West Coast Helicopters Mountain Flying Course West Coast Helicopters has been established in the Bella Coola valley since 1995 providing helicopter services to local community, forestry companies, the Minister of Forests and Wildfire Management as well as the local heli ski operator Bella Coola Heli Sports. We have trained all of our own heli ski pilots as well as provided mountain flying training for our newer pilots to meet the requirements of the provincial government and other customers.

Location With our base located in Bella Coola British Columbia we are set deep into the coastal mountain range amongst the tallest and most rugged terrain in the province. Bella Coola is unmatched as a training environment because the mountain flying starts immediately after take off.

Instructor Doug Strachan, West Coast Helicopters mountain flying instructor, has been teaching mountain flying courses for more than 15 years. His flying resume includes the Canadian Forces Search And Rescue, Company Chief Pilot, CASO, Operations Manager, Heli Ski Pilot, and Utility Pilot. His vast knowledge and experience are not the only reason he is set apart to teach mountain flying, Doug's greatest quality is his ability to teach effectively in both the cockpit and classroom.

Course Details West Coast Helicopters Mountain Course is a 15 hour flying program over 10 flying days in the Bell JetRanger helicopter (B206). Each day consists of classroom time followed by flight time to ensure that the theory is immediately put into action.

Due to snowpack and weather, the best time for this training is between May 1st to June 30th. West Coast Helicopters is able to help arrange flights from Vancouver to Bella Coola, lodging, and meals during training.

As well, at our mountain training facility, West Coast Helicopters is able to provide B206 endorsement training as well as advanced skills training such as general longline, fire fighting and support camp flying skills.