The morning is windy, and the rain pours heavily on the Cuatro Vientos airport runway in the southwest of Madrid. This is the nerve center of rotary-wing flights in the capital or, in simpler terms, the main base for all helicopters flying over the city. Under these conditions, most aircraft are grounded, and only a National Police helicopter is visible until a small Robinson R44 helicopter lands near the hangar, from which a student and his instructor, Jesús Cabañas, emerge.
“There are certain conditions, like everything, where you can’t fly, but we sometimes fly with reduced visibility due to rain or with a very low cloud ceiling. Since we fly at approximately 500 feet above the ground, the clouds would have to be very low to prevent us from flying”, explains Cabañas, an instructor and military officer in the army with over 25 years of experience piloting helicopters. “Rain doesn’t affect us too much. Wind has its limitations too, but we usually fly; helicopters typically take off 95% of the time”.
We are in the hangar of World Aviation, a group of companies in the aviation sector that issues the highest number of helicopter pilot licenses annually in Spain. The 18-month course, equivalent to a university degree, prepares students for a highly demanded profession in the market with excellent working conditions. The main obstacle is the high cost of training, ranging from €70,000 to €120,000, with no scholarships or significant financial support available, creating a barrier that hinders almost any vocation.
“Those of us in this profession do it first because we are passionate about flying, and second because helicopter flying offers many opportunities”, says Cabañas. “We can perform VIP flights, transporting passengers from one airport to another, but these machines also allow us to perform slow flights, searches, rescue missions, firefighting… There’s a wide range of tasks for helicopters”.
For years, numerous voices in the helicopter and aerial work sectors have been highlighting an urgent need for more workforce. Among them is Ataire, the main industry association, which during this summer’s fire season warned through various media about a shortage of 300 pilots needed for emergency services.
Beyond firefighting, rescue missions, and other emergencies, the demand for helicopter pilots has increased due to the requirements of other growing sectors such as passenger transport—a service aimed at high-income users—or those related to oil exploration, construction, or cargo transport.
However, the number of active pilots has declined in recent years. In 2023, Spain had 839 professional pilot licenses, including ATPL (passenger) and CPL (cargo), compared to 877 in 2019, according to data from the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA).
When adding licenses issued abroad, Spain currently has between 1,000 and 1,200 helicopter pilots, with a noted shortage of around 300. In the coming years, demand is expected to increase further, requiring about 1,500 new licenses, according to industry sources.
“Pilots trained at the school are employed within six months, which I think is a record time given the current job market. They are working as pilots, so we can say there’s nearly 100% employability”, says Fernando Gómez, spokesperson for World Aviation.
“We Can Say There’s Nearly 100% Employability”
The significant obstacle to meeting this demand is the prohibitive cost of training, unaffordable for the vast majority. Training companies like World Aviation advocate for government support to democratize a training process that is also extremely expensive for educators.
“These pilots train in the air, and for that, you need helicopters and simulators, making the practical aspect the most expensive part of the training”, Gómez points out. “Unfortunately, there are no public grants, despite this being a constant demand in the sector due to the necessity and public service these professionals provide. Just like there are scholarships for university studies, there should be grants to train as a helicopter or airplane pilot, breaking the entry barrier posed by the cost”.
Students who overcome this entry barrier generally fall into two profiles: those coming directly from secondary education and choosing to start their higher studies at a pilot school, and those who have previously studied at a university, often in aeronautics-related fields, and may have interned at a company in the sector. Most of them share a common element: a childhood passion for aviation.
“As soon as you finish training, it’s normal to start gaining mastery and skills in firefighting services.”
Loïc Gourier, a 25-year-old Spaniard of French parents, has just completed his training at the pilot school. “This has been a dream since I was very young”, says Gourier, who previously studied Aeronautical Management at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. “Every time I boarded a plane, especially a helicopter—it’s true, getting on one is difficult. It’s rare and very complex. But being on something that flies was my passion. I knew this was my path”.
Of all the career opportunities now open to the young pilot, his dream, the one that “gives him the most adrenaline,” is piloting a medical helicopter. However, he notes that “as soon as you finish training, it’s normal to start gaining mastery and skills in firefighting services”.
What he enjoyed most during the 18-month training, as expected, was piloting the aircraft. “Flying these machines is quite fun”, he says, sitting on one of the helicopters sheltered in the hangar from the rain. “Being able to land on rocks you find out there. It’s the ability to, so to speak, within regulations, do what you want. The truth is, it’s something very few people know about. Once you try it, you fall in love with this world”.
