31 July 2012

fredelino ole - first solo

Just one month after passing his final CASA theory exam Fredelino Ole can celebrate his amazing achievement of flying solo for the first time today! The team at Becker Helicopters are excited this day has finally come. Great work Freddy!


30 July 2012

pedro xiemenes - first solo

It was a maiden flight for scholar Pedro Ximenes today. He flew his first solo flight (under the guidance of his Flight Instructor, Captain Fergus Ponder). It would arguably be the first solo flight by an East Timorese national in a helicopter in Australia (we believe). Congratulations and well done Pedro!

 

25 July 2012

cplh theory completed

It's been a long and sometimes grueling slog for Julio to complete all his CASA exams but all his hard work and determination finally paid off!  Today Julio passed his final exam, Performance & Operations.  The result?  A highly commendable pass mark of 94%!  Congratulations Julio!  Great job well done!

where are they now?

Name:  Andrew Rothery

Age:  21 years

Country:  Australia

When did you train at Beckers?  May 2011 to December 2011


Why helicopters?  I started out flying fixed wing when I was in high school but I decided flying helicopters would be much more fun as a job because they can do so many different things.

Biggest challenge in training and why?  Navigation.  My first flight was ok but I couldn't keep straight and level while doing everything else.  Then on  my second flight my map was sucked out the door!  We were flying VH-UTX and as we took off I put my map beside my seat and heard a strange noise.  I didn't think anything of it until we were approaching Caloundra and I went to grab the map but I couldn't find it anywhre.  So I had to land at Caloundra and quick re-draw everything on Jimmy's (Instructor) map and keep going.

Most memorable flight?  In my last few hours I did a flight to Brisbane and landed in a friend's backyard.  I didn't do sling training so I had about 15 hours left at the end where I could choose what flights I wanted to do and I thought it would be a good experience to do something different.  I spent awhile planning the flight because I orginally wanted to land in a park near my old house in Brisbane but then I found out how annoying it was to get approval from the Council after speaking to them on the phone.  So I had a look at a few friend's yards until I found one big enough.  All the neighbours came to watch me land and it was great fun.
 




 

What did you do after you finished training?  I finished training just before Christmas so I had a bit of a break until January, then I got my R44 endorsement and headed on a trip up north looking for work.  I spoke to a few operators around Cairns then went to Darwin and Katherine, but because it was wet season most of the operators told me to come back in a few months.  So I headed on another trip at the start of April from Darwin to Broome.  Along the way I heard from another pilot that a company in Broome was looking for pilots since a few people has just moved on.  So I gave them a call and arranged an interview and I've been working there ever since.

What are you doing now?  I'm now a pilot for Broome Helicopter Services doing mostly scenic flights around the area.

 
 
  
 

 
  

Advice to those learning to fly?  Just relax, they're (choppers) actually easy to fly but it can be difficult to start with if you make it difficult.


Advice to those looking for work?  Go out and see people as soon as you've finished training or even before you finish if you can so you're still fresh and you can remember everything.  I had a few months break after finishing school and forgot a lot in that time.  And make sure you actually speak to people in person and be prepared to start work immediately.  Where I work now there are always pilots sending emails asking for work, saying how good they are but only one person besides me made the effort to come here and now they have a job as well.

 

 Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  Flying overseas somewhere, maybe Canada or New Zealand.

Final words?  Have fun while you're at school and make the most of it, as Rob (Gibb) one of my instructors said 'getting your licence is the easy part!'



19 July 2012

joyflights on this weekend


bell 47g-2a a1-660

On 12 May 1961 this Bell 47G-2A registration A1-660 was delivered to the Australian Army and allotted to the 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley.

Lt Dick Knight (pictured at Amberley) flew many flights in A1-660 between 1961-64 including the search for Michael Rockefeller in Papua New Guinea in November 1961.
 


On 17 July 2012 retired Captain Dick Knight was reunited with A1-660
 





For more on Bell 47G-2A A1-660 please go here

13 July 2012

to all members of the worldwide helicopter community

The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) was formed to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to address factors that were affecting an unacceptable helicopter accident rate. The group's mission is to reduce the international civil helicopter accident rate by 80 percent by 2016. 

With this goal in mind, the IHST has developed various "toolkits" aimed at helping members of the helicopter industry to improve safety and reduce the accident rate. These guides are now available on topics such as safety management systems, training programs, maintenance programs, flight data monitoring systems, and risk assessment. Wherever these documents have been widely distributed and utilized, we have seen a reduction in the accident rate within the civil helicopter community. 

The IHST toolkits, along with safety-related videos and analysis reports, can be obtained at no cost through the group's newly reorganized website here. The IHST website is now simpler to navigate for tools and reports, and allows easy access to worldwide data and information. 

We invite you to look at our website once again and see the helpful information and tools you can obtain. In the box on the upper right-hand side of the website, click on and access our toolkits in the areas of Safety Management, Training, Technology, and Maintenance

In this section, please take a moment to participate in our brief, seven-question Feedback Survey. We are especially interested in your feedback regarding our toolkits and your thoughts about new toolkit topics. Also take a look at our new Presentations section and our updated (IHST Calendar) of helicopter-related events. You can also link to us on Facebook for new safety tools and information. 

Our mission is challenging, but we know we can reduce the accident rate in the helicopter industry. It will take a strong cooperative effort, so we need your help. Join the team. Be a part of the mission. Help us save lives. 

The International Helicopter Safety Team
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10 July 2012

where are they now?

Name:  Bradley Noble

Age:  27 years

Country:  Australia

When did you train at Beckers?  January to July 2011

Why helicopters?  What they can do is amazing!  They are so versatile and great fun to fly too!
 .

Biggest challenge and why?  Theory was tough, getting back into study mindset was difficult.  With the flying I think it is all challenging at first, but sling training was new level!

Most memorable flight?  My first attempt at the long line!  I was watching Matt (Flight Instructor).  I watched him swing the load back and forth, then he did a few adjustments and the load stopped swinging.  He looked over at me, smiled and then said "now you try!"

 


 

What did you do after you finished training?  I went out with a heap of resumes and spoke to as many operators as I could.  My trip took me up to Cairns and everywhere before I stopped at an operator in Katherine (NT).  I was given an interview and a check ride, then I started the next day!

What are you doing now?  I am the Senior base pilot for Heli-Muster (NT) scenic operations.



Advice to those learning to fly?  Don't rush yourself.

Advice to those looking for work?  Get out there!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  In a helicopter somewhere.  The Rockies would be nice!

Final words?  From the day I made the first step towards a career in aviation I have met some great people.  They gave me their time and offered great advice from their experiences.  It would only help me improve.  To all those people I say, thank you!

25 June 2012

new graduate - rene theirry

We congratulate and farewell our newest commercial pilot graduate Rene Thierry.  Words cannot express your great achievement and the genuine camaraderie you brought to the school.  Great work and well done Rene.  Good luck for the future!  You will be missed!

Rene goes First Solo!

Rene teaches Airlaw
Rene on Crowd Control

Rene displays athletic skills

Rene gets a Jetty endorsement


Rene passes his CPLH flight test!



cplh theory - completed

It has been an arduous journey for all (4) of our East Timor scholars in their quest to become East Timor's first commercial helicopter pilots.  As many will admit, completing the CASA theory exams (7 subjects) is a mammoth undertaking but Fredelino and Pedro proved that if you put in the extra hard work you will succeed.  Congratulations guys! Great work to Geoff Shaw (Theory Instructor) too!



For more about the East Timor students please go here

this is your life - oscar


Read about his amazing life here


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08 June 2012

new to the blog

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where are they now?

Name:  Dave (Chalky) White

Age:  43 years

Country:  Originally from the UK.  Now an Australian Citizen.

When did you train at Beckers?  2006


Why helicopters?  Why fixed wings!  The hover thing and varied roles for Helicopters make them stand out.

Biggest challenge in training and why?  Flying straight and level on navigation flights which I guess was down to experience and not paying close enough attention to the instruments!  I was too busy enjoying the view!
The paper mache flight helmet made by Chalky's wife, Helen and the kids when he was training

Most memorable training flight?  On a solo nav to Hervey Bay flying back to the Sunshine Coast along Rainbow beach and down the coast.  It was a fantastic spring day and the views were spectacular.

What did you do after you finished training?  Worked at Heliwork at Redcliffe for a little over a year then went out to Alice Springs looking for a break!  The break didn't arrive so I came back with the family to the Sunshine Coast and gained employment with Beckers, initially as an operations assistant and then a theory instructor.

 
What are you doing now?  I am working as a theory instructor and base pilot at Becker Helicopters.

Advice to those learning to fly?  As my instructor Ric Spruijt use to say "make it do what you want it to do".



Advice to those looking for work?  Don't give up.  It is not an easy road but if the dream is worth chasing then chase the dream. I was fortunate in that although it took me 4 years to get a  good break I had the support of my wife and family who were behind me succeeding.

Chalky and Fergus catching up with former student Brad Noble in Katherine last year
 

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