Hillsboro Aero Academy

Hillsboro Aero Academy is one of the largest combined airplane and helicopter flight schools in the United States, training pilots from more than 75 countries since 1980. It operates three Oregon campuses: Hillsboro and Redmond for airplanes, and Troutdale for helicopters at the edge of the Columbia River Gorge.

The fleet of roughly 80 airplanes and 21 helicopters is supported by over 150 flight instructors. The airplane Professional Pilot Program runs 14 to 18 months at standard pacing, on Cessna 152s and 172s and Piper Seminoles, while helicopter training uses Robinson R22s and R44s over 18 to 24 months. The academy's defining feature is its joint FAA and EASA helicopter program, the only one in the US delivered under a single F-1 visa, achieved through partnership with Austria's RotorSky. It compresses what would normally take two sequential courses on two continents into roughly 24 months.

Hillsboro is an IS-BAO Stage III certified operator, the highest level of aviation safety management, and international graduates can build flight hours for up to 23.5 months after training under the F-1 OPT pathway, with career routes into major European helicopter operators.