Pilot services for owners
There are times when you want to use your helicopter without flying it yourself.
Arcus can introduce or provide access to experienced pilots for owners who need support flying themselves, their family, staff or friends in the owner’s aircraft. That might be for a business commitment, a private or public event, a day out, lunch or simply a journey where the owner would rather travel as a passenger.
Pilot support shaped around the journey
The starting point is always the aircraft and the intended flight. Arcus will consider the helicopter type, route, dates, passengers, operating requirements, aircraft documentation and insurance arrangements before confirming whether a suitable pilot is available.
This is a personal service rather than an anonymous pilot list. Where possible, the aim is to match the owner with someone who understands both the aircraft and how they prefer to use it.
Aircraft experience across the team
Availability must always be confirmed for the individual aircraft and flight, and a listed type does not guarantee that every Arcus pilot is rated or current on it.
If your helicopter is not on the list, that is not necessarily the end of the conversation: where it makes sense for an ongoing arrangement, our pilots are willing to add the type rating.
Journeys can include
All flights remain subject to weather, aircraft serviceability, permissions, operational requirements and pilot availability.
Where owners ask us to go
Most of the flying we do for owners is the same handful of journeys, done properly. Race meetings at Cheltenham and elsewhere. Goodwood. Airport connections when the schedule is tight. And drop-offs at Battersea, right in the middle of London.
Landing permissions, slots, event procedures and weather all still apply, and some venues need arranging well in advance. Tell us where you want to be and we will be straight with you about what is achievable.
Flying it better yourself
Plenty of owners want to do more of their own flying rather than less. Because Arcus is a flight school first, the same visit can be a lesson: an instructor flying with you in your own aircraft, working on whatever you want to be better at.
That might be confidence in busier airspace, landing somewhere unfamiliar, getting current again after a quiet spell, or preparing for the Battersea sign-off so you can fly into London yourself.
Instruction depends on a suitably qualified instructor being available for the type, and on the aircraft documentation and insurance arrangements allowing it.
Moving the aircraft
Sometimes the aircraft simply needs to be somewhere else. Arcus can provide a pilot to reposition your helicopter between bases, deliver it to maintenance and collect it afterwards, or move it ahead of a trip so it is waiting where you need it.
As with any other flight, this depends on pilot type experience and recency, the aircraft documentation and the insurance arrangements in place.
An important distinction
This service is for an owner using their own aircraft with suitable pilot support. It is not a helicopter charter service and does not include the supply of an aircraft.
If you need both the helicopter and the pilot to be arranged, Arcus facilitates charter enquiries through appropriately licensed third-party operators.
How it works
The aircraft, preferred date, route and passengers.
Arcus reviews pilot suitability and availability alongside the practical requirements.
Aircraft documentation, insurance approval and operating arrangements are agreed.
Arcus plans the journey with the owner and the pilot.
Tell us about the aircraft and journey
Frequently asked questions
Can’t see your question here? Speak to the Arcus team and we will gladly help.
Potentially, yes. Arcus can discuss pilot support for owners travelling in their own aircraft, subject to the aircraft, pilot qualifications and recency, documentation, insurance and the proposed flight.
This may be possible where the flight and arrangements are appropriate. Provide full details when enquiring so Arcus can review the requirements.
Yes. Repositioning between bases and ferry flights to and from maintenance are both things Arcus can provide a pilot for, subject to type experience and recency, aircraft documentation and insurance approval.
Yes, these are typical reasons owners may request pilot support. Landing permissions, event procedures, weather and other operational considerations still apply.
The wider pilot network includes experience on the R22, R44, R66, Bell 206, Bell 206L, Bell 505 and EC120, and suitability and availability are checked for every enquiry. If your aircraft is a type we are not currently rated on, ask anyway — where it makes sense for an ongoing arrangement our pilots are willing to add the rating.
Yes, these are among the journeys we fly most often for owners, along with airport connections and drop-offs at Battersea. Landing permissions, slots and event procedures apply and some venues need arranging well in advance, so the earlier you tell us the better.
Yes. Arcus is a flight school first, so the same visit can be a lesson rather than a lift — working on busier airspace, unfamiliar landing sites, getting current again, or preparing for the Battersea sign-off. It depends on a suitably qualified instructor being available for the type and on the aircraft documentation and insurance allowing it.
No. This page concerns pilot support for an owner’s own aircraft. Visitors who also need an aircraft should use the Charter Enquiries page.
Where to next
Travelling soon?
Send Arcus the aircraft, the date and where you are going, and the team will confirm what is possible.