Wanted: trainees for new helicopter school
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TAKE OFF- Silver State Helicopters general manager Casey Evans talks about the new helicopter school the company recently opened at the Camarillo Airport.

Moving boxes line the walls, new computers sit atop empty desks and wires for yetto-be-installed telephones stretch across the suite of second-floor offices nestled into the Camarillo Airport.

It's a familiar look for Silver State Helicopters, a company that opens training schools for aspiring chopper pilots at such an astounding pace it took the No. 12 ranking on Inc. 500's list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States last year.

The Las Vegasbased company, founded in 1999 by Jerry Airola, a former police officer, operates helicopter pilot training schools in 30 cities across 14 states and employs more than 600 people.

According to Inc. 500, the company's revenue last year topped $40 million.

Silver State's arrival in Camarillo last month marked its fourth Southern California location and seventh in the state.

Casey Evans, general manager of the Ventura County school, said Silver State's growth is due in large part to an ever-increasing demand for trained helicopter pilots in a number of growing industries.

Job markets include corporate transportation, motion picture and television shoots, border patrol, drug abatement, search and rescue, taxi service to offshore oil platforms and flight training.

"There's big demand for trained helicopter pilots," Evans said. A large part of that demand, he said, is generated by the surging retirement of pilots trained by the military during the Vietnam war.

According to industry estimates, more than 30,000 Vietnamera helicopter pilots are expected to retire in the next 10 years.

Evans said demand is so great for trained pilots that Silver State is expected to employ 90 percent of the 60 aspiring pilots who are expected to graduate from the 18month training program.

"It's an 18month job interview," Evans said. "We're training to hire."

Graduation, though, doesn't come without a price. From start to finish, tuition costs about $70,000. And even though ground school training can be completed on the Internet, students are expected to attend classes one night a week.

"We encourage people to retain their jobs," Evans said. "Work during the day and take these classes at night."

Silver State trains pilots on Robinson Helicopter's smaller R22 model, as well as the larger R44. Southern California-based Robinson Helicopters is the country's largest maker of civilian choppers.

The local school will eventually house seven helicopters, employ a staff of 20 and train 60 or more pilots a year.

Evans said about 600 prospective students attended a recent open house and 30 have already signed up for this year's class.

Because pilots are required to log 200 hours of instructed flight time and 20 hours of solo time in the cockpit, Evans said students who are available to train in the helicopters "at a moment's notice" often complete flight school sooner than those who schedule their flight hours.

Evans said firstyear commercial pilots earn about $55,000 a year- a number that more than doubles for pilots with five to 10 years' experience.

For more information about the helicopter flight school, call (805) 322-8580.