Alumni
SO PROUD OF OUR FORMER STUDENTS!
Chris Ede
BA First Officer
Like most pilots the dream of flying has been with me since I was young, growing up the dream never changed and so I chose to train modularly. I started flying from Blackbushe Airport after obtaining my PPL. The area gives students great experience to fly in a variety of airspace and practice the skills early on. I completed my Night Rating, MEP, MEIR, and CPL with Blackbushe Aviation. Throughout my time with them, they have always been friendly, attentive, and accommodating, putting me in control of my training. They treat you as a person rather than a number and put great effort into your individual progression. I finished my training with them September 2023 and excited to say that I have been offered a First Officer position with British Airways in February 2024.
Sam Ablo
A320 Pilot
For various reasons, flight training took me almost four years to complete but I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to finish my commercial flight training at Blackbushe Aviation. Everyone there is very supportive, sympathetic and accommodating which is vital when undertaking different stages of flight training! I have now found employment with a phenomenal airline flying the A320.
Gaelen Trew
TUI Airways
I have been flying for nearly four years and I completed my PPL, Night, IMC and hour building with Blackbushe Aviation. Just two years on from my first ever flight I had the privilege of coming back and joining Blackbushe Aviation as an instructor, surrounded by the very people who inspired me. I am currently based at Gatwick flying B737s for TUI.
Adam Byles
Flying Examiner and Honda Jet pilot
I started flying when I was about 15 years old, but never thought of a career in aviation. I came to Blackbushe Aviation soon after I finished University (Computer Science) to finish my PPL, however once I’d started I decided to switch career paths and become a pilot. Since then I have completed my PPL, IMC, hour building, CPL and MEIR with Blackbushe Aviation. I even did my flight instructor, instrument instructor and multi engine instructor course here too. I now fly a HondaJet out of Farnborough airport and whenever I can I still teach and examine at Blackbushe Aviation. I look forward to seeing you around and maybe even flying with you.
Will Robson
British Airways
For as long as I can remember I wanted to follow in the steps of my Grandad and fly for British Airways. I passed my PPL at Blackbushe Aviation while still at Secondary School and after completing my CPL and MEIR I became a flight instructor at the school where it all began. It was really rewarding to be able to teach others that were following a similar pathway and taught me valuable lessons and skills that assisted in getting an airline job as well as in my day to day life as a First Officer. Since then I have worked for easyJet and now flying for British Airways.
Harry Pandya
A
Prior to joining Blackbushe Aviation I was a Lufthansa MPL cadet. I managed to finish all of my MPL theory exams one week before our first lockdown. Unfortunately, due to Covid, Lufthansa revoked all of the cadet contracts stating there would be no future career for any of us in aviation. I chose to continue my flight training as I was confident aviation would bounce back, and also because aviation is the only career I ever really wanted to pursue. After researching ATOs in the UK, and going in to a few of them, I decided to join Blackbushe Aviation in August 2021. There were a few reasons for doing so, but the primary reason was that it was the only school I visited where I didn’t feel as if I was ‘just a number’, and that while BBA is smaller than some of the other ATOs, the plethora of knowledge and airline experience the instructors have is second to none! In May 2023 I completed my frozen ATPL training, with all of my 210 hours of flying being with BBA (bar one hour, thanks RAF Air Cadets!). I am delighted to say that I am now a First Officer with British Airways, completing an A320 type rating, with my line training scheduled to be at Heathrow in March.
Errol Nethersole
Jet2
It was halfway through private pilot training when I realised there is nothing else I rather do than soar through the skies! That’s when the decision was made to become a professional pilot. I joined Blackbushe Aviation not long after gaining my PPL whilst hour building towards my CPL, it was not just a flying school that focus on producing pilots but rather a flying club with a welcoming atmosphere that cares about its members, and where everyone enjoys flying and feels they belong. As a result, I gained my ATPL along with a flight instructor rating and started instructing at Blackbushe Aviation. I now work as a First Officer enjoying many flying days on the Boeing 737 for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.
Man must rise above the Earth – to the top of the atmosphere and beyond – for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.
Socrates
