I completed my CPL flight training with NZHTA January 2022. NZHTA provided a fantastic environment to learn, with friendly staff, comfortable class rooms and an immaculate hangar. My instructor Chris was completely invested in my training journey from day one. Starting out with building solid fundamental skills then progressing to more advanced senario type and tailored training based on my flying career goals. Within the 2 years since getting my CPL, I’ve had flying jobs throughout Australia, NewZealand and Canada. Starting out in R44s now in larger turbine machines. After all this, Chris still picks up the phone when I call him for advise on flying and my career. I couldn’t recommend NZHTA enough.

Training for my commercial pilot’s license at the New Zealand Helicopter Training Academy was a very rewarding experience. The academy’s instructors provided excellent guidance and support, making the process smooth and straightforward. Their hands-on approach and dedication to my success were truly outstanding. I’m grateful for their expertise and highly recommend the academy to aspiring helicopter pilots.

I trained at NZHTA in Whanganui and it was truly incredible. I trained full-time and gained my CPL in 10 months, a massive effort from my instructors. Working as a commercial line pilot in Botswana, I owe this amazing opportunity to the training provided by NZHTA. The office staff and instructors at NZHTA create a welcoming environment, making you feel at ease from the moment you step in. Whanganui offers a beautiful flying location and with instructors like Diesel, Chris and Dean, who have extensive experience in various flying jobs, you're on your way to becoming a top-notch pilot for your future career.

After 40 years of fixed wing flying I thought I'd try flying helicopters for the experience of a different type of aircraft. After some enquiry I decided to fly with the NZHTA Academy at Whanganui under the instruction of Chris van der Salm. Initially I only intended to fly to solo as an achievement but as it was so enjoyable and with positive encouragement from Chris I decided to continue to PPL which I achieved much easier than what I might have thought. Chris showed not only a very professional level of teaching but is very respectful towards his students. With a keen attitude to see his students progress while helping with examination subjects along with the flying all make for an enjoyable process.

Jim Mckay.