Mentoring

David Griffin - B777 Captain

After several years of Air Training Corp and model flying while at high school I started learning to fly as soon as I left school, funding a lesson from the each pay.  After 2 years learning to fly I was selected for Air Traffic Controller training.  This led to a posting to Hamilton where I continued learning to fly, completed CPL, instrument and instructor ratings.  I really enjoyed the challenge of ATC but my heart as in the air.  In 1985 I left ATC to pursue a flying career, first as a freelance instructor and Charter pilot and then full time at Ardmore, instructing, flying radio station road patrols and scheduled operation to Waiheke Island.  In 1988 I joined Air NZ with about 2500 hours.  I have flown the F27, B737 200 & 300, 767, A320, 787 and now the 777, I also instructed on the 737 and A320.  

I still love flying - from the challenge of the flying Boeing 777, to competing with model aeroplanes, to flying Light Sport Aircraft which I enjoy the really basic nature of this flying.

I have enjoyed the mentoring several aspiring aviators, several of whom are now at various stages of their flying careers.

Arthur Gatland - B777/B787 Flight Simulator Instructor

I started flying at age 13 with the Auckland Gliding Club. By age 17, I had 200 hours gliding and was a B Cat instructor. At age 17 I joined the Royal Air Force (UK) for 11 years (1968-79). I flew Harriers (in Germany), Hunters and Hawks with a total of 2,500 hours of military flying, and was a weapons and air combat instructor for 3 years.

I returned to NZ in 1979 and joined Air New Zealand, leading to a 44-year career which continues today. I flew F-27, B737, B767, B777 and B787 aircraft with over 18,000 hours of airline operations, and became a flight instructor on all these types.

I also enjoyed 10 years in airline management, as the Air NZ Senior Manager for training and flight standards, with responsibility for pilot and cabin crew training. This included oversight of the introduction of the A320 and B777 aircraft. I introduced new programmes into Air NZ including Threat and Error Management, a new Standards Pilot Selection Procedure (sold to 10 airlines overseas), and combined pilot and cabin crew emergency procedures training.

I continued gliding, becoming CFI of the Auckland Gliding Club for 8 years, and I am an aerobatic display pilot, A Cat instructor, competition pilot and glider test pilot.
I also write CPL / ATPL exam questions for ASPEQ (for over 10 years).

I have participated in several sports at a high level, including being national champion in fencing and windsurfing, and represented NZ at fencing a number of times in Commonwealth Games and Oceanic Games. I have played basketball for over 50 years and still manage the Air NZ basketball team.

I have published two books - “Escape: The Best Sport Ever”, World War 2 memoirs of my father Frank Gatland, Stirling bomber pilot, POW, decorated for his multiple escape attempts. Less exciting is “Not Enough Hours in the Day”, my own memoirs.

Chris Kriechbaum - Retired, formally B777 Captain and Manager Jet Fleet Recruitment

Chris Kriechbaum started his flying journey at the Walsh Memorial Flying School held every year near Matamata. He attended the school 3 years in a row. The amazing Walsh experience was the motivation to obtain his PPL after just 6 months of going solo, all while in his second year of a university degree. In his last year at the school he was involved in a midair collision, fortunately everyone survived, though two aircraft were written off. 

His enthusiasm for flying understandably waned after that episode but was resurrected a couple of years after graduating from university. He decided to finish his professional training in the USA and on completion was hired by the school he trained at to be an instructor. After a year he moved to a corporate flying job and then a charter job in Iowa before returning to New Zealand for an Air New Zealand interview, which he failed.

He stayed in New Zealand for a year unsuccessfully looking for flying work, then returned to the US and flew for a charter company building his multi engine time. After two years he realised his chances of an airline job were reducing significantly due to his age and his then experience and so withdrew from flying to return to New Zealand to again attend university.  He completed a business qualification and obtained employment. Quickly he heard Air New Zealand was hiring pilots and so he applied, sat his ALTP exams, got himself current, interviewed and promptly failed the interview. This time he found out it was for medical reasons and so obtained written medical assurance that his condition wouldn’t affect his medical aviation future and was finally accepted into the airline. 

These continual setbacks while trying to obtain his dream job certainly gave him the all important skill of resilience, a skill that stood him well throughout his airline career. 

His airline flying role saw him progress through all the fleet types, finishing his career as a Captain on the B777. 

While flying he was involved in a number of managerial roles, including managing the Human Factors training programme, the jet fleet recruitment process and a role that established the airline’s collaboration partnership with 4 FTOs. 

Jeremy Burfoot - Formally A380 Captain

Captain Jeremy Burfoot was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, in 1959.
He joined The RNZAF as a navigator at 18 and was the navigator on the search for the missing Air New Zealand DC10 in 1979.

In 1981 he left the Air Force and spent three years as a pilot in the mountains of Papua New Guinea before being employed by Qantas in 1984 as a second officer.

Jeremy became a 747 first officer in 1986, and in 1987 he became a simulator instructor.

He was promoted to 747 Captain with Qantas at age 31, then took a leave of absence from Qantas to work for Japan Airlines, based in Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu.

In 1995, he returned to Qantas, where he remained until December 2020. At that time, he was an A380 Captain. He took redundancy from Qantas due to the Covid 19 outbreak.

In his aviation career, he has amassed over 23,000 hours of flying and has visited over 100 countries.

Jeremy offers a mentoring service on his website (https://jeremyburfoot.com/mentoring) and you can contact him directly via his website or apply via our downloadable form below.

Morris Tull - A380 Captain

Congratulations on being selected for this flying scholarship. In addition to the financial assistance, I hope we can help with mentoring and guidance along your journey as many of us really could have done with the help due having no family, friends or relatives in the flying game.

I wrote an article called, “Mindset, Money and Mentors” for this scholarship (see the Blog page) and this tells you a lot about my story and also has some motivation for you.

I come from a dairy farming family near Rangiora and my parents were very community spirited and they seemed to be on every committee or working bee in the district. I have followed in their footsteps having been involved in Rugby clubs, Surf Lifesaving club, Scouting NZ, Ski clubs, Sport Aircraft club, Air NZ Flying club and I assisted in creating the Air NZ Microlight club, a Kitesurfing club in Dubai and also the Ski Racing club at Emirates Airline plus I am currently the President of the NZ Aerobatic Club. I really just like helping people.

My aviation journey began by getting my Private Pilots License while still at high school then I became an Apprentice Aircraft Engineer at Air New Zealand, as being a mechanic was and still is my other interest. I saved my money and continued to get my Commercial Pilots license and Instructor rating while helping do the 50 hour checks on the flying club planes, eventually getting enough flying hours to go full time as a pilot. I went on to fly scenic flights, night freight, aerobatic planes, amateur built aircraft, twin engine Pacific Island hoping and bush flying, then onto 737s, 767s, before taking a gamble and heading offshore again to Dubai to fly Airbus A330, A340 and the mighty A380.

It has been an awesome 43 year adventure and I now look forward to an early retirement at 60 years old and full circle back to the flying clubs and helping out where I can and restoring aircraft in my hangar at Rangiora airfield plus getting to go to every aviation event or airshow that I have often missed due being a busy airline pilot.

As you can see, I have had a variety of experience, which I hope I can pass on some of the lessons learned and also be there for you to ask the questions you are shy to ask your instructor. We can assist you gain confidence around your more experienced pilot peers and help with job applications.

As I am still living in Dubai, I will be available via email or WhatsApp until 2025 and then you will be welcome to hangout and chat at my hangar while learning some extra aircraft skills or come along and fly some aerobatics.

I wish you all the best and I look forward to help you along your adventure in aviation.