Meet our Chief Instructor:
Having been interested in aviation as long as he can remember, Neil started flying helicopters in 2001 progressing to becoming a flight examiner in 2016. He has now flown 11 types of helicopter including the Bell 206 Jet Ranger and Long Ranger (Which he rates as his favourite) as well as the Aérospatiale Gazelle.
Neil recounts “I have operated as a flight instructor alongside being a commercial pilot for many years. The bulk of my experience is within the South East of the UK and in particular flying helicopters over London from conducting tours to photography around Heathrow. I also consider it a privilege to have flown into Silverstone Grand Prix on many consecutive years.”
Silverstone he highlights still holds the world record for the busiest airspace on any one day with over 4,000 rotary movements for the 1999 Grand Prix!
When it comes to the ICE Fleet his training helicopter of choice is the Robinson R44 Cadet:
“The R44 has been the world’s best-selling general aviation helicopter every year since 1999. It is one of the most produced aircraft of the 21st century, with 5,941 deliveries from 2001–2020.
Robinson announced the R44 Cadet in 2015, the new 2 seat R44 has continued to break records in the general aviation helicopter market.
I think that Robinson Helicopters have yet again delivered the training and personal ownership market with another helicopter which does exactly what it says on the tin. It is a simple yet stable aircraft that gives reliability and economy but retains the power and performance of a larger helicopter.
As Head of Training for ICE Helicopters I take teaching very seriously – We are all different and thus the key to facilitate the learning is to adapt the course to suit the individual whilst ensuring the syllabus is covered. I want to produce safe and competent pilots who have first-hand experience of flying in the real world.”
As our students will attest Neil is a first class instructor and with more popular R44 Cadets on order he looks forward to continuing to welcome people into the world of rotary flying.