Capt Shanee Baker

“I started flying before lockdown. I had never had any flying experience before nor had I ever thought about flying helicopters. My day job consisted of sitting at a desk all day long and one day I thought …there has to be more to my life than this. That’s when I thought I needed to challenge myself, conquer my fears and build on my self confidence.
I am not particularly very tough or an “action girl” and to top it all I hadn’t a clue what a piston engine was…so when I first stepped into a helicopter I was daunted and actually quite scared and nervous. I mean the rotors made a huge amount of noise and the dashboard was simply incomprehensible.

My journey was fraught with difficulties. Not just my lack of confidence, not just the ten exams I had to study for and pass…but coupled with a change of work location, having to change schools as a result, two lockdowns and running my own business…..there were times I truly believed I was never going to get past switching the ignition key on…..…but…I thankfully have a stubborn streak. I persisted.

I have to say that flying with Elstree Helicopters and Captain Paul White has been amazing. The last five months in particular have been inspiring, difficult, utterly joyful, debilitating, frustrating …but nothing, nothing compares to the feeling of achievement and joy when I am able to fly the helicopter alone, change frequencies, keep my altitude and air speed, speak to Luton Radar, navigate while changing the pressure settings(QNH and QFE) and knowing if there was ever an emergency I could handle it….

Elstree Helicopters treats you as a person, not just another student. They make an effort to understand the personality of the student and focus on encouragement and patience. Its not about how many hours it takes you to get there and get your licence …for me it’s the journey. The skills, the level of achievement. I wanted to be the best I could be by the the time I get my PPL and Captain White and his incredible team are so supportive of that.

Paul has a calm and measured way of teaching. It’s both practical, educational and fun! Paul has a brilliant way of breaking down every exercise bit by bit so that you can understand what is expected of you and then  you are able to put it all together at the end. There is no judgement nor admonishment……never a bad word or loss of patience……but it’s the calmness and making the whole thing seem achievable that stands out in the teaching and that is truly and exceptional trait.

We are taught practical aviation survival skills…..after all, we can’t always guarantee the weather will be good or there won’t be something out of the ordinary that might happen if we are ever on our own, but it’s knowing deep down that the training is so precise and thorough that we have the confidence to know what to do if that ever happens…(although it’s very rare) it’s good that we are being trained to be proper and safe pilots.

Lifting the helicopter from the ground is not enough for me. The lift has to be smooth and level. Hovering is not enough…the hover has to be as steady as I can get it…seamless….taking off and landing the same….I need to perfect it…that’s just me because it’s not enough to be simply mediocre anymore….I was prepared to settle for that at one time, but flying at Elstree and with Paul and James (my other brilliant instructor)has given me the confidence to aim higher and improve on what I have learnt and so that hopefully when I get the licence I am already a competent and confident pilot.

What are my best memories so far …Oh  ….so many……but this year I was flying to Turweston Aerodrome on my birthday and when I made an inbound call to the tower, they yelled “Happy Birthday”!! on the airways…..I didn’t know what to say to that…the answer wasn’t in any of the Radio telephony books I had studied!!! It was the best birthday surprise ever and I knew that James had called in beforehand to arrange that. But that’s what Elstree Helicopters is like….personable, friendly, fun and caring.

My knowledge base has grown incredibly and yes, I had to work very hard…but when I watch the videos of me lifting steadily, taking off …….I cannot but feel a sense of pride…however, much of that accolade is down to Paul and his team and all I can say is a humble thank you for turning a scared, not very confident person like I was at the start into a pilot with some fighting spirit….you believed in me and I will always be forever grateful.

To all those out there that watch us flying in and out of the Aerodromes, coming in seamlessly from the skies…know that a huge amount of work, skill and effort has gone into that and know that with the right school and teaching you can achieve that too…..what are you waiting for !?”

– Capt Shanee Baker