Program Takes Students from Zero to Full Employment

Bristow Group Inc. announced their latest cohort of trainees has commenced their course of study under their fully sponsored UK cadet program held in partnership with Helicentre Aviation. 

The program is the only one of its kind in the UK that allows cadets to enter, train, graduate, and transition directly into employment with Bristow, where they gain type ratings and begin their careers as First Officers with one of the largest rotary wing operators in the world. Competition for entry is stiff, with over 1,200 applicants vying for one of four slots in this year’s class. 

The lucky cadets, Kelly Wood, Ashley Simpson, Felix Lilleyman and Matthew McClune, have begun their initial training at Helicentre Aviation’s training facility in Leicester, England, where they will be operating from for the next 15 months. The cadets will prepare and complete 13 examination passes and 135 hours of flying required to pass the Commercial Pilots license skills test before changing locations to Bristow’s Aberdeen, Scotland location for another 3 months of their capstone training. Once finished and licensed, the trainees will join the company’s line pilots flying regular passenger flights to various offshore assets under the tutelage of Bristow’s Line Training Captains. 

The training scheme is one way that companies have begun to grow their own talent, in an industry facing large retirements as older, experienced pilots reach mandatory age limits. Paying their own way for the flight time, and aviation ratings is a daunting task for a beginner, often hyper-focused on their aviation career to the exclusion of other professional certifications. Increasing fuel, insurance, and rental costs have nearly priced out a segment of candidates who could make for quality flight crew, and Bristow hopes to find those select diamonds in the rough. 

One of the cadets, Felix Lilleyman, can’t wait to get started. “To have the support from Bristow means everything to me, it's a golden ticket. It would have been significantly more challenging and taken a very long time for me to pursue a civil aviation career without it. I can’t remember a day I didn’t want to be a helicopter pilot, so I’m really excited about starting my training.”

Matt Rhodes, director UK Oil & Gas, said: “Bristow has a long legacy of supporting the next generation of pilots and we continue to see the value in this programme. Despite the challenges the last 18 months have presented, we understand the need to support new talent in the industry to ensure they are trained to the highest standards.”

FMI: www.bristowgroup.com