Helicopter training academy, Helicentre Aviation Ltd has announced the winners of its 2017 Helicopter Pilot Scholarship programme. Janine Lythe from Northampton has been awarded the Academy’s fully funded Commercial Pilot (CPL(H
)) Scholarship. Additionally, a further ten applicants who completed their Private Pilot’s Licence at the Academy were awarded part-funded Scholarships, each taking a share of a newly created £60,000 prize fund, designed to acknowledge the exceptionally high calibre of 2017’s applicants and help more aspiring professional pilots onto the career ladder. Janine will have the cost of all her post-PPL(H) hour building fully paid for by the Academy (including additional training at the company’s Winter Haven base in the Sunshine State of Florida, USA) , as well as the commercial modular flying course, which includes a night qualification. This will see her graduate the programme with more than 190 hours total time on the Guimbal Cabri G2 helicopter, and will save her close to £55,000. On successful completion of her professional training, Janine will be offered the opportunity to fly charter for the company, and she subsequently plans to complete her Flight Instructor course, after which she will be able to secure a full time position training new helicopter pilots.
Helicentre Aviation Head of Training, Captain Sarah Bowen, said: “The Scholarship selection process is intense and I’d like to commend each and every applicant we had in 2017; the standards were exceptionally high which led to some tough decision making after the final round. We’re thrilled to have awarded the CPL(H) Scholarship to Janine, who shone throughout the process, not least on the final selection day, where she displayed excellent potential as a future commercial pilot.”
Janine, who completed her PPL(H) training with the company in December 2016, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be awarded this life-changing opportunity. The Scholarship will allow me to focus all my energy into realising my dreams of becoming a commercial helicopter pilot; I look forward to the challenges of completing this training and subsequent employment in an industry which I’ve dreamed of working in for as long as I can remember.”
Helicentre Aviation has also announced an extension to the application deadline for its 2018 Helicopter Pilot Scholarship programme. This will be the sixth year the Midlands-based academy has offered opportunities to help budding pilots fast-track their way into a professional aviation career.
In 2017, the Helicentre Aviation Scholarship programme included ten additional part-funded Scholarships. The company has so far awarded in excess of £500,000 in professional training since it launched the Programme in 2012. This year’s Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor Scholarships have a combined value of £75,000, with further awards likely to be announced later in the year in an effort to meet the growing demand for professional pilots. Prospective applicants can register their interest in the 2018 programme and download the application form at: www.helicopterscholarships.com
Application forms are to be submitted by 31st March 2018, and applicants must complete their Private Pilot’s Licence (Helicopter) course and pass their PPL(H) Skill Test at the Academy’s Leicester Airport base before 30th September 2018.
