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March 10, 2009

Helicopter pilot starts school to share love of flying

By Jonathan Phelps

BEVERLY — Without any prior flying experience, David Csicsek sat behind the controls of a B206 helicopter at Beverly Airport and took off.

Although he was high above the North Shore with a bird's-eye view of the Salem power plant to the south and the sun glaring on the Atlantic Ocean to the east, he wasn't actually flying. He wasn't even in a real helicopter. Instead, Csicsek sat in a small room inside Hangar 47 in front of a flight simulator.

"Nice airspeed and good climb rate," instructor Roger Brul, a professional helicopter pilot, said over the loud hum of the helicopter rotor. "Now, take a 180-degree turn to the right. Just be sure to take your time, that's how it is in real life, everything in flying is slow."

Csicsek took the right turn as instructed and continued to fly with confidence.

"Flying helicopters is something I've always wanted to do," said Csicsek, 46, of Brockton. "I was surprised at how sensitive the simulator actually was."

The simulator setup is a version of Microsoft Flight Simulator X that features three high-resolution monitors and full flight controls. Brul, 36, who lives in Lynn, purchased the simulator a few months ago and has just started the Boston Flight Simulator Academy.

It's one of two schools at Beverly Airport. The other, Beverly Flight Center, provides training on a professional, logable airplane simulator, as well as classroom and in-flight training.

The new school offers lessons on the simulator to anyone interested in aviation. The first two hourlong lessons are free for those without flying experience. Beyond that, the fee is $15 per lesson. In the first few lessons, participants learn all the basics, including traffic patterns, takeoffs and landings, and hovering.

Because the simulator is not approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, lessons do not count toward the in-flight hours or instrument training required to get a helicopter pilot's license. However, they do count toward classroom training, which usually takes 25 to 35 hours, Brul said.

"I just want to give participants a chance to discover aviation at no cost or very inexpensively," Brul said. "Flight training can be very expensive, and most folks will never get a chance to afford it."

Microsoft Simulator X is a video game that anyone can buy in stores for about $20. It's very realistic, showing Beverly Airport and many surrounding landmarks. Brul said he has invested $4,000 in his setup.

"Because it is such a great program, people need to learn how to use it. If you buy it in the store, it won't do you any good at all," said Brul, an FAA certified instructor. "Flying is mostly about following procedures, using good judgment and building up consistency. To line all three up, one needs a real flight instructor."

The program is perfect for the new flight simulator school because it was cheap enough that Brul can keep his fees relatively low. Some advanced flight simulators cost as much per hour to fly as real aircraft, he said.

About two years ago, while Brul was a pilot for Boston Helicopter Services (a charter and sightseeing company that has since closed), he started a project called Helicopter & Life with the purpose of passing on the joy of flying helicopters to anyone who is interested. The main goal was to offer career guidance for potential pilots. He expanded the program this year by adding the Flight Simulator Academy.

"I had plenty of support throughout my career (which is still ongoing)," Brul said. "So now it is my time to give something back."

Growing up in Switzerland, Brul learned to fly aircraft before he could even drive a car. The Swiss military sponsored basic flight school when he was 15, and he later invested in more advanced lessons, taking his first solo flight at 17.

Since then, he has logged more than 5,500 hours in helicopters alone. Not to mention the hours he has spent flying airplanes.

Currently, he has a full-time job flying workers to oil platforms off Louisiana and Texas on a two-week rotation. But when he is home, he teaches flight simulator lessons and gives career guidance to those serious about becoming pilots.

The flight simulator lessons have been successful, he said, and two other pilots have joined in the effort. Richard Little of Everett teaches airplane lessons, and Craig LeBlanc of Ipswich is a helicopter instructor.

After about a half-hour of flying, it was time for Csicsek to land.

"We're in a simulator, so it doesn't matter if we crash," Brul said.

That's probably a good thing because Csicsek's first landing was less than perfect. He crashed.

To learn more, go to www.bostonflightsimulator.com.

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