Kestrel Aviation's Ray Cronin has been awarded the Col Pay Award for a Lifetime of Service to General Aviation.
The news broke yesterday as the Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and Australian Flying announced the all the winners of the 2018 Wings Awards.
The list of winners for 2018 is:
Col Pay Award for a Lifetime of Service to General Aviation
Ray Cronin – Kestrel Aviation
Flying Instructor of the Year
Lyn Gray – FlyOz
Aero Club of the Year
North Queensland Aero Club
Flying Training Organisation of the Year
Moorabbin Flying Services
Ray Cronin started flying in 1976 over time becoming one of the most respected people in the Australian Helicopter Industry. He has been CFI and Managing Director of Kestrel Aviation for over 30 years. Since 1989 his company has been operating Mangalore Airport north-east of Melbourne. Cronin also introduced the first helicopter simulator to Australia and as the helicopter specialist on the first CASA flight training panel, instigated the helicopter CFIs conferences. He was also a founding member of the Aviation Safety Foundation of Australia and spend six years as a Flight Service Officer. Cronin holds one of the most extensive array of CASA training and checking approvals in the industry and is qualified on a vast range of aircraft from large multi-engine helicopters to corporate jets.
The Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Australian Flying congratulate Ray Cronin on winning the 2018 Col Pay Award
Lyn Gray has made a substantial contribution to flight training in regional NSW through her flying school FlyOz in Cowra. A strong an innovative school, FlyOz attracts both domestic and international students to the town. As a Flight Examiner, Gray is one of the most respected and sought-after people for high-quality instruction in instrument flight and renewals. People who have flown with her describe her as being a high-effective instructor who has an excellent cockpit manner and applies a pragmatic approach to training and checking. Gray has become one of the most recommended flying instructors in NSW.
The Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Australian Flying congratulate Lyn Gray on winning the 2018 Flying Instructor of the Year award.
North Queensland Aero Club (NQAC) has been training pilots in the Cairns region since 1949. In that time they have launched the careers of thousands of pilots, conducting training from Cairns Airport and remote locations around the Atherton Tableland and Cape York Peninsula. Under the guidance of respected CFI Sally Scott for the past 20 years, the club has continued to service the area, moving in 2015 to Mareeba to reduce costs. In the last year, NQAC has continued to train pilots to private and commercial standard as well as RAAus RPC. The club has trained many CPLs to be flight instructors; two of whom are currently employed by the club. NQAC hosted the local Scout Group for a day (it does this on an annual basis), and also Year 12 students from the Atherton High School’s Aviation Studies Stream. NQAC is also involved with FunFlight every year. The club recognises passion as a large part of why people fly, and benchmarks board decisions against encouraging people to share the passion.
The Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Australian Flying congratulate North Queensland Aero Club on winning the 2018 Aero Club of the Year award.
Moorabbin Flying Services has taken out the Flying Training Organisation of the Year award for the second year running. With campuses at both Moorabbin and Barwon Head, MFS continues to innovate in the flight training industry to ensure high-quality training the produces high-quality pilots. As well as training cadets for airlines such as Qantas, Skippers, Susi Air and Sharp, MFS engages with secondary schools, running VET in schools programs in aviation. The company is also involved in the promotion of safety within the industry and with the general community in the form of open days, Scout flying days and is renowned for its Women in Aviation conference held in conjunction with the AWPA. In the past five years alone, MFS has invested $1.5 million in new facilities including two full-motion flight simulators. In the coming years, MFS plans to deepen its involvement with domestic and international airlines, expand its range of offered qualifications and work with the industry to ensure graduates are more suited to industry needs.
The Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Australian Flying congratulate Moorabbin Flying Services on winning the 2018 Flying Training Organisation of the Year award.
RAeS will conduct presentations ceremonies in the coming months.