Terry McGowan, Chief Pilot

Travel in comfort, knowing your pilot is one of Australia’s finest. Terry McGowan has over 7,400 hour’s helicopter experience, including over 1000 hours in the Bell 407.

Since 1990 Terry has been either flying or instructing others in helicopters of varying models. While working with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in Tamworth during the 2001 floods, the service earned a State Superintendent’s “Certificate of Recognition”. Terry has assisted with fire fighting in NSW many times during his career and has also worked for the Nine Network in Sydney.

Terry takes pride in his safe work practices, completing courses every one to two years and receiving approval from both State and Federal Police for the new Civil Aviation Safety Authority “photo” pilot’s licence indicating security background checks are cleared.

Every 12 months Terry attends the Bell Helicopter Training Academy in Dallas, Texas, keeping up-to-date with safety requirements and aircraft features.

Terry’s helicopter flight time includes:

• Combined total of 7,800 hours in helicopters.
• Total Command hours of day flight of more than 6600 hours.
• Total command hours of night flight of more than 400 hours.
• Over 75 hours in multi-engine helicopters.
• 12 hours of in-flight instrument training in helicopters.
• Over 4000 hours of instructing in helicopters.
• Over 1400 hours in the Bell 407 helicopter.

During his career Terry has worked for Bankstown Helicopters, Heli Adventures, The Nine Network, Hunter Region, New England, North West Westpac Helicopter Rescue Service, and Fleet Helicopters.

Combined with instructing duties Terry carried out frost prevention work, gravity/GPS survey in central NSW, day and night parachute operations, night flying instructing, video and still photography work, general charter and aerial work of varying kinds. Terry was also the Rescue Service representative in Tamworth where he dealt with Emergency Management Committees, both Local and State, the Operational Review Committee, local Disaster Risk Management Committee and Tamworth Base Hospital Helicopter Committee while overseeing day-to-day operations of the Tamworth Base.

Terry is qualified to operate many helicopter models. They include:

• Bell 407
• H300
• Bell 206
• Bell 47
• Enstrom EF28
• AS350
• R44
• AS355
• Bell 206L
• Bell 212/412
• H500
• R22

Instructor and other qualifications

• Grade One (highest grade) instructor rating obtained in 1992.
• Chief Flying Instructor for Bankstown Helicopters from 1993 to 1996.
• Endorsed for both winching and sling operations.
• PPL(A) and Command Instrument Rating (A) – single and multi-engine.
• Chief Flying Instructor for the Heli Adventures Training School from March 1997 to March 1999.
• Completed conversion training to multi-engine command aeroplanes in 2000.
• Chief Flying Instructor for Fleet Helicopters of Armidale from (2001) to (2004).
• Chief Pilot at Bankstown Helicopters from 1993 to 1996.