Congratulations to our Helicopter Training Student of the Month for March, Raphaël Lesne! Get to know Raphaël and hear about his journey through helicopter training here at Mauna Loa.
Name?
Raphaël Lesne.
Age?
34.
Current ratings?
Instruments.
Where are you from?
France.
What point in your life did you know you wanted to fly helicopters?
When the Search & Rescue helicopter picked me up, with an injured ankle, from a canyon.
What is your favorite to fly?
Autorotation, off airport.
What obstacles have you had to overcome to get where you are today?
All of them! Plus the language (and I still have hard time).
Where do you hope your training will take you?
To success.
Learning of each new flight to be as safe as possible.
What advice would you give to people just starting out in their training?
Discipline, determination and accept to fail.
What has been your favorite experience while flying with MLH?
1st solo XCountry : Oahu – Molokai over the water.
How did you pick MLH?
First for its reputation.
Second for its environment (wind, off shore, mountainous terrain, air traffic).
Third for its F1 student visa.
What’s your favorite thing about flying in Hawaii/at MLH?
Each flight is different and awesome due to the weather’s conditions, air traffic and places (so many to discover).
Are you looking to kickstart your aviation career? You could be our next Student of the Month!