Oof! When we get anxious approaching the petrol station to fill up our cars, spare a thought for student pilots. Already dealing with student loan shortfalls in the tens of thousands of dollars, the sudden mega increase in aviation fuel costs can bring on dispair. But is it? Check out how some of our winners are coping and what they are doing about it.

Happy Easter everyone! And we’ve thought of you having heaps of time on your hands. Here’s a decent read to help you relax. Jeremy Burfoot tells of the time he took a three year sabbatical from flying passengers around the world to flying cargo instead - from Anchorage of all places and for JAL.

It’s a great read with a few giggles. I recommend at least half a dozen hot cross buns and the tipple of your choice.

This is our second story about the Walsh Scout Memorial Flying School. The first was written a couple of years ago by Matthew Youssef. And now two of last year’s winners have written a report on their experiences as return students to the two week flying camp at Matamata.

It’s a fabulous organisation where young fliers forge lifelong friends and learn valuable aviation lessons as well as having a real opportunity to go solo before they leave.

Monty Francis. A special winner as he is the FIFTH winner for 2025. As a charity that can only offer up to 4 scholarships a year, this is quite the anomaly having five winners.

Monty had to be patient whilst a CAA issue needed to be ironed out but all that was put behind him when CAA approval came through two days before Christmas. And Monty has hit the ground running, already gaining his solo on his 16th birthday.

As a charity spending other people’s money (and John’s!), we have a responsibility to show what we are doing with it, and how well our vision is working out.

The end of the year is a good time for reflection and what better than real time progress reports from all our winners.

We hope you enjoy reading through what we and our winners are achieving. I recommend two Christmas mince pies and some brandy eggnog whilst you read this article - and of course - Merry Christmas from John and I 🎄

Luka can not comprehend a life without aviation. But she knew it would be the biggest financial ask of her young life. She gritted her teeth and committed to holding down a full time job whilst still at school! We’ve not heard of anyone doing that before. AND she also was a carer for her elderly and unwell father. And an artist…

You can read her remarkable story right here and see for yourself the quality of her artwork.

Pictured is Luka with her trophy with John Pauwels and Chris Woodwiss and Angela Gattung from The Gattung Foundation.

Rising above the odds, this is a story of a young man battling tooth and nail to get to his dream.

Sion is proof that if you really, really want something- then you go and get it. Obstacles are simply hurdles to be jumped.

If you think you are working hard to get to your dream, let Sion’s story inspire you.

Pictured is Sion with John Pauwels, and his sponsor - Captain (ret) Dave Meale.

Carly Sherriff is a wee pocket rocket determined to go places. With energy to burn, an infectious personality and a steely determination to reach her goal, we know she will.

Here is her story. Join us in congratulating her on her achievement in winning one of our Scholarships. 👏

Today, we are delighted to introduce Captain Mike Bannister, British Airways Chief Concorde Pilot.

Mike flew Concorde almost from the very beginning and took on the role of Chief Pilot from 1995 until the fleet retired in 2003.

We were fortunate to interview Mike recently, and we have put together a transcript of the interview.

Grab a coffee and muffin and settle in to read this week’s article.

Let the celebrations begin as we start announcing our winners for 2025!

Today we are delighted to introduce Rocky Thom as our first winner for the year. You can read how an intense childhood has given way to pursuing his lifelong dream.

John and Des Lines (Rocky’s mentor) presented Rocky with his trophy at Des Lines’ Aviation establishment.

In the last article, we discussed retiring from flying. But what happens when you suddenly lose your job through no fault of your own?

Soon to be Captain Steve Harris gives us his story of financial survival after suddenly losing his job during Covid.

A very public announcement advising John’s last flight - out of San Francisco in 2018. An emotional moment heralding impending retirement after 40 years.

But our retirement has been a blast. What will your retirement be like? We’ve put together this guide for every pilot. But it’s message is pertinent for anyone finishing their career, regardless of industry.

Like this introduction, it’s a long article - you’ll need your feet up, a good coffee and a muffin.

Captain Emma Hamilton sits firmly in the 1% of commercial pilots globally. As a female captain, she commands the B787 for Air New Zealand.

We’re thrilled to introduce her so she can tell us her story so far.

In our last article we heard from Tom what it’s like to start in the airlines as he rises up the career ladder. This week we hear from Jeremy Burfoot, ex Qantas A380 Captain, starting again as a First Officer on Air New Zealand’s A320 fleet.

Can you teach old dogs new tricks?

For those of you reaching for the dream, one of our Scholarship supporters, First Officer Tom Koppen, has made it! A few months back he passed all his line checks and is now living his dream - a pilot flying for Air New Zealand! Here, in this article, he talks about the training he had to go through once he began with the airline. An interesting read for those rising up behind him 👍

Gemma Bray, the fourth winner of the Pauwels Flying Scholarship Special Award (2022) has secured a full time Flight Instructor role at Nelson Aero Club. We are so proud of her!

Winning a Pauwels Flying Scholarship is one thing, but getting through the essential pilot training is another.

From leaving home, to organising adult life as well as University level pilot training, it’s a huge life change.

Mason Jensen tells us how it really is.

Flying the Concorde! Perhaps the apex experience in airline flying. John got the opportunity to tick off a bucket list item and we flew to the UK so John could fly the only operational Concorde Simulator in the world.

Was it worth it? Check out the cheesy smile at the end of the article.

BTW - it’s a long article so arm yourself with a coffee and a muffin and legs on the desk.

The sooner you decide that moving overseas for your first job after qualifying either as a CPL or C-Cat instructor is a likely scenario, the sooner you will find yourself employed in a global market starved of pilots - unlike in the tiny New Zealand market that produces way more CPL qualified pilots than there are jobs for.

Captain Shemuel Low decided very early on to head overseas and has never regretted his move.

In Part Two of Jetstar First Officer Andrew Vialoux’s aviation biography, he shares with us his Flight Instructor years and how and why he transitioned to an airline role.

There are many s to routes to an airline pilot role, and it’s important that you enjoy the journey to get there. Andrew’s story certainly demonstrates that the journey can be just as interesting as the destination.