April 12th, 2012
Jeff Kimball came to us for his first discovery flight back in December of 2011. After one flight Jeff was hooked on helicopters and is aspiring to become a Certified Flight Instructor in the near future. Every Sunday, wind, rain, or snow Jeff makes the trek from his home in Keene, New Hampshire, a two and a half hour drive to North Andover Flight Academy. After a lot of hard work, dedication and putting up with his flight instructor squawking in his ear, Jeff went for his first solo flight on April 1 2011.
 Ready to solo! That Sunday was a really calm and mild day – a perfect day for your first solo. Jeff and his flight instructor, Mike, hit the books at 9 am to review his pre-solo and SFAR 73 test. After the review and a few laughs, endorsements taken care of and preflight finished the only thing left was to go flying.
The two of them went up to warm up with a few normal approaches and autos, and decided the spring weather was cooperating. Not surprisingly, a lot of other local pilots were enjoying the weather too, and Lawrence airport was hopping as everyone came out to take advantage of the beautiful spring day. It was busy at the airport and Mike asked Jeff if he wanted to wait for the airport to calm down. “Nope, let’s get this over with,” was his response.
 Back from a successful flight Jeff handled his first solo like a champ, on a really busy day and ended it with a perfect set down and a smile from ear to ear. Well done! Now it’s time to work on some cross country flights and in a short time Jeff will have his pilot’s license.
 Back at the ramp - Mission accomplished Here at North Andover Flight Academy we will give you the training you need to handle your solo with confidence and pass your checkride like a pro. We have locations at both towered and non-towered airports, and in your training you will fly everywhere from the mountains of New Hampshire to the city of Boston. But the biggest thrill will probably be those first few laps around the pattern when you are alone and in command of the helicopter. Well done Jeff, you have more fun and accomplishments to come!
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March 26th, 2012
Congratulations Mitch Anderson, owner of Anderson Timber Harvesting, on reaching the solo stage of flight training. When Mitch is not busy harvesting timber, he is working towards a helicopter commercial rating to help spot his next area to clear for development. Mitch has a great attitude and is committed to safe flight training. After a few more hours of solo practice, his private check ride is now in sight!
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March 9th, 2012
Hats off to Alex Miserandino who successfully passed his Commercial Helicopter Check Ride! Alex lives in New Hampshire but chose our North Andover Flight Academy location where he is moving right along through the program to become a professional helicopter pilot. Alex is now continuing his pilot career as he switched to the left seat in the Robinson R-22 to begin training as a Helicopter Certified Flight Instructor. While most of Alex’s training has originated from the Lawrence Airport, Alex chose to take advantage of our best kept secret, Marlboro Airport (9B1) as a host for his check ride. Marlboro provides our students with a quiet field, (Class Golf Airport) which most of the time offers its runway and surrounding area to efficient helicopter training!
Alex has been a pleasure to fly with and the instructors at North Andover Flight Academy are certainly proud of our most recent, and youngest Pilot to reach the Commercial level at the age of only 21! Way to go!
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March 3rd, 2012
Time for an update and some overdue kudos to students who are making great accomplishments in their helicopter training.
Ali came to us from Turkey last fall to get his Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) helicopter rating. After flying for years with the Turkish military he had the hours he needed, and was looking to get the FAA rating to help him get a job flying helicopters overseas. He came ready to work, having already passed his ATP written. It wasn’t quite as simple as we expected, what with the new aircraft, the new airspace, and a new language, but he finished up in just over 10 hours and walked out the door ready to work! All of us here were impressed with his drive and hard work, and wish him the best in his new adventures.
 After a successful checkride We’ve had a couple of new solos too. Mike Williams is a graduate of our previous ground school, and has been coming in on the weekends to fly when his busy work schedule permits. He’s out of town a lot, but he’s a natural with controlling the helicopter and gets right back in the swing of things when he does stop by to fly. On a clear day last winter he came in and flew a few trips around the pattern with his instructor Chris, who then stepped out of the helicopter and after a few last minute words of encouragement sent Mike off on his own. Mike did a great job and had a fantastic time.
 Mike after his first solo And Ed Bond, a fixed wing pilot who flies up from Beverly for his training had his first helicopter solo just this last week. After a few minutes warming up in the air with his instructor, Ed did a picture perfect pickup from the ramp and off he went. After a good time playing around in the pattern he was back, all smiles. Even though he had already had a ‘first solo’ in an airplane, this one was just as exciting. “They’re all firsts” he said, and it was good to see he was just as thrilled with his second ‘first solo.’
 You're a helicopter pilot now, Ed! We are proud of all of our students, from students who are just learning to hover, to those honing their advanced skills for that next move in their helicopter careers. We believe every lesson should be both productive and fun, and our smiles are as big as our students’ when they meet their goals. Whether you’re already a helicopter pilot, a curious fixed wing pilot, or starting from scratch, we are your best choice for that next step in your helicopter flight training.
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December 31st, 2011
Congratulations to our newest Private Pilot, McLovin! (Michael du Breuil). With hard work and his commitment to flight training, Mike has proven that the FAA 40 hr minimum is still an attainable goal! Mike studied hard throughout our Helicopter Private Pilot ground course which runs 12 weeks, flew through his solo requirements, and shortly after, greeted his examiner with full confidence as he became a licensed pilot! His training was based at our Marlboro (9b1) location, with training flights conducted at nearby airports such as Minute Man, Hanscom (Bedford), Worcester Regional, Mansfield, Norwood, Lawrence, Fitchburg, and Plymouth. Michael even had time to get some extra Class Bravo training/experience as he navigated around the Boston skycrapers, Fenway Park, and the Charles River! McLovin is now preparing for Part 141 instrument training beginning early in 2012. Chicka Chicka YEAH!!!!!
 Confined approach practice  Preflighting the helicopter At North Andover Flight Academy, we have the facilities and instructors to get your rating done for you as efficiently as possible. Show up ready to work and we will get you flying! Our next ground school starts at our North Andover location on January 21st – you are welcome to come and check it out, whether you’re an old student returning for a refresher or someone who’s just interested in helicopters and curious about training. Come and see what makes North Andover Flight Academy Boston and New England’s top choice for helicopter flight training!
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December 19th, 2011
It’s hard for me to imagine NAFA without Steven – he’s one of those students who has really become a part of the place. He came out to New England from Montana a couple of years ago to train in our Part 141 helicopter program and it was obvious from the start that he was truly passionate and committed to becoming a professional helicopter pilot. He trained hard through the private, instrument and commercial ratings, and he worked hard, not only at learning everything he could about helicopters but also helping out around the school and generally becoming one of the family here.
 Helicopter CFI training in New England
Autorotations, confined area approaches… flying the helicopter was something Steven picked up quickly and he flew with skill and confidence in the left seat as well as the right. Then we stuck him in front of the white board for some practice CFI time and the REAL work began. Sometimes it’s hard to resist the urge to run out of the classroom and practice those full down autos one more time when you really should be getting your lesson plans together, but he stayed and soldiered on. He gave us lessons on all aspects of helicopter flying and answered dozens of questions from us as we played ’student’ and did our best to stump him.
 Teaching approaches to a Boston helipad
When we could stump him no more and he had two phone-book sized notebooks of lesson plans, it was time for his checkride. After all of the time spent with our instructors, especially Anthony, going through the lessons, the final test was a breeze. As usual, Steven did an excellent job, and walked out a newly certified helicopter flight instructor.
 A couple of happy CFIs! At NAFA we are committed to our students’ success, from the private through the CFI and CFII ratings. We are fortunate to have a great group of students at the school and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Steven and others like him whose positive attitudes and hard work make our jobs that much more rewarding and fun. We couldn’t keep Steven away from the mountains for Christmas – he’s back in the west breathing some of that good high altitude air for now – but we look forward to seeing him again in the coming year and watching his helicopter career take off.
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December 12th, 2011
We’ve been busy (as usual) at NAFA this month. You may have seen us on Groupon, Trubates, or Boston.com – we’re in full holiday mode and solving people’s gift giving problems with awesome helicopter intro flight deals. But let’s step into the wayback machine for a minute to give credit to a couple of awesome pilots who’ve moved on to new levels in the last month.
You may remember Chris – he’s been with us since he started flying helicopters last year. Once he successfully completed his private rating he began training for his instrument rating under our Part 141 instrument program. Chris is a veteran, and is moving forward with his training with help from the VA in funding his instrument and commercial licenses. He’s put in a lot of hard work and studying towards that instrument rating, and after a weather delay, finally got out for a few approaches. Everything went perfectly and Chris finally got a chance to take the ‘foggles’ off for a while. Well done Chris – we’re looking forward to some fun flying while you finish your commercial rating with us!
Meanwhile, down at our Marlboro school…
Michael came to us at the beginning of September. He came to Marlboro with his sister (who is training as a skater and can teach him all about Coriolis effect) and had heard good things about our flight instructor Anthony. Michael jumped in and got to work, flying several times a week and attending our group ground school on Saturdays. His hard work and intensive flying paid off and in no time he was ready to solo (and with the written test already passed too)!
A couple of trips around the patch and back for an awesome set down. He did a terrific job and there were post-solo smiles all around.
Stay tuned for more news about Michael – he’s going to be flying on his own as a private pilot in the very near future!
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October 18th, 2011
We started our fall season with what has become an annual trek to Sherman Farm in North Conway, New Hampshire. They had a rough time when Irene blew through, but thankfully they managed to save the pumpkins and one of the region’s most impressive corn mazes. Every year they say thanks to their sponsors and employees by giving them a bird’s eye view of the maze from a helicopter.
After a beautiful flight up and a few minutes scratching the heads of some very friendly fainting goats, we took off from the driest field there for some tours. Everyone had a great time — kids, reporters, executives, and farm workers alike all enjoyed seeing the fantastic results of their hard work and cooperation.
As always it was a great time, and the fall festivities up there promised to be loads of fun — stop by and say Hi if you find yourself in the White Mountains!
Back in our own home town we stopped by the North Andover Merchants Association Fall Festival to liven up their Touch a Truck corner with one of our R22s. It was a bit cloudy but the ceilings lifted just enough for us to take a hop over Sutton Street to the Knights of Columbus parking lot – the shortest flight we’ve made in quite a while.
Steven, one of our CFI students, and our newest instructor Mike brought the helicopter in for a perfect landing across the street, and spent the day introducing folks to the business behind the helicopter sign on Sutton Street. It was a great meeting up with old friends and new ones, and it was a great chance to support our home town.
But helicopter pilots are a restless bunch, and it wasn’t long before one of our commercial students came up with a fantastic idea. Why not get two hours of day cross country, two hours of night cross country, and dinner at the Carnegie deli all in one shot? Sounds like an unforgettable flight lesson and on a good clear day, Stu and instructor Mike were headed off to the Big Apple in our Robinson R44.
They got a bird’s eye view of some of the tornado damage in western Massachusetts before heading down to the Connecticut coast, then over to the Hudson and into the city.
They had no problem finding the West 30th Street heliport, though they did take a little time circling Lady Liberty and checking out the progress on One World Trade Center.
 One World Trade Center  At the West 30th St Heliport After setting down our R44 on the helipad our boys headed out for dinner and waited for the sun to set so they could start the night flight home. They stopped in for dinner at the Carnegie and Mike went to battle with “The Woody Allen,” — I think the sandwich won. But our intrepid travelers returned with the commercial cross country requirements done, lots of cool pictures and memories, and of course a souvenir NYPD helicopter!
Check out more pictures from their New York adventures on our Facebook page, and stay tuned for more student news. At NAFA we don’t limit our students to practicing maneuvers in the pattern, but involve in diverse and challenging opportunities as soon as they are ready. Stop by or call to find out more about helicopter flight training with New England’s finest helicopter school.
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October 7th, 2011
Pedro’s been working on this day for a long time. He started training with us over a year ago, but he had a lot going on. He was working six days a week, and coming in to fly on his day off, bringing his family in with him so they could maximize their time together on their weekly family day. And just when he was close to that first solo, the only thing that could possibly be as exciting interrupted his lessons as he welcomed a new baby girl into his family. After a couple of weeks off, Pedro was back in the cockpit running through emergency procedures and polishing off his technique.
We can’t say it was the only high point of his year, but his solo did put a big smile on his face!
Here at NAFA we work with students of all kinds, from foreign students who come over for the sole purpose of learning to fly, to students who are fitting their flying in around work and family commitments. We work with your schedule to give you the best, individualized helicopter training possible.
 Happy Student, Proud Instructor! Great job Pedro! We can’t wait to post details about your successful checkride!
Tags: boston helicopter school, boston helicopter training, helicopter filght school, helicopter flight school boston, helicopter school boston, helicopter training boston
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September 24th, 2011
Matthais came here last fall on business and decided to finally satisfy his curiosity about helicopter flying. He took a couple of flights and loved it, but didn’t have the time to fly before he had to return to Germany. Fast forward to this summer and he came back with a mission — finish his add-on helicopter rating in two weeks! Marlboro was the perfect spot for this intensive training, giving him the most maneuvering time during each flight lesson and a relatively quiet airspace. Anthony cleared out his schedule and he and Matthais spent the next two weeks working nonstop on the ground and in the air. A few days before he was scheduled to return home Matthais took his checkride and did an outstanding job.
He wrote to us a while later and had this to say:
“I am now back in Germany and don´t want to forget saying >THANK YOU< for the good support and great training you provided during my 2 weeks at Marlboro Airport. It was a challenge and lot of work, nevertheless it was a great pleasure working with you towards our success.
>>> Great performance: If there would be a search for the best CFI i would nominate your name, you are the best instructor i met in my aviation carreer! THANKS! <<<”
Great job Anthony and Matthais! Instructors and students like you are what make NAFA Boston’s best helicopter flight school.
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