Wasn't it just blissful having some cracking weather over the Easter weekend? But seems like Autumn's finally decided to set in with a decent spell of rain on the horizon this week.
Student Congratulations
Kudos to James Farnham on his first solo last month and to Brett McGrane for successfully completing his endorsement on the Squirrel.
Pictured (L to R): James Farnham during his first solo circuits at YMMB, Brett during one of his flight training lessons in the Squirrel
Housekeeping
Phone Number: Please note that our old landline has now been disconnected. Please update your contacts list with this number 9118 8841 if you haven't already.
PPL Theory Course: The next 2-week PPL Theory Course with Chris will run from Monday, 9 May through to Friday, 20 May. The course cost is $2,750 per person (inclusive of GST). Currently only 2 spots remain. Should you wish to enrol please contact Reception.
Merchandise: These items can now be purchased at our Reception Desk -Kneeboards, Pilot logbooks, Licence holders, POH (Cabri G2, R44), ASIC armbands, and Maps (VTC, VNC, PCA).
Apron Layout: As previously shared, please refer to the following layout that stipulates the correct usage of the Hangar 7 apron. If in doubt, please feel free to ask our staff. Solo students and private hire flights must use the 2 spots furthest away from the hangar doors (highlighted in green in the diagram below).
Lilydale Women in Aviation event
Do you know that only a small percentage of the world's commercial pilots are women? According to the 2021 statistics from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA- US), only 8 % of commercial pilots and 4.6 % of airline transport pilots are women. At Melbourne Heli, we are passionate about women in aviation and we love to inspire and empower more women to pursue their dreams in aviation. Our instructor Wing was recently a guest speaker at the Lilydale Women in Aviation event and shared her aviation journey with other women pilots/ aspiring women pilots.
Fun Fact: In Australia there are only 6 female helicopter instructors and we have two of them.
Pictured: Wing at the event sharing her experience, challenges with getting her CPL and the first flying job as well as her passion for instructing and helping others achieve their dreams.
On Saturday 14 May, Melbourne Heli will be hosting the 'Women in Aviation Day' at our hangar. Details to follow.
Team Highlights
We are pleased to welcome Johan de Vries to the Melbourne Heli team. You'll mostly find Johan at Reception or doing our scenic and charter flights over the weekends.
Chris and Gray took to drones this month and after undertaking an intense 2-day course and consequently a flight test, the duo is officially licensed to fly them.
In more exciting news, Chris's Tiny has found a new home. So next time you're in and wondering why the hangar looks rather spacious, you'll know why.
Melbourne Heli participated at Essendon Fields Open Day on 27 March to celebrate the aiport's centenary. We had our Squirrel, Cabri G2 and R44 on static display whilst Gray did laps of EF airport in the R66 clocking a whopping 5 hours on the day. All in all it was a long but super fun day for the crew. Huge shout out to Emily Raleigh, Jason Tang and Stuart Beard for helping us make the event a huge success.
Pictured (L to R): Gray all smiles carrying a gigantic drone, Chris showing off his newly acquired skills-set, a stunning sunset from the Tiny's new location, some pictures of our crew with the Squirrel at the EF Open Day
Safety Tip
When conducting your daily inspection on a helicopter, do it with a mindset that, 'you do not want to go flying' on that day. Take the time to run through the daily checklist with the intention of finding a fault, any reason to not go flying. In this instance, we are encouraging you to be a pessimist.
- Chris