By
Lisa Evans
 |
| ABMED
Paul Mayer donates blood at HMAS Cairns. |
Commander
Keith Engelsman has recently achieved an aviation milestone, celebrating
40 years of flying.
His first flight was on July 5th 1963, when he flew a 20-minute
familiarisation in a de Havilland Chipmunk.
To celebrate his 40-year milestone the Aviation FEG surprised
CMDR Engelsman with a flight in a Hiller 12C, the aircraft type
in which he did his rotary wing training in 1963.
One of only three in operation in Australia, it was flown from
Bankstown to HMAS Albatross especially for the occasion.
CMDR Engelsman has had a long and illustrious career. Over 40
years of flying he has amassed a total of 7677.2 flying hours
- a most respectable average of almost 200 hours per year. Even
more impressive is that he has piloted over 189 different aircraft
types.
CMDR Englesman's work was recently recognised by the Royal Aeronautical
Society, who have awarded him with the prestigious RP Alston medal
for his vast experience and courage as a test pilot.
