Elstree Helicopters

05/09/2026

CONGRATULATIONS Capt Hourican on passing your PPL(H) Skills Test 🎉 John began his flying journey with us last February and despite having some previous training experience in the R44, he opted for the much-loved Cabri G2 to complete his PPL in.

Living between Ireland and England, John was one of our midweek regulars, fitting lessons around work commitments in the UK but as they say “If you want a something done, ask a busy person” and John was always well prepared and prepped despite having a lot on.

“Earning the the PPLH and passing the skills test was a really big deal. I had always wanted to learn to fly helicopters but there was never enough time in the week to really commit to it. Last year i made the decision to commit to “go for it” and i chose Paul and the team at Elstree Helicopters to take me on that journey. It was a great decision. The tuition, support, professionalism and attention to safety was second to none. Paul, Holly, Dhillon, Tony, and the wider team were great to spend time with and they have collectively turned me into a Heli-pilot! I cannot wait to begin to use my license and to begin planning new adventures as Captain …….. Thank you Paul & Team.” - John Hourican

What an incredible achievement John, it’s been a pleasure to get to know you and to see your hard work pay off. We look forward to seeing where your license takes you!

04/09/2026

“Best thing in my life”… Well we can’t argue with that!

04/09/2026

CONGRATULATIONS student Michael on completing your Qualifying Cross Country (QXC) 🎉

With all of his prep and planning clicking into place, Michael was excited to check off his next flying milestone. After a busy morning putting together his MATED brief, Michael called ahead to his planned destinations to let them know he was coming and whether he required fuel. With Capt White supervising, it was time to check PAPA-WHISKEY and after a few final words of wisdom he was ready for the off. Taking our preferred route ELSTREE-DUXFORD-TURWESTON-ELSTREE Micheal flew a truly textbook QXC, and in Capt White’s words, his landing back at Elstree was “beautiful!’

“Completing my solo cross-country flight has been one of the most incredible and unforgettable experiences of my life.

Flying solo is much more than simply being alone in a helicopter. It requires confidence, discipline, preparation and, above all, the right training behind you. When you are up there on your own, you truly appreciate the knowledge and experience that your instructors have passed on to you.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone for their patience, support and understanding throughout my training. I feel very fortunate to have learned from some of the most experienced and respected people in the industry — learning aviation properly, by the book, with safety and professionalism always at the heart of everything.

You may fly solo, but you never get there alone.” - Michael

Well done Michael, with your mock skills already ticked off you’re now skills test ready!

COMING SOON – We ‘join’ Michael for his epic solo, be the first to view by subscribing to our YouTube channel or look out on our socials.

Can’t wait? See Michael’s reaction on completing his QXC in next post!

03/09/2026

What better than a little ‘haute couture’ for our Tour de France.

A variation to the UK Tour hoodies, our pilots will be travelling in style in these personalised, branded tees!

Make sure to follow their progress via our socials using or Flight Radar

02/09/2026

Mange, dors, vole, recommence!

Our Tour de France countdown continues, let’s take a look at where they’ll be getting some much needed R&R along their journey…

05/09/26 - Chateau D’Audrieu
06/09/26 - Auberge Ostape Bidarray
07/09/26 - Chateau de Fonscolombe
08/09/26 - Le Chateau de Candie
09/09/26 - Chateau de Fere

You can follow their progress via our socials using or Flight Radar

01/09/2026

The countdown begins! Can you believe we’re just 3 days away from our TOUR DE FRANCE 2026 and here’s the route…

Our 6 AV-venturers will be departing Elstree Aerodrome on Saturday 5th September at 10am or as close as PW time will allow. 3 instructors and 3 pilots will cross the channel then take an anti-clockwise route around France. Their chosen aircraft for the journe are… the turbine-tastic B206 Jet Ranger CLAY, our flagship heli Cabri G2 FPEH and our fabulous R44 HERZ

We will be documenting their travels throughout the week, following them from beaches to Boulogne, from mountains to Marseille and EVERYTHING in between so ‘join’ them on this EPIC AV-venture from the comfort of your armchair using or via Flight Radar

01/09/2026

29/08/2026

HoT Tip 🔥 August Edition

This month’s HoT Tip is one for all those reaching the final chapter of their PPL journey. Our HoT gives us his top tip for passing your PPLST.

Passing your PPL skills test is so much more than flying a bit of a navigation and doing a few manoeuvres etc. it's all the preparation beforehand…

The planning before and your threat and error management forms a huge part and shouldn't just be a separate items, they should be integrated within. Checking the helicopter that all forms part of it as well before you actually go to fly with smoothness and accuracy, the 5 navigational elements that are required, general handling and emergency procedures etc and the way to prepare for it is of course doing mock skills test. It's really important that your instructor performs this thoroughly, from start to finish rather than just a bit here and a bit there otherwise you don't get the full picture.

There's a useful document produced called the standards document 19 H, if you're training with us you find it in Dropbox but it is easily sourced online and it talks through exactly how the skills test should be performed. So really it’s about lots of proper prior preparation to make sure that you have good performance on the day but mock skills tests are the best way to do it.” - Capt White

For more information on completing the PPL course please get in touch

28/08/2026

In his most recent lesson, student Billy began with a navigation exercise over to Aylesbury Vale, which is a great spot for some practice forced landings and also to look at how much time you have during autorotation.

Well done Billy, see you next month!

27/08/2026

Here’s one of the highlights from our FREE Aircraft General Knowledge ground school session last week Capt White talked (and walked) us through a daily inspection LIVE with help of SIRD AND Holly-cam!

Want more? You can watch the FULL session NOW via our YouTube channel see below

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E62-bJmnDw4