Turbulence! For every passenger (or crew member for that matter), that loves turbulence, there are hundreds more who hate it. For some it brings about a visceral fear of crashing.

Pilots aren’t as inconvenienced as everyone else on the aircraft as they are strapped into five point harnesses. But down the back?… Well turbulence can be very…. tricky.

We’re just a bit proud to introduce our very own David Griffin to you. Not only is he a B777 captain, he also flies huge model aircraft and most importantly, he is one of our team. Dave is part of our interview panel for potential Scholarship candidates. His journey goes from cleaning toilets to captain. A great read.

Arthur writes about his time flying Hunters and Hawks for the RAF. This is the last of his military memoires before he moves back to NZ and starts with Air New Zealand. BTW, this photo is a Phantom caught in Arthur’s gun sights. This was not a planned air combat exercise, they simply came across one another.

In Part two of Arthur’s story about flying harriers, we get into real ‘Top Gun’ territory - but this time it’s real. And then we find out what happens to a large bird that gets in the way of a Harrier jet at 1000kph! 😶

Here is Part 1 of Arthur J Gatland’s story of flying Harrier jets as part of his Military career with the RAF. Seat gripping stuff!

Here is the first article written by Captain Arthur J Gatland about his career in aviation. Later posts will go into detail about certain parts of it. Nonetheless, even this ‘overview’ will leave you exhausted at what he has achieved - and needing a nap afterwards as you try to work out how he was able to fit all this into a career - that is still going strong, BTW!

To celebrate Women in Aviation week, Air New Zealand flew several all female flights - where both pilots and flight attendants were women. Here’s the story that featured in their Kia Ora inflight magazine in May.

Renee Brewer is a kiwi lass flying where others fear to tread. Flying for the Mission Aviation Fellowship she now lives in Papua New Guinea, having spent time flying in Uganda.

Here, she writes about her journey and what her role is.

Here is the wonderful story of Eric, a United Airlines pilot who only has one hand. Read how he controls the plane in his unique way. this is truly an inspiring story!

Just as the police govern the road rules, so too, does air traffic need regulation. Here, David Harrison from CAA gives us an overview of their role.

Being a Long Haul pilot isn’t all about looking AMAZING in uniform - it is quite physically challenging as well as requiring excellent fatigue management. Here, John takes you through what a Long haul duty looks like.

From believing that a pilot career was not a pathway available to someone in his position, Wen Seng has now graduated from the International Aviation Academy of New Zealand and is setting his sights on his first job, come what may.

When the chips seemed well and truly down for the aviation industry during the Pandemic one student pilot decided this was the perfect time to push through with his studies. He has been rewarded by quickly becoming an aeromedical pilot, a job with endless variety.

Ever wondered what an Air Traffic Controller does? Karl Taylor, Team Leader, Auckland Terminal (Approach), tells us about the job, working conditions and responsibilities. Fascinating stuff!

A pilot's job may be technical, but it is a people business, so customer service skills are essential.

When a flight turns tricky, using all the crew resources around you and working as a team can make all the difference to the outcome.

“Opportunity Grows You, Temptation Destroys You” - Advice from one wise man (Capt Ross Sparks, CFI, IAANZ) to other wise people who wish to keep learning who to be the best pilot.

Morris Tull went from being a farm boy to being a Captain on the A380. Here, he shares his journey to that position and gives us insight on flying the A380 - as crew and as passenger. He also fills us in on his aerobatic interests too. Thankfully not in the A380, though!

Gemma, Beni, and Ben have volunteered to give their thoughts on their experiences going through the assessment phases and this makes good reading for anyone who is about to go through pilot interview assessments – not just the Pauwels Flying Scholarship assessment process.

In just 10 years, Josh Back went from High School Student to First Officer with Air New Zealand. How did he do it?