Australian Flying is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 CASA Wings Awards. The CASA Wings Awards recognise the achievements of flyers, instructors, clubs and services in general aviation. CASA, the Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Australian Flying congratulate the following award winners.
Col Pay Award for a Lifetime of Service to General Aviation
Cameron Marchant
Co-founder and Head of Operations for Darwin-based Flight Standards, Cameron Marchant has 22,000 hours on fixed-wing aircraft and 2500 hours on helicopters. He holds ATPL (A & H). Flight Instructor Rating (Aeroplane) with virtually all training endorsements except aerial application and some helicopter training endorsements. He also has a Flight Examiner Rating with virtually all flight test endorsements except aerial application. Cameron served in the Australian Army has a reconnaissance helicopter pilot, deploying to East Timor in 1999. After leaving the army in 2006, he dedicated his career to civil aviation, serving with several companies on airline and charter flying.
In 2015, Cameron founded Flight Standards with Ben Mackney with a desire to provide vocationally-focused, practical flight training designed to prepare pilots for their entry into the aviation industry. Cameron believes GA operators were suffering from a gap between the standards of a CPL graduating from airline-focused academies and the expectations of a Chief Pilot in the graduate’s first flying job. The company also provides vital charter services that link remote NT communities with Darwin and has established a satellite training base at Archerfield in Brisbane.
Cameron later bought Kakadu Air along with three others. He is now the HOFO/HOTC of Kakadu Air overseeing the fixed- and rotary-wing operations there, focusing on providing first-job pilots with the opportunity to develop and grow.
Cameron has dedicated his career to pilot training and development, with a focus on the early stages of a pilot’s professional career, mentoring them how to succeed in the GA industry as the foundation of their career. This provides a capability into the GA industry as well as a much-needed mentoring avenue for pilots in their early years from an experienced and current GA CP/HOTC.
Over the last 10 years he has built a Company that provides a dedicated and innovative training course that directly addresses some of the issues currently facing the GA industry and directly backs up the training product, employing some 20 pilots in their first flying job, annually across the Flight Standards group of companies.
Cameron also spends much of his time traveling widely across the country as his skills and experience as a check-and-training examiner and trainer are in constant demand.
Aero Club of the Year
Royal Aero Club of New South Wales
Originally founded in November 1920, RACNSW was re-established in 2023 by a passionate group with a vision to carry forward its legacy.
Today, it is a volunteer-run and not-for-profit Part 141 Flight Training Organisation with a mission is to shape the next generation of pilots, leaders and aviators.
The club holds flying training camps, which are residential school holiday programs that provide teenagers with hands-on training and a structured pathway toward major aviation milestones. Held for the first time in January 2024, the camp brought together 34 student pilots, 15 volunteer instructors and seven aircraft, collectively logging over 202 flight hours across 9 days.
During that camp, three students completed first solo flights and two others reached their first training area solos. Due to high demand with over 80 young people submitting expressions of interest from across NSW, the club began early planning for the 2025 camp securing additional resources and expanded facilities.
In 2024, the club ran two Try-and-Fly weekends in June and October, designed to spark a passion for aviation and give the participants the nudge to take their first steps toward flying. Activities during these weekends extended beyond just flying to include aerodrome walks, tower visits and a BBQ lunch, making it a fun and immersive experience for would-be pilots.
This approach helped bring more people into the aviation community, with new members joining the club and a growing number of aviation enthusiasts ready to explore what the field has to offer. The revitalised club thrives on the enthusiasm from young people across NSW, establishing for them a pathway for their aviation aspirations.
As a newly re-established entity, the club is not quite in a position to purchase their own aircraft yet, but that hasn’t stopped the club from expanding the fleet. Several club members have their own aircraft and make them available for flight training and private hire. Currently, the club has a Cessna 152, a Piper PA28 Warrior and a PA32 Saratoga on line.
In February 2024, the Royal Aero Club NSW also received its Part 141 Flight Training approvals, which allows the club to provide structured, high-quality training for RPL, PPL, CPL and Night Visual Flight Rules (NVFR) rating.
The club principal, Lachlan Hyde, won the 2023 CASA Wings Award for Young Achiever of the Year.
Flying Instructor of the Year
Jeremy Miller – UPRT Australia
Jeremy Miller has logged over 10,000 flight hours, with 7000 hours dedicated to instructing, and has experience with over 100 different aircraft types.
Through UPRT Australia, he is a key proponent of Upset Prevention and Recovery Training, and has been instrumental in shining light on the importance of this skill for pilots of all levels and qualifications. He also leads, trains and mentors the Freedom Formation display team that has performed at air shows across Australia and recently became an author with his book Up, Forward, In, a treatise on the skills of formation flying.
His company won the 2022 CASA Wings Award for Flight Training Organisation of the Year.
Jeremy fosters a student's career beyond just the training syllabus by immersing them in a comprehensive aviation experience that goes beyond standard flight instruction. His dedication to aviation is reflected in his establishment of UPRT Australia, the first UPRT program in the Southern Hemisphere
His passion for aviation, which began in childhood and was influenced by his family's aviation background, drives his commitment to providing exceptional training. He started flying at a young age, achieving significant milestones early in his career, such as his CPL and Instructor Rating by age 18.
Jeremy's flying portfolio is diverse, from aerobatic flying to working with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and various roles as Head of Operations, Chief Flying Instructor and Chief Pilot.
This extensive experience allows him to offer valuable insights and mentorship to his students.
He is also a CASA Flight Examiner and his approvals to teach and test advanced endorsements like aerobatics (all levels including Ground), Spin, and Formation Aerobatics demonstrate his commitment to advancing pilot competencies.
By actively participating in airshows and competitions, he stays at the forefront of aviation techniques, continually bringing fresh, real-world experience back to his students.
Flight Training Organisation of the Year
PanAir – Bathurst
Based in Bathurst, NSW, for 30 years, PanAir has proven itself to be an innovative FTO that goes beyond the CASA syllabus when it comes to flight training. Although it has only three instructors teaching around 25 students, it punches well above its weight when the outcomes are evaluated.
PanAir has training approvals for RPL, PPL, CPL, MEA, design feature training, centre-line thrust design feature training, PIFR, CIR, MECIR, instructor rating, instructor training endorsements gas turbine and spinning.
The organisation’s strength lies in its personalised, inclusive training approach, commitment to developing aviation leaders, and connection with regional aviation communities. With a strong family-owned ethos, PanAir is committed not only to delivering more than just pilot training, but also fostering the development of aviation professionals.
PanAir offers training programs tailored to each student's specific career objectives and learning style. This personalised approach ensures that students are not only prepared to meet CASA requirements, but also are encouraged to develop into skilled, confident pilots with a deep understanding of aviation’s complexities.
PanAir was one of the first flight training organisations to launch an e-learning platform, which it did during the coronavirus pandemic. This enabled students to access theory content online. This innovation ensured that students could continue their education uninterrupted, with access to high-quality resources from anywhere in Australia.
This platform is now a permanent part of PanAir’s curriculum, offering CASA syllabus content and additional courses outside of regulatory requirements.
PanAir also offers a variety of courses designed to enhance student competency in areas critical to their future careers. These include human factors in aviation, advanced safety management, and mental health awareness training.
PanAir is a staunch advocate for gender diversity and inclusion in aviation. The school supports Women in Aviation International (WAI) Australia and contributes $5000 each year to a women's flying scholarship. Its initiatives have created opportunities for almost all groups under-represented in aviation.
Young Achiever of the Year
Georgie Arnold
Georgie has dedicated herself to promoting aviation through her work as a brand ambassador, developing and delivering extensive marketing and awareness campaigns with a professional and considered approach.
Georgie is sought after as a key note speaker and industry representative to speak to the under-representation of women in aviation, but also promotes aviation for all people.
Georgie developed a podcast called "Aviatrix Airwaves" and activity book for ages 4-9 Hayley the Helicopter. She undertook a three-month tour of remote and regional QLD to visit schools to promote STEMM and aviation, and regularly attends career fairs, trade shows and industry events as a representative of Koolardie Aviation.
She has presented to Parliament through the ABC Trailblazers program, speaking about the importance of aviation. In 2024 she was nominated as the RFDS local hero for the Townsville region and awarded the QLD Tourism Young Leader.
A finalist in the Townsville Business Women's Corporate Business Women of the Year, Georgie participates in the inaugural Accelerating NQ Female Founders Program to further develop her leadership skills.
Georgie is often called on to represent young aviators and specifically women through local round-table conversations with local and federal Members of Parliament.
Georgie has already demonstrated her capacity to achieve success through her determination. Her ambition is to gain an Instructor rating with the view to taking over the management of Koolardie Aviation.
CASA, the Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Australian Flying congratulate these very worthy winners and thank them for their significant contributions to general aviation.