Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Adding a Helicopter Category to my Airplane ATP

Asked by: 7740 views FAA Regulations, Helicopter

I currently hold an Multiengine Airplane ATP and a Commercial/Instrument Rotorcraft Cerificate. I have met all the Helicopter experience requirements for a Helicopter ATP. I also am a Helicopter PIC (Bell-412) for a Part 135 operation. I want to add a Helicopter Category to my ATP. I know I need to take a practical exam for the Helicopter ATP add-on. Do I need to take the FAA Written exam as well? I have found conlicting information from various sources. Thank you.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Dauntless Aviation's GroundSchool series of apps are the smart pilot's choice for fast and effective FAA knowledge test prep.
Actual, up-to-date FAA questions Polished user experience
Best explanations in the business Free lifetime updates!
Private Pilot IFR Commercial Pilot CFI ATP Sport Pilot Sport Pilot Instructor Parachute Rigger Aviation Mechanic (A&P)
You can get the app now and be studying right away. Available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android.

2 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Mar 04, 2014

    Yes, you need to take a knowledge test. Looking at the Lasergrade website, it appears the designation for the exam is ARH (Added Helicopter Rating).

    I took two tests when I did mine. One test for airplane and another for helicopter. The test for the additional rating has fewer questions.

    +3 Votes Thumb up 5 Votes Thumb down 2 Votes



  2. JP on Apr 05, 2014

    §61.165 Additional aircraft category and class ratings.
    (a) Rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating. A person applying for an airline transport certificate with a rotorcraft category and helicopter class rating who holds an airline transport pilot certificate with another aircraft category rating must:

    (1) Meet the eligibility requirements of §61.153 of this part;

    (2) Pass a knowledge test on the aeronautical knowledge areas of §61.155(c) of this part;

    (3) Comply with the requirements in §61.157(b) of this part, if appropriate;

    (4) Meet the applicable aeronautical experience requirements of §61.161 of this part; and

    (5) Pass the practical test on the areas of operation of §61.157(e)(4) of this part.

    I’m in the same boat as you except I’m a little shy with some of the helicopter requirements. Best of luck!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.