- CPL(H)
- helicopter
- FAA
Helicopter Professional Pilot Program
- Flight hours
- 200 h
- Tuition from
- USD 90,600
View program
Helicopter school
Hillsboro Heli Academy
Troutdale, Oregon, United States
Helicopter training since 1980, now at Troutdale by the Columbia River Gorge, with a joint FAA and EASA programme
- 1980 Founded
- FAA · EASA Accreditation
- KTTD Base airfield
- EN Languages taught
01 Overview
Hillsboro Heli Academy at a glance.
Hillsboro Heli Academy is the dedicated helicopter campus of Hillsboro Aero Academy, an Oregon flight school for airplane and helicopter pilots. Hillsboro has trained helicopter pilots since it was founded in 1980, and since 2019 its helicopter training has been based at a dedicated campus in Troutdale, Oregon.
Students train under FAA Part 141 from Private Pilot through CFI and CFII, in Robinson R22s for the private, instrument and commercial stages and in the Robinson R44 for flight instructor training. Specialised courses in mountain flying and external load work, and off-airport landing practice on public lands, prepare students for work the school names such as search and rescue, utility operations and firefighting. On-campus housing and an in-house FAA-approved repair station keep the operation self-contained.
For international students the academy offers the paperwork for the F-1 student visa, and its joint programme with the European partner Rotorsky combines the FAA helicopter certificates from Private Pilot to CFII with EASA ATPL theory in about 15 months, according to the school.
One of the few US helicopter schools offering the F-1 visa, plus a joint FAA/EASA programme with Rotorsky that the school plans for 15 months.
02 Highlights
What sets Hillsboro Heli Academy apart.
-
Joint FAA/EASA helicopter in ~15 months
Through RotorSky in Austria, European students can meet both FAA and EASA helicopter requirements on a single US trip, far faster than doing each separately.
- FAA Part 141 (rotary)
- F-1 visa authorised (rare for heli)
- Joint FAA/EASA via Rotorsky, ~15 months
-
Real operational terrain
The Troutdale location allows off-airport landing practice on public lands, plus external load and mountain flying courses, relevant to firefighting, rescue and utility work.
-
Robinson training fleet
A Robinson fleet: the R22 for the private, instrument and commercial stages and the R44 for flight instructor training.
03 Programs
Training programs at Hillsboro Heli Academy.
The programs you can apply for through us. Open one for its requirements, its length and its fee.
From the school's published fees, as of 7 Nov 2026.See the school's fee page
New to helicopters? Read the helicopter training guide.04 Fleet
What you will fly.
The aircraft and simulators the school trains on, as the school lists them.
- Robinson R22 PPL(H) · IR · CPL(H) · CFII Helicopter 2 seats
- Robinson R44 CFI · external load Helicopter 4 seats
05 · Gallery
See it for yourself.
Troutdale, Oregon, United States, from the school's own pictures.
8 photos
06 Location
Based at Troutdale Airport.
ICAO
KTTD
COORDINATES
45.5494°N · 122.4014°W
AIRPORT
Troutdale Airport
Sits at the edge of the Columbia River Gorge, giving rare access to off-airport and mountain landing practice on public land.
CITY
Troutdale, Oregon, Oregon
At Troutdale, at the western mouth of the Columbia River Gorge, off-airport landings in forested public land plus a short hop to busy Portland airspace.
Distance
~25 min east of Portland
Region
Oregon
07 Apply
Ready to train at Hillsboro Heli Academy?
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- Talk to an advisor Ask what this school means for your plans, your budget and your start date.
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