To become a helicopter pilot, you must have a Commercial Pilot Licence (Helicopter), or CPL-H. To obtain a CPL-H, you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• hold a current NZ Class 1 medical exam
• hold a current NZ Private Pilot Licence (Helicopter)
• pass CPL-H written exams
• complete a minimum of 150 hours' flight time
• satisfy the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) Fit and Proper Person requirement
• pass the English Language Proficiency test.

Aviation Careers website – more information on fit and proper person criteria
CAA website – Vector article on the English language proficiency test (PDF – 120KB)
CAA website – information on aeroplane or helicopter flight instructor licences and ratings (PDF – 218KB)
CAA website – how to be a pilot guide (PDF – 0.99MB)

Although there are no specific secondary educational requirements for becoming a helicopter pilot,  Sixth Form Certificate or NCEA equivalent English, maths, computing and physics are helpful.

Flight training is available at tertiary education institutions, aero clubs, flight training schools, the Royal NZ Air Force and the Royal NZ Navy.

Aviation Careers website – flight training organisations in New Zealand
Royal NZ Navy website – helicopter pilot training
Royal NZ Air Force website – pilot training

Every helicopter is different, so pilots need to be trained specifically for each aircraft. Because this takes the employer's time and money, some employers may require new pilots to take a lesser salary to pay for this on-the-job training. Other employers ask new pilots to pay a bond to supplement their training, which pilots will receive back once they have worked for the company for an agreed amount of time.

Helicopter pilots may also obtain qualifications or ratings in areas of helicopter flying such as instructing, agriculture, or flying using navigational instruments.

Every two years (or annually in some operations), helicopter pilots are required to fly with an instructor to check that their skills are up to the required standard, and that they are up to date with procedures.

Experience in the industry you aim to fly in is useful for helicopter pilots.

• To work as a helicopter pilot in the tourism industry, it is helpful to gain experience working with tourists.
• To work as a rescue helicopter pilot, working as a medic is useful.
• Experience in the agriculture industry, such as working as a loader driver, is helpful if you wish to fly for the agriculture industry.

Any flying, engineering, mechanical or meteorology experience is also useful.