Harry Bird - Class of 2019
Thursday, 16 May 2024
Harry took up a place on the St John's College Aviation programme 2019 and has gone from strength to strength.
Harry is now a Flight Instructor at the New Zealand Airline Academy. His job is teaching international students to fly, from their very first flight all the way to their Commercial Pilot Licence. Says Harry: "It is a job where no two days are the same. One day I may be teaching
landings, the next I have a couple of trips to Christchurch or Dunedin. I'm very thankful to St John's for preparing me well to go into my career. I feel the staff and school character in particular
helped me to have the curiosity and drive to ask questions and improve in my field, as well as the discipline and mindset that there is always something new to learn no matter your
experience."
And what is Harry's advice? "To a current student wanting to go into aviation, Iwould recommend visiting the local aeroclub and taking a trial flight. Get out there and make connections and a good name for yourself - having a good reputation and character is arguably more important than your flying skills. Finally, never give up - there may be times where it feels like you're making no progress, but ultimately this will help build your resilience later."