Nelson Aviation College

27/09/2026

Well done, Jonathan – we look forward to having you experience our amazing Boeing 737 simulator!

Our Youth Winner (ages 13-18) for the 2026 Plane Spotting Competition is Jonathan Oliver! Jonathan spends hours shooting at the Airport and his patience paid off with this epic moment! Jonathan wins a Boeing flight Simulator experience with the Nelson Aviation College .
Judge Martin de Ruyter said: Success in photography is often rewarded by extra effort, like walking around to the western side of the airport to photograph aircraft. So the winner made their own luck with effort by having a rainbow show up. Another fine example of creating a photograph rather than simply taking a photograph.

27/09/2026

We've been busy flight testing recently, with many of our students celebrating their achievements. Congratulations Kate Larkin, Reuben Brown, Georgia Wills, Jacob Madacanno-Holland and Charlie Hegan (absent from photo) for successfully passing your CPL flight tests. While Kate and Reuben continue their training and have started their C Cat Instructor Ratings this week, it's farewell and best wishes to Jacob, Georgia and Charlie. Fantastic achievements everyone.

26/09/2026

Well done Jasmine Riley who successfully passed her MEIR recently. Jasmine now returns to Motueka base to complete her CPL.

25/09/2026

Nice work Harrison Martin and congratulations on your recent PPL flight test pass. With thanks to Lachie for instruction. Harrison continues his training with us and is currently taking on CPL theory.

24/09/2026

Can an aircraft turn too sharply?

When flying on instruments, pilots can’t rely on what their body feels, they have to trust what the instruments tell them. It’s a strange but critical part of IFR flying, and it’s exactly what makes questions
like “can an aircraft turn too sharply?” so important to understand.

In this video we explain why. Without visual reference to the horizon, the human body is easily fooled during a turn. Balance organs can settle and convince a pilot they’re flying straight and level, even when the aircraft is banked and turning. This is where spatial disorientation comes in, and it’s one of the biggest risks in instrument flying.

That’s why IFR pilots are trained to fly by the instruments, not by feel. Attitude indicators, turn coordinators and airspeed all tell the real story, keeping the aircraft within safe limits regardless of what the body thinks is happening.

Learning to trust instruments over instinct is one of the fundamental skills every IFR pilot develops, and
it’s a big part of what makes instrument flying such a unique challenge.

24/09/2026

A new team of graduating C Cat instructors are now in the job market. Fantastic work all of you, and congratulations on your dedicated efforts in completing the Diploma in Aviation Flight Instructor. We wish you all the very best in the next phase of your aviation careers. Many thanks to Olivia and Andrew for this cohort's C Cat instruction. A huge effort required by everyone.

22/09/2026

Nice work Daniel Tasker on your successful PPL flight test recently. Well done. We're looking forward to seeing you back in December Daniel to begin your Diploma in Aviation with us. A cool milestone for Instructor Georgie also with her first PPL flight test pass.

22/09/2026

Great work Talisker Dougan on your successful CPL flight test. Congratulations, and thank you Nathan for Talisker's instruction. It's over to our Nelson base now for Talisker's MEIR flight training.

20/09/2026

Our PPL Flight Radio class enjoyed some out of class learning recently with a trip to Nelson Airport's Air Traffic Control tower. Great to extend skills and learn what and who are on the other side of radio calls. Thanks Instructor Georgie for making the trip happen.

17/09/2026

Studying in Nelson Tasman is about more than just time in the classroom or flying. Spring is a great time to get out, meet people and experience a bit of life in New Zealand.

From arts and culture to outdoor events and local festivals, there’s plenty happening around the region, especially for international students.

We’ve picked out a few events worth checking out this spring.

Save this one, grab some friends and go explore Nelson Tasman.