S. HELZERMAN FLIGHT
Jacksonville, Florida  ·  Independent CFI

Commercial Pilot & Flight Instructor

One-on-one flight training built around how you actually learn. Whether you want to fly just for fun or turn it into a career, I can get you there.

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01 — About

A love for flying that started in the jungle.

I'm Samuel Helzerman. I grew up as a missionary kid in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, where small airplanes are often the only way into remote villages. Watching that firsthand is where my love for aviation started.

Flying was all I ever wanted to do from that point on — and now that I've been able to build a life around it, what I want most is to help other people experience how fun aviation is, and get them flying too.

CertificatesCommercial Pilot, CFI/CFII/MEI
BaseJacksonville, FL
Current workIndependent CFI · Beach Banners
02 — Instruction

Training for where you are today

Typical path
  1. Discovery flight — get behind the controls, see what flying actually feels like, and confirm you can picture yourself doing this.
  2. Basics flight — learn all the flight controls, how to interpret basic instruments, airspeed changes, turns, climbs, and descents.
  3. Pattern work: takeoffs, landings, and airport operations.
  4. Solo prep: go-arounds, emergency procedures, and radio calls, practiced until you can run the pattern on your own — then your first solo.
  5. Solo practice building confidence in the local area.
  6. Cross-country flying, navigation, and radio communication.
  7. Maneuvers and emergency procedures to Private Pilot standards.
  8. FAA written exam — computer-based knowledge test on airspace, weather, and regulations.
  9. Practical test (checkride): oral exam and flight with an examiner.
Typical timeline: 3–6 months, ~40–60 hours
Typical path
  1. Instrument scan and basic attitude flying under a view-limiting device.
  2. Holding patterns, procedure turns, and departure/arrival procedures.
  3. Precision and non-precision approaches across different approach types.
  4. IFR cross-country flights with real ATC communication.
  5. Partial-panel and emergency procedures under instrument conditions.
  6. FAA written exam — computer-based knowledge test on IFR procedures and regulations.
  7. Practical test (checkride): oral exam and flight with an examiner.
Typical timeline: 2–4 months, ~40+ hours instrument time
Typical path
  1. Commercial maneuvers: chandelles, lazy eights, steep spirals, and more.
  2. Precision takeoffs and landings to tighter commercial tolerances.
  3. Building time toward the 250-hour minimum, including complex or high-performance time.
  4. Advanced cross-country and systems knowledge.
  5. Refining judgment and professionalism for the working pilot role.
  6. FAA written exam — computer-based knowledge test on commercial operations and systems.
  7. Practical test (checkride): oral exam and flight with an examiner.
Typical timeline: varies with hour-building, several months
Typical path
  1. Multi-engine systems ground school: powerplants, fuel systems, electrical.
  2. Normal operations — takeoffs, landings, and airwork with two engines.
  3. Engine-out procedures: identifying, verifying, and securing a failed engine.
  4. Single-engine approaches and landings.
  5. Practical test (checkride): oral exam and flight with an examiner — no written exam required for this add-on rating.
Typical timeline: 1–2 weeks, ~10 hours
03 — Approach

How lessons actually run

Briefed, not improvised

Every lesson starts on the ground: what we're working on, why, and what "good" looks like before the engine turns over.

Diagnose, don't just correct

When something isn't clicking, we find the actual root cause instead of just papering over the symptom, so the fix actually sticks.

Debriefed honestly

You'll know exactly where you stand after every flight, and exactly what to work on before the next one.

04 — Contact

Let's get you in the air