Ground School for the New EC 225 Helicopter

The next offshore helicopter contract calls for a brand new helicopter..the Super Puma EC 225 helicopter. It is a modern helicopter that evolved from the Super Puma family and it has very "matured" designs and a lot of oil companies are using/planning to use this model. I was one of those in MHS to fly this type of helicopter from April 2011. However, the training bond for the training is RM500,000.00 for a period of three years. After signing the bond, I proceeded to Eurocopter factory in Marignane Airport in Marseille, France for the ground school training before the flying phase.

Security in the Training Service is very tight. We are NOT ALLOWED to take any pictures anywhere and we cannot wander into any of the factory except the classroom and the canteen. This is to safeguard some of the customer's secrets as a lot of military helicopters are built here. Any breach of the rules means instant dismissal from the course. Of course computers etc are not allowed in as well to avoid any IT theft! There were 6 of us in this course..4 from Malaysia, one from Brazil and another from Eurocopter China. The handsome man in the centre is Jean Luc, our instructor. The ground school covers all aspect of the aircraft technical and was held over a period of 10 days after which there is an exam. A passing mark of 75% is required to pass this exam in order to start the flying phase. I scored 94% for the exam.

Everywhere there is NO PHOTO sign but I cannot resist breaking this rule when no one else was around!

For those who want to know more about the training and Eurocopter, please visit their site at:

http://www.eurocoptertrainingservices.com