student profile: geoff shaw

Age
32 years

From where?
Brisbane, Australia

Why fly?
I’ve always been interested in aviation. The first thing I ever remember wanting to do was be a Commercial Airline Pilot but shelved that idea after getting airsick in 4 out of 5 light aircraft flights. My interest in helicopters started with a joy flight at SeaWorld as a young teenager. I just loved the versatility of helicopters and the way they flew. I’ve also never been airsick in a helicopter. Around 8 more joy flights over the years cemented a love of helicopters. It just took me a long time to finally decide to do my licence (with a push from my wife).



Why train at Beckers?
I looked into all the helicopter training schools in south-east Queensland and visited a couple of them before deciding to train with Beckers. I knew I wanted to train in a Robinson helicopter as that was the type I would most likely end up flying initially. Beckers also do some other operations that may give you the opportunity to ride along in other helicopter types or gain experience as ground crew for sling load or joyflight operations. Other factors for me were having in house theory and on-site maintenance. The biggest deciding factor though was the friendly atmosphere. You’re really made to feel welcome and like part of the Beckers family – even when just visiting.

What licence?
105hr CPL(H) with 85hrs R22 and 20hrs R44.

Thoughts on theory?
I’ve found in-house classroom theory to be the way to go. Some schools use external theory providers for self-study or classroom theory. Beckers in-house classroom theory is fantastic. The theory manuals are great and the theory instructor is fantastic with excellent tips, explanations and the patience of a saint. Doing the theory in-house also means the opportunity to go out to the hanger to look at the aircraft and also talk to the engineers and help with maintenance, which all helps with understanding.

Biggest challenge in theory?
The biggest challenge in theory for me was staying focused and motivated through Air Law, as it is probably the driest subject of the lot. It is also a very intensive subject with long revision tests for homework. I found through all the subjects that there is plenty of help available in class and if you put in the work it will usually pay off in the results. The break between theory blocks also helps as it gives a chance to do some more flying training and remember why you’re doing this in the first place.

Tips on theory?
The more pre-reading you can do prior to coming to theory class, the better. Reading all the theory manuals at least once before coming to class gave me some level of knowledge to build on right from the start. Even doing things like practicing reading aviation weather forecasts and listening to aviation radio calls on a scanner can be a big help when it comes time to do those things yourself.

Thoughts on Flight Ops?
The flying training is fantastic. After all, the flying is the reason we want to train in the first place. Flying a helicopter is challenging, rewarding, fun and exciting. After loving helicopters for so long, when you first go solo and the realisation hits that “hey, I can actually fly a helicopter!” it’s a fantastic feeling. The first few weeks of flying are really intensive. You come back after a flight of around an hour feeling totally drained. Later on you come back from a flight of closer to 2 hours itching to go back up for more.

Biggest challenge in Flight Ops?
The early stages of flight training I think were the most challenging. Firstly learning to hover, then picking the aircraft up and putting it back on the ground gently, then flying decent circuits. Once all that starts to come together and you can start to put the helicopter where you want it to be it’s pretty cool.

Most memorable flight?
My most memorable moment in flight training (apart from first solo – woo hoo!) was a big navigation flight to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Archerfield and back to Maroochydore inland through the Glass House Mountains. Fantastic scenery heading south along the coast, with the best part being flying a helicopter myself down past SeaWorld and the Gold Coast beaches where my interest in choppers first began. Fantastic feeling being the pilot in the area where I had already been on about 4 scenic flights as a passenger.



Added by the Writer of this Blog 21/10/09: Another memorable moment? On the day of Geoff's CPLH Certificate Ceremony he later flew his grandparents, his Mum & Dad and his gorgeous wife Kylie on a scenic flight of the Coast.




What are you planning to do after Beckers?
After I finish my training I plan on packing my car and heading off to visit some tourism and charter operators in the hopes of picking up some work on the ground doing admin, loading passengers, refuelling etc. before eventually moving up to flying.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
In 5 years time I hope to be established with a company doing a variety of scenic and charter work with maybe a bit of aerial work (photography, film) as well in a turbine helicopter.

Final advice?
My final advice for anyone that has a love of helicopters and would like to fly them is really just to do it. Be realistic though about the time, effort and money involved in training for a CPL and the fact that it will take time to get established in the industry. Be prepared to work hard and treat training like a job and career goal. For me, too many things lined up to not chase my dream. I had fantastic support and ultimately didn’t want to live my life wondering.