From watching planes to earning his wings

Flying Officer Stephen Beck recently earned his “Wings” at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base in Ohakea. He was also awarded the De Lange Trophy for gaining the highest final flying mark on the course.

“I loved seeing and hearing the C-130 Hercules, P-3 Orions and Hueys flying overhead. I always wanted to be a pilot; it just took me longer than I thought to get there. I went off and got my Bachelor of Commerce before deciding to become a pilot,” said Flying Officer Beck

Flying Officer Beck said his father was a military pilot and flew the Hercules before he was born, so part of the family dynamic was learning about the intricacies of flight and how it all fits together.

“What fascinates me most about aviation is the interaction between technology and people. Aircraft are technological marvels in their own right – each small component like the engine or the flight control system. Then you have the skill element of the human in the machine, and the trust pilots need to have with the aircraft maintainers,” said Flying Officer Beck. 

Student pilots train in the T-6C Texan II aircraft, a single engine turbo-prop aircraft purpose-built for military training and seat the trainee in the front and instructor in the rear operating dual controls. The Texans are a familiar sight over the lower North Island, typically with six flying at any one time. 

Flying Officer Beck said the pilot training course is difficult but instructors help and support them every step of the way. 

“The course is designed for people that have never flown before, and it gets progressively harder as you progress. You start off on the ground in a classroom learning the basics of flight before starting to fly with an instructor, and work your way upward to your first solo flight and becoming a skilled military pilot,” said Flying Officer Beck.

Flying Officer Beck said whilst there are minimum qualification requirements to join as a pilot, the most important thing is to have a good work ethic and a positive attitude.

He said the highlight for him was definitely the “mission” phase towards the end of the course.

 “You get given a mission with a number of objectives and leave it to you and course mate to come up with a plan and execute that mission within a set time. You have to put everything you’ve learned over the course together – formation flying, instrument flying, and time on target low level visual navigation (below 500 feet),” said Flying Officer Beck. 

Flying Officer Beck is hoping to be streamed onto the King Air 350 before eventually moving on to fly the P-8A Poseidon. Seven pilots got their wings at graduation and will move into their next area of flight training.