02/10/2026
Back in Canberra for the Foxbat’s next 100-hour service, and there’s a story unfolding over the next two or three days that I’d love to invite RAAus to cover.
Joining me from Melbourne is Shane Lewis, a fellow With Wings director, CASA-registered pilot and experienced aircraft maintainer. After two years marked by a leg amputation, hospital stays and rehabilitation—and the loss of his maintenance job—Shane is taking a significant step back into aviation.
Coming out of rehab, he’s committed to making this trip and getting hands-on alongside the maintenance team. The goal is to restore his L2 currency and get him current in the cockpit again, with this service a practical step towards both.
There’s a broader opportunity here, too. At a time when aviation needs more maintenance hands, supporting an experienced person back into the sector brings hard-earned skills back into use. For Shane, it’s a return to work and flying. For the aviation community, it’s another capable person working towards being available to help keep aircraft flying.
That’s an important part of what we’re building through With Wings: opening pathways into aviation, and helping people find their way back when life changes the route.
It would be a natural follow-up to your Coldstream-to-Canberra story. The Learn 2 Fly maintenance team has also moved premises and expanded its capabilities since that visit, so there’s plenty happening on both sides of the hangar doors.
One service, several things moving forward: an aircraft cared for, skills returning to use, and a pilot working towards getting airborne again.
Huy Nguyen
Chairman, and volunteer for withwings.org.au
