However, helicopters are much less forgiving than fixed-wing aircraft, which isn't always best for less experienced commercial pilots who are still learning to master the basics of flying. Even so, there aren't many pilots interested in being professional CFIs, so there's a lot of staff turnover. Training to become a helicopter pilot is often more expensive than becoming an airplane pilot. This is because helicopters are more expensive to maintain and fly.
Yes, becoming a pilot is expensive, but it's worth it because you'll spend your working days in the sky living your dream. There are different ways to pay for flight school, so don't let the price scare you. Airplanes, on the other hand, are much easier to fly than a helicopter. Although landing and takeoff require a lot of practice and are done manually, the autopilot makes it much easier to fly from one destination to another.
In the air, many pilots often spend that time reviewing checklists, reviewing airport arrival procedures, and making adjustments to their flight plan. In a helicopter, the pilot is expected to have the controls in his hands at all times and to actively participate every second of the flight. Actually, helicopters aren't that difficult to fly. Anyone with enough coordination to drive a car can probably learn to fly a helicopter.
It's true that there are some aspects of the learning process that are difficult, but others are surprisingly easy. And learning to fly a helicopter is no more difficult than learning to fly an airplane, although it's very different. In my opinion, if a pilot wants to learn to fly, he has to select the type of aircraft he wants to fly and then carry out all his training in that regard. I would add that to land a helicopter you have to calmly approach the ground and leave it on the ground like a feather whenever you want.
The capabilities of an airplane are more limited than those of a helicopter, and they won't be able to do all the things that make a helicopter so cool and useful. In general, flying an airplane is much easier than flying a helicopter, especially for beginners, and there are several reasons for this. For example, an airplane needs a long runway to take off, while a helicopter can take off by lifting it up in a straight line. Helicopter maneuvers are completely different from those of an airplane and require the student to get a good idea of the aircraft and to know when to exert control pressure and to what extent.
The pilot must also know their flight plan better; since helicopters fly at low altitudes and only reach about 12,000 feet until pressurized, pilots must know the terrain below and the obstacles along the route, such as buildings, mountains and even trees. If a pilot wants to fly an airplane first, incorporating the rules of air, weather, driving, radio communications and most of the theory of the ground school will help him to progress faster in training, but when it comes to actually learning to operate the helicopter, everything he learns beforehand on an airplane is of little use. In my opinion, for a student to spend 30 hours learning to fly an airplane before moving to a helicopter is a waste of time and money. On an airplane, you can cut out the controls and take your hands off for a short period of time to fold a map, write something, or something similar.
Once again, this is an oversimplification, but aircraft pilots are often pleasantly surprised to find that it's not that difficult to control a helicopter in the air, and the techniques used are quite well-known. I have heard of a pilot who had to balance a helicopter on a skate in order to rescue someone and, of course, it would be a very difficult and risky task. It's actually quite easy, and fixed-wing pilots are pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to land a helicopter at an airfield.
