16/05/2026
We are pleased to announce that Capt. David Harrison will be joining the New Zealand Airline Academy as Head of Training and Chief Flying Instructor at the Whanganui base. He will also serve as Head of Training for Part 141 operations across all bases.
Capt. Harrison brings with him a wealth of aviation, training, leadership, and regulatory experience. Below is a brief overview of his distinguished career.
Capt. Harrison completed a BSc (Hons) degree in Geography at Liverpool University before joining the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1977. Following flying training, he was posted onto the Phantom FGR2, became a Qualified Weapons Instructor, and accumulated over 2,000 flying hours on the aircraft. During his RAF career, he rose through the ranks from Squadron Leader, to Wing Commander, to Group Captain, before retiring as an Air Commodore. During this time, he also served as a display pilot with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, flying both the Spitfire and Hurricane.
During his military career, he also held senior oversight responsibilities within the RAF flying training system.
Following his retirement from the RAF, Capt. Harrison joined CTC Aviation (now L3Harris) as Chief Flying Instructor on the multi-engine fleet in New Zealand.
Capt. Harrison later joined the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of New Zealand, initially serving as Principal Aviation Examiner, before progressing to Manager of Certification and eventually Deputy Chief Executive – Aviation Safety.
Since leaving the CAA, Capt. Harrison has continued conducting flight tests for Aspeq on behalf of the CAA.
NZAAL is confident that Capt. Harrison’s extensive operational and aviation training experience will further strengthen the Academy’s high training standards and commitment to excellence.
We are delighted to welcome Capt. Harrison as Head of Training. His broad aviation expertise, leadership, and industry knowledge will bring significant value to NZAAL and the students we train.
