New Zealand - Training Schools and Job Prospects
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Well nothing changed here. Every ones putting the ****e in to each other, so student numbers must be getting limited again.
For what its worth, I ve was instructing in NZ when the student loan funding started and I have managed to be involved in a number of training schools and commercial operators with training machines.
My Advice is not to comment self to anyone until you have visited the ones on your short list. Avoid large training school with student loan funding, anyone who wants cash up front, and be cautious of the hard sell, as if you sucked in by this then you will not succeed in the industry.
You need to have a plan and stuck to it, getting a commercial is the easy part. How are going to build your hours up. So you need to decide what niche of the industry you won't to get into. Work out what the requires are and how you going to achieve them. NETWORK and stay in contact.
As for picking a flight training operator, I would be looking for a small school with commercial ops, and a mix of junior and senior Instructors. The junior guys with the motivation to get the hours done and the senior guys to get you outside your comfort zone. Spend some time talking the girls in the front office as they can be your best source of info, and listen to what's been talked about in the reception area if there are other students around.
When visiting if the operator tries and talks you out of doing it, this may and I say may be a filtering process.
If you have cash, look/ask for a good deal, ie additional rating, discounted rate for advanced payments(but not all up front).
But they all have there strengths and weakness, and in the end its your decision and you will only get out of it what your prepared to put into it!
Check out a South Island Operator. For my money Garden City Helicopters and I don't do my licence there.
For what its worth, I ve was instructing in NZ when the student loan funding started and I have managed to be involved in a number of training schools and commercial operators with training machines.
My Advice is not to comment self to anyone until you have visited the ones on your short list. Avoid large training school with student loan funding, anyone who wants cash up front, and be cautious of the hard sell, as if you sucked in by this then you will not succeed in the industry.
You need to have a plan and stuck to it, getting a commercial is the easy part. How are going to build your hours up. So you need to decide what niche of the industry you won't to get into. Work out what the requires are and how you going to achieve them. NETWORK and stay in contact.
As for picking a flight training operator, I would be looking for a small school with commercial ops, and a mix of junior and senior Instructors. The junior guys with the motivation to get the hours done and the senior guys to get you outside your comfort zone. Spend some time talking the girls in the front office as they can be your best source of info, and listen to what's been talked about in the reception area if there are other students around.
When visiting if the operator tries and talks you out of doing it, this may and I say may be a filtering process.
If you have cash, look/ask for a good deal, ie additional rating, discounted rate for advanced payments(but not all up front).
But they all have there strengths and weakness, and in the end its your decision and you will only get out of it what your prepared to put into it!
Check out a South Island Operator. For my money Garden City Helicopters and I don't do my licence there.
Last edited by Dogs; 8th Oct 2005 at 00:31.
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Thank god Dogs had something good to say!This thread was getting VERYboring!
Everyone needs to remember that an opinion is just that, if one person says that heli-flight is crap based on their OWN PERSONAL experience, then thats THEIR OPINION.
On the same hand, if you've trained at heli-flight and had a damn good time with the everybody involved, both in actual training flights and then at after-match functions
, then your opinion is going to be the opposite.
In my honest opinion Mech, when the weather is sunny, and your kicked back on the deck chairs facing the helicopter training area, watching every choppa that flys at ardmore do their sometimes crazy TLOF thing, sipping on a cup of coffee, engaged in sometimes senseless and idle chatter about nothing with any instructor that joins you...mate...it's great.
No matter where you go, there are going to be numpty sacs who wear velcro shoes and let the world pass them by, and they will have their opinion, and at the end of the day it'syour money and you should shop around and find whats best for you.
But in my humble opinion...put a tick next to heli-flight.
Kia Ora Bro.
P.S.
Can the losers and the minions play nice now?
Everyone needs to remember that an opinion is just that, if one person says that heli-flight is crap based on their OWN PERSONAL experience, then thats THEIR OPINION.
On the same hand, if you've trained at heli-flight and had a damn good time with the everybody involved, both in actual training flights and then at after-match functions
, then your opinion is going to be the opposite.In my honest opinion Mech, when the weather is sunny, and your kicked back on the deck chairs facing the helicopter training area, watching every choppa that flys at ardmore do their sometimes crazy TLOF thing, sipping on a cup of coffee, engaged in sometimes senseless and idle chatter about nothing with any instructor that joins you...mate...it's great.
No matter where you go, there are going to be numpty sacs who wear velcro shoes and let the world pass them by, and they will have their opinion, and at the end of the day it'syour money and you should shop around and find whats best for you.
But in my humble opinion...put a tick next to heli-flight.
Kia Ora Bro.
P.S.
Can the losers and the minions play nice now?
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Hi All,
I agree,stop the slagging off and dont get personal!Things will get heated now and again because if you do not stand up for who you work for and believe in that Company then you are wasting your time.
As for the Training side of things in Auckland.
Heliflight is a good company.They do operate commercially(AS350,MD520) and have new 300CBi's to train in(Only company in New Zealand and there is nothing like the smell of a new Helo....maybe one other thing that we wont go into)They do have a mix of experienced and new Instructors.But I would also recommend:
Northshore Helicopter Training:
If you want to learn on Robbies John Clements will give you a good work out.Good instructors and a wealth of knowledge.
Ardmore Helicopters:
Good bunch of guys with alot off experience.Frank Parker is a very experienced Helo driver.
I do not have any experience with the boy's further South.
Well thats my two cents worth,
Good Luck and safe Flying.
I agree,stop the slagging off and dont get personal!Things will get heated now and again because if you do not stand up for who you work for and believe in that Company then you are wasting your time.
As for the Training side of things in Auckland.
Heliflight is a good company.They do operate commercially(AS350,MD520) and have new 300CBi's to train in(Only company in New Zealand and there is nothing like the smell of a new Helo....maybe one other thing that we wont go into)They do have a mix of experienced and new Instructors.But I would also recommend:
Northshore Helicopter Training:
If you want to learn on Robbies John Clements will give you a good work out.Good instructors and a wealth of knowledge.
Ardmore Helicopters:
Good bunch of guys with alot off experience.Frank Parker is a very experienced Helo driver.
I do not have any experience with the boy's further South.
Well thats my two cents worth,
Good Luck and safe Flying.
Last edited by Dis-Mystery of Lift; 8th Oct 2005 at 01:59.
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Helipro NZ
Hi
New to rotorheads (but not Prune)
Thinking of training to CPL(H) in New Zealand after having applied to emigrate there. These guys have an ad in the back of Pilot inferring that they'll give you a job after you train with them.......
i am guessing this is the usual bull**It sales pitch but I'm intrigued now............
Anyone heard of them ?
What are they like ?
Any info gratefully received.
Cheers
Arc
New to rotorheads (but not Prune)
Thinking of training to CPL(H) in New Zealand after having applied to emigrate there. These guys have an ad in the back of Pilot inferring that they'll give you a job after you train with them.......
i am guessing this is the usual bull**It sales pitch but I'm intrigued now............
Anyone heard of them ?
What are they like ?
Any info gratefully received.
Cheers
Arc
I dont want o get into a slagging match over places to train. All i can say is dont belive the B
t about being offered a job. NZ is a great place to come and train but like most places in very hard to get a start in the industry. It pays to look around as to where to train. If your want i can tell you you some good places to have a look at.
t about being offered a job. NZ is a great place to come and train but like most places in very hard to get a start in the industry. It pays to look around as to where to train. If your want i can tell you you some good places to have a look at.
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Helipro
Heard they have massey contract which heliflight lost...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/sto...8%C5%24%B7%BBL
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/sto...8%C5%24%B7%BBL
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Nice one Grogan. Must be 20 years since you were in New Zealand then.
Going by the following comments from Internal Affairs they must be a real dodgy company
http://www.helipro.co.nz/news.php?id=101
Going by the following comments from Internal Affairs they must be a real dodgy company
http://www.helipro.co.nz/news.php?id=101
Join Date: Oct 2005
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As an ex-trained Helipro pilot of some years gone by,I can say that the training programme I was involved in was first class. The advantage of training with a company of Helipro's back ground is the extra experience that they offer in relation to hands on commercial work that you would not normally get at a flight school.
I know they also have re-employed alot of students that go through the training programme in various roles throughout the company. If you are prepared to get stuck in and go the extra mile,then the rewards will follow with Helipro as many an ex-Helipro student will tell you.
It must of put me in good company as I am now flying fire ops in Australia.
Grogan, I dont know where you get your opinions from but I can assure anyone who wants to know that Helipro trained pilots are working all over the world.
I know they also have re-employed alot of students that go through the training programme in various roles throughout the company. If you are prepared to get stuck in and go the extra mile,then the rewards will follow with Helipro as many an ex-Helipro student will tell you.
It must of put me in good company as I am now flying fire ops in Australia.
Grogan, I dont know where you get your opinions from but I can assure anyone who wants to know that Helipro trained pilots are working all over the world.
Seems a few around here are infected with the tricky ricky virus.
Take a reality check people. The owner of Helipro was, is, and always will be a used car salesman, and while he continues with this mindset he will continue busting rules, crashing aircraft, and lowering the standards of maintenance throughout the industry. Helipro may not be well known outside of NZ, but within NZ they are regarded as just slightly better than pondscum. Shoddy operation when you get into the dealings going on. From the front door, and from what most people see, they seem to be OK. Having known 2 ex Engineers from Helipro, and listened to some of their worries, I wouldn't like to fly in ANY of their machines. I am sure there are better places to train in NZ
Just my 2 cents
Take a reality check people. The owner of Helipro was, is, and always will be a used car salesman, and while he continues with this mindset he will continue busting rules, crashing aircraft, and lowering the standards of maintenance throughout the industry. Helipro may not be well known outside of NZ, but within NZ they are regarded as just slightly better than pondscum. Shoddy operation when you get into the dealings going on. From the front door, and from what most people see, they seem to be OK. Having known 2 ex Engineers from Helipro, and listened to some of their worries, I wouldn't like to fly in ANY of their machines. I am sure there are better places to train in NZ
Just my 2 cents
Last edited by noooby; 13th Oct 2005 at 15:30.
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Wow, them fighting words noooby...
By the tone of your post it is not be hard to guess that you are in opposition to helipro.
I have had a good look through their web site and perhaps you should give the Prime Minister a call and tell her of your concerns, as she was flying with them a couple of months ago. By all accounts Prince Andrew was a well respected helicopter pilot during the Falklands and he still chose to fly with them.
I would have to say that I am sick of reading posts on Pprune that degenerate into company slagging from individuals such as noooby. Look how long it took Heliflight to take a pounding in their latest thread.
I am sure if someone started a thread on The Helicopter Line a disgruntled employee from years gone by would start slagging them off in no time. Or perhaps HeliLink or HNZ.
Actually while we are talking about HNZ and THL noooby, you may wish to comment on the 3 squirrels that have been written off by them in the last couple of years….…actually don’t… as you are obviously from within the industry, you would be well aware of the saying ‘those in glasshouses should not throw stones’.
Now noooby it is lucky that you are hiding behind your computer screen as I am sure that the 30+ staff that currently work for helipro would like to kick your ass. As an outsider looking in I have been impressed with the way they do business and they have not got where they are now without a little hard work. It is important to remember that Rick Lucas is one man out of 30+ staff. I am sure if you ring John Fogden or Ken Wells at CAA they will happily alleviate the concerns that you have. You could also speak to helipro’s Quality Manager, he actually used to work for British Aerospace in the Middle East as one of their quality guru’s and would love to hear from you I’m sure.
The other thing that really winds me up is the way you infer that their maintenance is suspect. Perhaps the two ex engineers that used to work for them were not up to scratch and were asked to move on?
Now noooby the sooner you get over your case of tall popy syndrome and take a ‘reality check’ the better. Perhaps you should come out of hiding and name the company that you work for. As this is a rumor network we could start spreading unsubstantiated s--t about your company too?
That's my 2 cents worth...
Over and out.
By the tone of your post it is not be hard to guess that you are in opposition to helipro.
I have had a good look through their web site and perhaps you should give the Prime Minister a call and tell her of your concerns, as she was flying with them a couple of months ago. By all accounts Prince Andrew was a well respected helicopter pilot during the Falklands and he still chose to fly with them.
I would have to say that I am sick of reading posts on Pprune that degenerate into company slagging from individuals such as noooby. Look how long it took Heliflight to take a pounding in their latest thread.
I am sure if someone started a thread on The Helicopter Line a disgruntled employee from years gone by would start slagging them off in no time. Or perhaps HeliLink or HNZ.
Actually while we are talking about HNZ and THL noooby, you may wish to comment on the 3 squirrels that have been written off by them in the last couple of years….…actually don’t… as you are obviously from within the industry, you would be well aware of the saying ‘those in glasshouses should not throw stones’.
Now noooby it is lucky that you are hiding behind your computer screen as I am sure that the 30+ staff that currently work for helipro would like to kick your ass. As an outsider looking in I have been impressed with the way they do business and they have not got where they are now without a little hard work. It is important to remember that Rick Lucas is one man out of 30+ staff. I am sure if you ring John Fogden or Ken Wells at CAA they will happily alleviate the concerns that you have. You could also speak to helipro’s Quality Manager, he actually used to work for British Aerospace in the Middle East as one of their quality guru’s and would love to hear from you I’m sure.
The other thing that really winds me up is the way you infer that their maintenance is suspect. Perhaps the two ex engineers that used to work for them were not up to scratch and were asked to move on?
Now noooby the sooner you get over your case of tall popy syndrome and take a ‘reality check’ the better. Perhaps you should come out of hiding and name the company that you work for. As this is a rumor network we could start spreading unsubstantiated s--t about your company too?
That's my 2 cents worth...
Over and out.
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Hey Noooby,
Didn’t one of your quoted Ex-Engineers loose his engineering license (twice) and has been under CAA investigation for quite some time? I have never had anything to do with Heli-Pro but sweeping generalizations like yours never seam to tell the full story.
Didn’t one of your quoted Ex-Engineers loose his engineering license (twice) and has been under CAA investigation for quite some time? I have never had anything to do with Heli-Pro but sweeping generalizations like yours never seam to tell the full story.
Yeah the name of one of those guys does always seem to be floating around CAA house. Shudder.
It would seem, from the replies, that Helipro have had a cleanup. That would be a good thing. At the time that I was having 'dealings' with them, much work was needed on the QA/Maint front.
You could write all the unsubstantiated s..t you want about the company I work for. I would probably be able to relate to half of it too!!
And no, I am not in opposition to Helipro no matter what you may think. Someone asked for an opinion, I gave it. You gave yours too. When someone weighs up all the things that are said, cuts out half of it to get rid of the bulls..t, perhaps they will have some sort of idea of where they want to do their training.
Yeah other companies have had losses too. That shouldn't fractor into where you want to learn to fly, unless there is some underlying cause. The more you push the machine, or the more complacent you become, then the more likely you are to have an incident. They happen. Learn from them and try to not repeat the mistakes made. As far as I know Helipro haven't lost a machine in flight training, but then again they might have. Haven't exactly been in NZ much the last few years, so might have missed something. Yeah yeah, another one of those ex-kiwis who knows absolutely nothing about the scene in NZ. I might as well say it before any of you do
It would seem, from the replies, that Helipro have had a cleanup. That would be a good thing. At the time that I was having 'dealings' with them, much work was needed on the QA/Maint front.
You could write all the unsubstantiated s..t you want about the company I work for. I would probably be able to relate to half of it too!!
And no, I am not in opposition to Helipro no matter what you may think. Someone asked for an opinion, I gave it. You gave yours too. When someone weighs up all the things that are said, cuts out half of it to get rid of the bulls..t, perhaps they will have some sort of idea of where they want to do their training.
Yeah other companies have had losses too. That shouldn't fractor into where you want to learn to fly, unless there is some underlying cause. The more you push the machine, or the more complacent you become, then the more likely you are to have an incident. They happen. Learn from them and try to not repeat the mistakes made. As far as I know Helipro haven't lost a machine in flight training, but then again they might have. Haven't exactly been in NZ much the last few years, so might have missed something. Yeah yeah, another one of those ex-kiwis who knows absolutely nothing about the scene in NZ. I might as well say it before any of you do
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HELIPRO are taking delivery of 3 brand new R22 machines for flight training at Paraparaumu.....cant be doing too badly...one ex Heliflight student said he had done more flying with Helipro over the last 2 weeks than in six months with Heliflight......seemed pretty happy about the training too......and I am not a Helipro employee
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wanaka
Hi i have been looking at wanaka for my cplh , any thorghts on this from anyone , thay seem ok from my looking in to them and are quick and helpfull by email so far .
dont want to hijack thread but might be relevent with the nz thing .
Ta
Bauldrik
dont want to hijack thread but might be relevent with the nz thing .
Ta
Bauldrik
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Bauldrik
You will get no better training anywhere, than with Simon Spencer bower at Wanaka Helicopters. An outstanding instructor with loads of experience and in a mountain enviroment that just cannot be matched.
Forget about the flash harrys in their 300CBis at heliflight they would never have flown in the mountains let alone tried to teach in that enviroment. Bunch of c cat and b cat instructors that have no commercial work or industry experience. All they can teach you is how to do preflight and fly a nice circuit.We all had to start somewhere, but if your spending your hard earned cash, get the most out of your training dollars ,prospective employers will certainly look hard where you trained. The training you recive at Wanaka will stand by you for the rest of your career.
Simon trained me years ago and I still often recall, stuff he passed on to me, I hold six foreign licences, ATPL and CPL and I have flown in 14 different countrys and I have flown with many pilot/instructors and Simon is up there in my book as one of the best.
You will get no better training anywhere, than with Simon Spencer bower at Wanaka Helicopters. An outstanding instructor with loads of experience and in a mountain enviroment that just cannot be matched.
Forget about the flash harrys in their 300CBis at heliflight they would never have flown in the mountains let alone tried to teach in that enviroment. Bunch of c cat and b cat instructors that have no commercial work or industry experience. All they can teach you is how to do preflight and fly a nice circuit.We all had to start somewhere, but if your spending your hard earned cash, get the most out of your training dollars ,prospective employers will certainly look hard where you trained. The training you recive at Wanaka will stand by you for the rest of your career.
Simon trained me years ago and I still often recall, stuff he passed on to me, I hold six foreign licences, ATPL and CPL and I have flown in 14 different countrys and I have flown with many pilot/instructors and Simon is up there in my book as one of the best.