is gearing me up for actual work that I will be performing for my business. Some of the training includes dual and solo slinging at gross weight, solo confined areas in the middle of the bush, at small ponds or swamps and landing on elevated log pads.

I’ve found that the training is excellent for real life helicopter flying, unlike other helicopter schools where you would only be landing and taking off in cleared fields or parking lots. Once I finish I plan to purchase my own helicopter for the business.

I would highly recommend Helicopters Canada for anyone that wants excellent up to date training for the industry.

Derek Massey, Wawa ON, Canada


There are many flight training schools to choose from in Canada but not all of them are equal. Helicopters Canada provided me with the knowledge and training I needed to begin a career in the aviation industry.

In a relaxed environment I progressed through ground school and flight training at my own pace incorporating real world operations in many different atmospheric conditions.

Unlike other schools, Helicopters Canada taught me advanced skills like slinging, the use of log pads, navigating unprepared landing sites and outdoor winter operations during training and not as a bonus at the end of training if time permitted.

North Bay was an excellent training environment because it offered a large airport with minimal air traffic and remote settings typical of helicopter operations, all within the airport control zone. This meant all flight time was spent flying and not waiting to fly or transiting to and from training locations. Immediately after flight training I found employment with a company in Ontario working ground crew for their annual spray program. This job allowed me to pick up several hours of stick time in the field and apply the skills I had learned during training. After that I traveled to Western Canada and was hired by another company as an infrared camera operator and again acquired more flight time and valuable real-world knowledge of helicopter operations. With the right training and attitude it is possible to work in the Canadian aviation industry and I’m glad I began my journey with Helicopters Canada.

Ian Vint, Trained: Jan 2003 - June 2003


Hello, my name is Stefan Hitzl and I am from Bavaria, Germany. In July 2004 I started a commercial helicopter pilot course with “Helicopters Canada”.

I selected Canada and especially Helicopters Canada for my flight training, because of the friendly and uncomplicated contact and the low-priced costs compared to Europe. Now after the course is finished, I realize that I made the right decision.


I received a very professional training by an experienced flight instructor, who prepared me for the helicopter industry. In addition to the normal flight training, I had the opportunity to land on many log pads and small confined areas and to fly with different kinds of sling loads in the Robinson R22 and the Bell Jet Ranger.

My plans are now to find a job in western Canada, to build up flight hours, before I return to Europe and fly in my home country.

Stefan Hitzl, Bavaria, Germany

Helicopters Canada - 1378770 Ontario Inc

Website Development | Patrick Gilbert