Once you've decided to become a pilot, the
question of whether you should fly a helicopter or a plane will become
one of your most important decisions. Ideally, you should learn to fly
both, but if you're made to choose, which one should you pick? Before
you decide, here are some things you might want to know about flying a
helicopter versus flying a plane:
Which one is more difficult? Comparing the ease (or difficulty) of
flying a helicopter versus a plane is like comparing apples and
oranges, literally. Flying a helicopter is a totally different
experience from flying a plane. For one, they are built differently and
are operated in totally different ways.
According to many pilots, a plane is managed while a helicopter is
flown. Once airborne, a plane can fly almost naturally while a
helicopter needs to be monitored and controlled throughout. There are
also a lot of things going on during helicopter flights that need to be
considered, some of which aren't given much thought during plane
flights. When you hear people say that flying helicopters is much more
difficult that flying a plane, remember that they are speaking from
their experience and that they may have different skill levels and
interests than you.
Which one is more advantageous? In terms of speed, helicopters are much
slower than airplanes and their weight capacity is also lower.
Airplanes let you carry more cargo. They are also much more cost
efficient in terms of fuel compared to helicopters. However, planes do
need a runway in order for you to take off and land. Helicopters, on
the other hand, only require an open area and as long as there are no
obstacles that will harm the rotor blades, you can land just about
anywhere.
Helicopters also allow you to enjoy the sights better than airplanes
because helicopters can hover and may be flown at low altitudes.
Visibility with a helicopter is also tops. But when it comes to the
cost of learning to fly, a helicopter rental is sometimes more
expensive than a plane, sometimes costing as much as $200 an hour. An
airplane rental usually costs about $75 an hour and unlike a
helicopter, can seat more people for one flight.
Which one should you learn first? You may either learn to fly a
helicopter first and the plane later or vise versa, it doesn't matter.
Learning to fly one first won't impact how you will perform on the
other. When it comes to getting your ratings, it also doesn't matter
which one you get first.
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