ABOUT AUSTRALIAN HELICOPTER ACADEMY
Australian Helicopter Academy, located in Kununurra, Western Australia, is a top helicopter flight training facility. Affiliated with HeliSpirit, the academy offers Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) training. Here, students gain hands-on experience alongside the daily operations of one of Australia’s leading helicopter companies.
With brand-new facilities—including a dedicated study room and modern classroom overlooking HeliSpirit’s maintenance hub—the academy provides an ideal learning environment. The well-maintained fleet features the Robinson R22 and other top-quality training helicopters.
Located in the Kimberley, the academy benefits from diverse terrain and many nearby off-field landing sites. This unique setting is perfect for practical learning, just a short distance from the airport.
Instructors at Australian Helicopter Academy are experienced professionals. With thousands of flight hours, they bring valuable insights from various roles, including firefighting, search and rescue, survey, and tourism flights. They share their expertise in each lesson, ensuring students receive top-tier instruction.
HeliSpirit currently operates 25 helicopters, ranging from the Robinson R22 to the Airbus Helicopters AS350 Squirrel. Each tourist season, from March/April to September/October, HeliSpirit employs around 30 pilots. These pilots conduct scenic flights from nine remote bases across the Northern Territory and Western Australia, making HeliSpirit one of Australia’s largest employers of new pilots. For more information on their services and locations, visit helispirit.com.au.
HeliSpirit’s selection criteria focus on strong flying skills, positive attitude, professionalism, teamwork, and a high commitment to safety. Well-developed people skills and friendly customer service are also essential for HeliSpirit pilots. Through training with Australian Helicopter Academy, you’ll become a safe, skilled pilot in a rewarding environment.
Upon graduation, you’ll be fully prepared for employment, with a skill set that stands out to prospective employers. Additionally, our instructors have industry connections to help you explore other opportunities.
To date, 100% of students who completed their CPL at Australian Helicopter Academy and applied to HeliSpirit have secured employment.
POST TRAINING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
HeliSpirit selects the most dedicated and promising CPL candidates from Australian Helicopter Academy for commercial pilot roles. With an exceptionally busy scenic tour season, HeliSpirit provides pilots with valuable logbook hours and practical experience—an ideal foundation for a career in commercial aviation.
So far, 100% of students who completed their CPL through Australian Helicopter Academy have successfully secured employment with HeliSpirit.
ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE
Our highly skilled engineering team works year-round in the hangar, maintaining a fleet of over 20 helicopters to the highest standards. As an Australian Helicopter Academy student, you’ll participate in daily activities and gain insight into helicopter mechanics within this busy maintenance environment.
We believe understanding how helicopters operate is essential as you work toward your licence. This exposure helps build a solid foundation in both piloting and technical knowledge.
- Harry Shaw - ACT
"Highlights of the training has to be the training locations available to AHA. There is everything from open paddocks to tight gorges to remote pinnacles. Everywhere is stunning and with a bit of rain waterfalls pop up everywhere. I would 100% recommend AHA to people looking to get there CPL. Being in the Kimberley means you don't waste any time with controlled airspace, get to explore stunning areas and have top tier instructors as well as the added bonus of working side by side HeliSpirit and gaining an understanding of how a commercial operator works and the potential for employment straight out of training!" - Callum MacKellar - WA
"I couldn’t recommend AHA highly enough. The training environment fully immerses you in the industry which helps endlessly in learning all that is required to get your licence. The people involved in the training and the HeliSpirit employees made the entire process an unforgettable experience." - Sam Bleakley - Harrow, VIC
"The decision was easy for me when choosing to do my training with AHA. They have experienced instructors who have incredible experience in all areas of the helicopter industry such as long lining, fire fighting, mustering etc. Being exposed to a large helicopter business has also been brilliant as you get real insight into how a professional helicopter company is run and what they expect from a professional pilot.
Having LAME’s and Avionics engineers on hand has been a huge bonus as they gave me a solid understanding to the ins and outs of a wide range of aircraft. Most of all l was influenced with the scenario based flying and the attention to detail that AHA provide so I can become a true professional in the industry."