AARON RAINBOW

Aaron Rainbow graduated from Bristow Academy in 1999. He now flies for Bristow Helicopters in Nigeria.

"After working for Bristow Academy for over two years as an instructor and commercial pilot I joined Bristow Helicopters based in the UK. This was a huge move in terms of my career prospects as Bristow is one of the largest players in the offshore helicopter industry with operations all over the world.

Initially I joined in 2001 as a First Officer flying the Super Puma in support of North Sea oil and gas operations out of Aberdeen. Although most of my flying was concentrated north east of Scotland I've had temporary postings all over the UK as well as short term work in Norway, Australia and most recently a new posting to Nigeria. Bristow is the largest helicopter company in Nigeria operating the EC155, S76, Super Puma and Bell 212 for the worlds fifth largest oil producer.

Although the work itself is very similar to the UK my work cycle now is 7 weeks on 5 off and of that I will work about 4 or 5 days per week averaging 6-700 hours flying per year. It's an ex-patriot lifestyle that I work these days, but the tax free package and time off make it an attractive option if you're a travel hungry bachelor like me. The EC155B is my most recent type and it's a truly fantastic helicopter to fly. It cruises at 155kts and has the smoothest ride of any helicopter I've ever flown. It has a full glass cockpit display with a state of the art 4 axis autopilot which makes it a very hands off machine. As with all new Eurocopters being produced today the EC155 has been designed to minimise pilot workload , many of it's systems are very pilot friendly and it offers a greater level of safety for both crew and passengers. Eurocopter call this helicopter the "flying carpet" you have to fly it to see why!

For me making the decision to invest in becoming a commercial pilot was quite simple. If you are not happy with your current job you have to do something about it and make that decision to change. When I consider the alternatives to where I am today I realise that training at Bristow Academy was definitely money well spent! All of the graduates that I know from my generation are enjoying equal success across the globe and I can say with confidence that this really is a privileged career."

KEN DAGFINN RIAN

Ken Dagfinn Rian graduated from Bristow Academy in November 2002.  He now works for Bristow Group in Nigeria.

I started my helicopter career in October 2001 when I enrolled at Bristow Academy.  I completed the professional pilot program, with external load and turbine transition thrown in. After graduating in October 2002 I was offered a position with the Academy as a CFI.

Working as a CFI was both fun and challenging. Every day was a learning experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. But all too soon my visa was up, and it was time to leave.

I got offered a position as a pilot on R-44s for the Police in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. The flying there consisted of patrols and emergency call outs, but mostly transporting police officers and government officials between the different islands.

Next stop was the Seychelles to fly tours and charters. I flew there for 6 months and never got tired of the stunning natural beauty of these islands. After this I flew for a short time in the Bahamas until I got offered a job with Bristow in Nigeria (Pan African Airlines Nigeria).

Here I fly the Bell 206L4 and Bell 407 in support of the oil industry. The flying consists of shuttling people and materials to and from oil rigs, both offshore and in the swamp. In a typical day we fly on average 7 to 8hrs and log 60-80 landings. We have strict regulations that govern how much we can fly every day and how many breaks we need during the day.  This makes it a lot less stressful than it sounds. We work 28 days on and 28 days off. This schedule gives me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with friends and family, and also to do a lot of travelling. The work sounds repetitive and boring, but it is far from it. Throw in customer relations, thunderstorms, Harmattan haze, no VOR etc. and every day becomes a challenge with no two days the same.

I feel that my training at Bristow Academy put me in a very good position to handle the day to day challenges that comes with helicopter flying, in very different environments and locations around the world. It is not just the building of flying skills and the theoretical knowledge that comes with such a well designed and executed training program, it is also the attitude towards flying and the industry that is instilled from the moment you walk in the door.