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Kestrel Aviation was established in 1985 by Ray Cronin the Managing Director and Chief Flying Instructor for the company. Motivated by the lack of dedicated helicopter flying schools in Australia, Ray identified a need for a specialist helicopter training school and Kestrel was established at Moorabbin Airport. Kestrel was named after the small hawk called the 'Kestrel' which is one of the few birds that can both hover and fly. Kestrel soon outgrew Moorabbin Airport, and in line with its' key focus on training and achieving the best possible results for its' candidates, Kestrel carefully researched and selected Mangalore Airport in Central Victoria as its' new training base. The company moved all of its' facilities and staff to Mangalore Airport in 1989. This led to further growth and development with the addition of an aeroplane flying school and a 26-bed accommodation complex being added in the early nineties. Mangalore Airport has also enabled Kestrel to expand into one of the busiest helicopter schools in the southern hemisphere with 10 helicopters, all owned and operated by Kestrel. In addition to private and commercial courses, Kestrel conduct other specialist courses of training including helicopter Night VFR training and helicopter Multi engine Ratings. Advanced approvals such as low level endorsements, sling load operations and training in an extensive list of helicopter types can be accessed at the college. Kestrel is one of the few schools to offer a command instrument rating course which combines training in a specially equipped Robinson R22 before switching over to the Agusta A109 for final training and the test. Kestrel's fleet also includes a multi-engine 10 seater BK117 which is on firebombing contracts over summer and used for multi-engine training and charter during the year. The rotary wing instructors on staff, who have a proven track record of successful and satisfied graduates, compliment the excellent facilities at Kestrel. This has been achieved through dedication and commitment to a complete training package. A highly competitive, broad based training capacity has evolved, and courses can be structured to target the individual needs of students and airlines alike, with emphasis being placed on Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority standards as one of the world's best aviation training environments. Overseas students from all over the world, including Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, India, Ireland, USA and Germany have trained at the Colleges and are now enjoying successful careers in the field of aviation. While Kestrel's focus is, and always has been on pilot training it has selectively also competed in the charter and airwork market. This has included pipeline survey work, firebombing and fire reconnaissance, search and rescue, flood relief, oil spill mop up work, photography and filming, executive charter, scenic joyflights and airshow demonstrations.
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