Last reviewed: October 25, 2026. This track has very little public hiring data. The page keeps to what operators and FAA regulations state, and lists what could not be found.
Quick answerExecutive and VIP helicopter flying is done by charter operators and by corporate flight departments. Little is published about pilot minimums, pay or schedules for either. Of the operators reviewed, HeliFlite describes dual-pilot, twin-engine executive charter in the Northeast and South Florida but publishes no pilot requirements on the pages read. The only firm numbers available are FAA rules for commercial passenger flights under Part 135: 500 hours for a VFR pilot in command and 1,200 hours for IFR (14 CFR 135.243). Anything beyond that comes from individual postings, which this page does not estimate.
What the job is
Executive and VIP helicopter pilots carry business travelers and private clients, often between city heliports and airports. Two settings appear in the sources:
- Charter operators that sell on-demand and prepaid flights. HeliFlite, for example, offers on-demand charter, a prepaid hours program, corporate travel programs and aircraft management (HeliFlite).
- Corporate flight departments that fly a company's own aircraft. No flight department career page with pilot requirements was found for this review.
A typical day as employers describe it
No operator reviewed publishes a pilot day-in-the-life. HeliFlite describes the service side: dual-piloted, twin-engine aircraft, FAA-licensed dispatchers, weather briefs and continuous flight following for corporate customers (corporate programs page). It says its crewmembers have thousands of flight hours but gives no minimum.
Aircraft commonly used
- HeliFlite: Sikorsky S-76 and Agusta AW139, per its site navigation; its corporate page refers to a fleet of 12 twin-engine, dual-pilot executive helicopters.
- Maverick Helicopters: its fleet page states it operates the West Coast's largest Sikorsky S-76 charter fleet, alongside Airbus 130 helicopters used for sightseeing (Maverick).
Published minimums and ratings
| Employer or rule |
Minimums as published |
Certificates |
Source |
Date checked |
| FAA, 14 CFR 135.243 (Part 135 pilot in command) |
VFR: 500 hours as a pilot, including 100 cross-country and 25 at night. IFR: 1,200 hours, including 500 cross-country, 100 night and 75 instrument (50 in flight). |
Commercial certificate with category and class; helicopter instrument rating or ATP not limited to VFR for VFR over-the-top; ATP, type ratings and instrument rating for scheduled interstate air transportation in the 48 contiguous states |
eCFR 135.243 |
Oct. 25, 2026 |
| FAA, 14 CFR 61.31(a) |
A pilot in command of a large aircraft must hold a type rating for that aircraft |
Type rating |
eCFR 61.31 |
Oct. 25, 2026 |
| HeliFlite |
None published on the pages read; the careers page showed no pilot content |
None published |
HeliFlite careers |
Oct. 25, 2026 |
| Maverick Helicopters |
None published on the employment page |
None published |
Employment |
Oct. 25, 2026 |
Whether a particular helicopter counts as a large aircraft depends on how the FAA rules define large aircraft. Check the aircraft's type certificate and the employer's requirements.
Schedule patterns employers publish
None found. HeliFlite and Maverick publish no pilot schedule on the pages read.
Where the bases or operating areas are
- HeliFlite: the Northeast (including Manhattan, Teterboro, White Plains, the Hamptons and Nantucket, per its site) and South Florida; its address is in Kearny, NJ.
- Maverick: California, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Maui.
Pay data we can source
None. The pay scales table has no executive or corporate rows, and no pay figure was found on the operator pages read.
This track is hard to research from public pages for these reasons:
- The two operators reviewed publish no pilot minimums, pay or schedules.
- Blade's careers page could not be read by the research tool, so no Blade information is used.
- Aggregator listings showed figures for this type of work, but this site does not use job-board summaries as sources.
- No corporate flight department's own pilot requirements were found.
For this reason, the page does not give a typical hour range for corporate and VIP jobs. Contact operators directly and ask for the current hiring criteria.
How to get in
- Build the base. Commercial helicopter certificate and instrument rating: see helicopter pilot training and requirements.
- Meet the Part 135 floor. 500 hours VFR or 1,200 hours IFR as pilot in command under 14 CFR 135.243. Operators may require more.
- Gain hours in another track first. Flight instruction, tours, law enforcement and EMS publish more requirements than this track. See flight instruction, tour and charter and the jobs guide.
- Plan for a type rating. If the aircraft requires one, 14 CFR 61.31(a) applies. Ask the employer whether it provides the training.
- Ask each operator directly about hours, multi-pilot experience and pay, since little is posted.
Named employers and their careers pages
More employers are on who's hiring.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours do you need to fly executive helicopters?
No operator reviewed publishes a number. The FAA floor for Part 135 pilot in command is 500 hours VFR or 1,200 hours IFR (14 CFR 135.243).
Do VIP helicopter pilots need a type rating?
If the aircraft is a large aircraft, 14 CFR 61.31(a) requires a type rating for the pilot in command. Operators state their own requirements.
How much do corporate helicopter pilots earn?
No figure was found from an operator or government page, so none is given here.
Is there a standard path into this work?
No source reviewed describes one. Operators publish little, so the page recommends asking each operator directly.
Sources
- HeliFlite, home page. https://www.heliflite.com/. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- HeliFlite, Corporate Helicopter Programs. https://www.heliflite.com/the-programs/corporate-travel-solutions/. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- HeliFlite, Careers. https://www.heliflite.com/careers/. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- Maverick Helicopters, Our Fleet. https://www.maverickhelicopter.com/fleet. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- Maverick Helicopters, Employment. https://www.maverickhelicopter.com/employment. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- 14 CFR 135.243, eCFR text current as of October 22, 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-135.243. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- 14 CFR 61.31, eCFR text current as of October 22, 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.31. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
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