Helicopter training for Derby and Derbyshire
Arcus Helicopters trains pilots at Nottingham Airport, an easy run east along the A52 from Derby. For a city with aviation engineering in its bones, it is a remarkably short journey to the controls of a helicopter.
Getting here
Nottingham Airport sits at Tollerton, on the south-east side of Nottingham. From Derby the usual route is the A52 straight across, and most students tell us it takes them around forty minutes door to door outside rush hour. There is parking on site, so you can arrive, have your briefing and fly without the airfield logistics that larger airports involve.
Derby understands aero engineering better than most places in Britain. What people from the city tell us they want is not a slicker sales pitch but straight answers about hours, costs and aircraft, and instructors who stay with them.
Close enough to fly regularly, which matters far more for progress than any single intensive week.
Train on the R22, R44 or Bell 206 JetRanger, with the R66 also on the fleet for type ratings.
Nottingham Airport has no restricted operating hours, so night training is not limited to midwinter.
Where to start
Most people from Derby start with a trial lesson, then talk properly about what a licence would actually involve. If you would rather read first, the complete guide covers the whole route honestly, including the parts that cost money.
A 30-minute briefing and 30 or 60 minutes flying, from £259.
Read more →The 45-hour minimum, aircraft choice, nine exams and realistic timescales.
Read more →Everything from first lesson to commercial licence, in plain English.
Read more →Guides, aircraft documents and press.
Read more →Frequently asked questions
There may be, and we would genuinely rather you visited more than one before deciding. Ask about instructor continuity, aircraft availability and what happens after you qualify, then choose the place that fits you. We are confident enough in what Arcus offers to encourage the comparison.
Roughly one lesson a week suits most people and commonly leads to a licence in around 12 to 18 months. Longer gaps mean revisiting skills you had already built, which costs more in the end.
Yes. Vouchers are valid for 12 months from purchase and the recipient contacts us to arrange a date. Note that the lesson is for the student and instructor only, so a partner cannot ride along.
On a clear day the training area gives you the Trent valley, the edge of the Peak District and, depending on the route, a good view back towards Derby and the Derwent.
Travelling from Derby?
Come over for an informal visit. See the hangar and the aircraft, meet the instructors and ask whatever you like. There is no pressure to book anything.