Helicentre Aviation Academy has taken delivery of its sixth brand new Guimbal Cabri G2 helicopter. The aircraft, which is painted in the company’s silver-grey colors, was collected from Helicoptérès Guimbal in Marseille, France. It was flown back to the U.K. by one of the company’s pilots, together with a private pilot who is working towards a combined CPL(H) and BSc (Hons) degree delivered jointly by Helicentre Aviation and Middlesex University.
The academy’s fleet of exclusively owned and operated Cabri G2 helicopters has grown rapidly this year with the production and delivery of four airframes in 2016 alone, one of which was shipped to Kissimmee Airport in Orlando, Florida, the company’s fair weather base for U.K. private pilots building hours between private and commercial licenses.
The new aircraft, registered G-TOOO, will be operated from the Midlands-based facility and will be used predominantly for training commercial pilots and flight instructors. Since the company began operating Cabri G2s, the hours flown have reached almost 9,000 on type. The latest fleet addition will help meet growing demand for the company’s approved courses.
Helicentre Aviation is renowned for creating innovative opportunities for trainee pilots and newly qualified commercial pilots and flight instructors. Besides the £1.8 million (GBP) (approx. US$2.3 million) investment into its large, modern Cabri G2 fleet, the company has also put more than £300k (GBP) (approx. US$382,000) into fully funded professional pilot training scholarships. These have helped several private pilots step onto the career ladder and get into full time instructional and utility roles within the company and industry.
