Becker Helicopter Services Pty Ltd is owned solely by Mike and Jan Becker

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We commenced the flight training business in 1996 for several reasons

Jan and I wanted to start a family and therefore wanted to base ourselves in an ideal location. Instead of travelling over the World chasing flying contracts (which we really enjoyed) we wanted a base for our family for the next 5 to 10 years

We saw a need for a helicopter flight school with a difference, one with an experienced commercially orientated Chief Flight Instructor willing to pass on more than just how to fly but how to actually make it in the real world of Helicopters. A school that gave more individual attention to its students instead of treating them as "numbers".

Initially we were based out of Noosa Airport and called ourselves Noosa Helicopters. We started with one Bell 47 and our offices consisted of two areas inside a hangar. A great start with good support from locals. The school quickly built a reputation for friendliness, thoroughness and creativity. We produced a high quality, ready to go to work pilot. Basically we delivered everything we said we would deliver.

Early in 1998 due to the success of the business and the demands for bigger and better training facilities for our students we moved and built a training facility at Maroochydore Airport (15 minutes flying South of Noosa) and also changed our name to Becker Helicopters.

Maroochydore has the advantage of being a very relaxed and uncongested Primary Control Zone. This gives the student plenty of procedural practice on the radio in a non threatening environment.

Maroochydore also has facilities such as fuel, a new 17 million dollar terminal building and RPT operations daily in 737's and commuter aircraft to major locations Australia wide. It has purpose built airstrips, heli-pads, low flying areas and offers lighting for night operations and navigation aids. We integrate our theory courses with the practical training and include trips to helicopter maintenance facilities, Brisbane Radar and Tower, and anywhere else we can get you so that you can get your hands dirty and really get to know the helicopter and the Industry you are now joining.

We use DVD, time expired and damaged helicopter parts, practical demonstrations, student interaction and again any other means at our disposal to help each student learn in their own way at what ever level they are capable of. The premise is we are not here to get you through some exams we are here to teach you how to become a Commercial Helicopter Pilot. We offer a variety of theory and practical courses including PPL, CPL, ATPL , Night VFR, sling, low level, mustering and mountain flying, basic gas turbine and dangerous goods.

If doing a full 105 hour Commercial course we encourage each student to learn in two different helicopter types during their training. The preference is to do 85 hours in a H300 and 20 hours in a B47. This means the student when finished is dual rated at no extra cost. It also means you have a minimum of 20 hours in your second type instead of the usual 3 hours done for a post licence endorsement. To an employer and ultimately the helicopter insurer, this is important. If the student is capable we also encourage the completion of low level, mountain and sling load training during the 105 hour course. Each students capabilities and learning curves are different so these decisions are made individually as training progresses.

We have a dedicated ground instructor who is a qualified commercial pilot and Flight Instructors who have 1000's of hours of practical experience to pass on. We have a great team and the school has a great atmosphere.

We are fully VETEC accredited which means we are a Government accredited organisation teaching a Competency Based Syllabus. Mike is also a  qualified TAFE teacher. Being VETEC accredited also means our commercial courses are GST (Goods and Services Tax) free and Austudy may be available to Australian residents.

One question we are often asked is why we prefer to train in a H300 and Bell 47 when most other schools utilise the R22. The answer is simple. We are here to help you become the safest and best-trained pilot that you can be. To do this you need to learn to fly a helicopter properly the first time. The R22 is an excellent, economical helicopter but even the Robinson manufacturers state that the helicopter was not built with training in mind but as an affordable personal transportation helicopter. It is a testament to how well it has been built that it has fulfilled many other roles. However, it has a low inertia rotor system, an automatic governor, a very effective tail rotor and a de-rated engine. All these things mean you do not learn the basics of power management, RPM control and loss of tail rotor effectiveness, as you will experience in other helicopters. Go back to when you learnt to drive a car. Is it better to learn in a manual (stick shift) or an automatic? If you learn in the automatic can you easily drive a manual? Or vice-a-versa? Think about it. We like you to learn through experience, we like you to have to work hard and figure things out for yourself.

The TH55 alone has been used to train over 60,000 US pilots, and has done over six million flight hours, so why try to reinvent the wheel. Sure the R22 maybe cheaper to operate but the Bell 47 and the H300 produce a much better pilot. We used to have an R22 at Becker Helicopters but hardly anyone wanted to fly it...

A word from Mike

Hi, my name is Mike Becker and I am your Chief Flying Instructor. I have over 20 years experience and 10,000+ hours flying in helicopters, my aim is to pass on some of this experience to you.

I hold a Grade One Instructors rating and an Airline Transport Pilots Licence (ATPL-H). As your Chief Instructor my aim is to deliver your training in an atmosphere conductive to learning. I assume you want to fly professionally, safely and with maximum enjoyment. I am excited to be involved in the training of the next generation of helicopter pilots and believe we are living in exciting times where the world demand for helicopter pilots will increase over the next 5-10 years, due in part to the retirement of pilots trained during the Vietnam era and the opening up of countries such as China.

My background as a pilot began when I trained as a Fixed Wing pilot in New Zealand but one fateful day I stepped into a helicopter and have never looked back.

My career has taken me and my wife Jan from the mountains of New Zealand, to the outback of Australia, to the jungles of Papua New Guinea (PNG).

I have flying experience in cattle mustering, tourist work, sling loads (including short, medium and long line up to 200 feet), seismic, geophysical, survey, photography, filming, search and rescue, ship to shore transfers, contract military work, fire suppression, and much more. I have flown for such companies as Shell Oil, LL.&E, CRA, Parker Drilling, wild cat crews and so the list goes on, as it does for many helicopter pilots.

My aim is to pass on experience that comes from practical knowledge, giving one on one personal training. I believe this produces a high calibre professional pilot who is ready to go to work.

Early in my career I was frustrated with the challenge of getting my flight hours to the point that some helicopter company would deem me experienced. An interesting statistic is that it took me four years to get my first 1000 hours. But like anything worthwhile, persistence and attitude go a long way. In pursuit of hours and different machines and types of flying I went anywhere and at times worked for very little, but it paid off and I have been able to fly some dream machines in some very difficult and challenging terrains.

A career in aviation and particularly helicopters, is exciting and challenging and sure beats a desk job. I don't know about you but I love going to work and I love my job.

I look forward to helping you to fulfill your dream of flying that amazing machine they call the helicopter.

Best regards and see you in the air!

Mike Becker