Helicopter training in Nottingham
Arcus Helicopters is based at Nottingham Airport in Tollerton, about fifteen minutes from the city centre. If you live in Nottingham you are closer to a helicopter than almost anyone in England, and most people have no idea the airfield is there.
Getting here
The airfield sits off Tollerton Lane on the south-east edge of the city, just beyond West Bridgford and Edwalton. From the city centre it is a short run out past Trent Bridge, and from most of Nottingham it is a fifteen to twenty minute drive. There is parking on site and no terminal to walk through: you arrive at the hangar, meet your instructor and get on with it.
Distance is the single biggest reason people stall partway through a licence. Living in Nottingham removes that problem entirely, and it changes what is realistic for you in a way that is easy to underestimate.
A slot comes free at short notice because the weather cleared. If you are twenty minutes away you can take it. That is how people finish.
Nottingham Airport has no restricted operating hours, so night flying runs all year. Being local makes evening sessions genuinely practical.
Fly-outs, the spring party, other people's first solos. Local pilots get far more out of the school than the lessons alone.
Where to start
Because you are close, come and look before you decide anything. Most Nottingham people start by dropping in, seeing the aircraft and asking what it would actually cost and how long it would take.
A 30-minute briefing and 30 or 60 minutes flying, from £259.
Read more →The 45-hour minimum, aircraft choice and realistic timescales.
Read more →Year-round night training, unrestricted by airport hours.
Read more →Signed blades, fly-outs and what happens after the licence.
Read more →Frequently asked questions
It is on Tollerton Lane at Tollerton, on the south-east side of the city near Gamston and Edwalton. The postcode is NG12 4GA. It is a general aviation airfield rather than a commercial airport, so it is much smaller and easier to use than people expect.
Depending on the route and conditions, the Trent valley, Holme Pierrepont, Colwick, the city itself and out towards the Vale of Belvoir. Most people from Nottingham are surprised how different the place looks from a few hundred feet.
Please ring first on 0115 982 6090 so someone is free to show you properly and the aircraft are not all out flying. It is a working airfield, so a quick call saves you a wasted trip.
We take that seriously. Arcus follows the airfield's noise abatement procedures and routes, and instructors brief students on avoiding sensitive areas. If you ever have a concern, ring us and we will listen.
Travelling from Nottingham?
You are fifteen minutes away. Ring us, come and see the hangar, and find out what learning to fly would really involve.