Ross Brodie flew 16 different aircraft types on his 16th birthday, Alan Butler wants to crack the big time and Robin Kidd is an aircraft engineer on a mission.
Mr Brodie is both a pilot and an aircraft engineer and is part of an inter-generational family who own and operate the airfield on Rangitata Island in Canterbury.
He will be displaying at next Easter’s Warbirds Over Wanaka showing off his aerobatic solo skills in the Tiger Moth and Chipmunk for the first time. He plans to put his $10,000 scholarship towards stepping up to flying the Harvard.
Mr Butler is from Auckland where he flies as often as he can with the NZ Warbirds team at Ardmore Airport. He is already type-rated in the Harvard and will be spending his $10,000 scholarship on completing advanced training with the dream of one day joining the Roaring 40s Harvard Aerobatic Display Team.
Mr Kidd is an Auckland-based engineer who has worked on Warbirds aircraft such as the Spitfire. He will spend his $5000 scholarship completing his remaining five papers towards becoming a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer in the next 12 months. The rest of the scholarship will go towards advancing his Warbirds flying skills.
Warbirds Over Wanaka general manager Ed Taylor said the scholarship panel was impressed with the high calibre of all 20 applicants.
"While that makes our job harder, it also shows the Warbird industry is in good shape when it comes to younger pilots and engineers coming through the ranks. This was the whole idea back when we set the scholarships up," Mr Taylor said.— Allied Media
