April 2019 Student of the Month
Meet Marc Spielmann, age 32, from Switzerland. Working on IFR/CFII ratings to finish the Professional Pilot Program.
When asked at what point in life did you know you wanted to fly helicopters, Marc replied “I was interested in everything flying from an early age, seeing a lot of rescues and aerial work close to where I lived turned my attention to helicopters. My parents made the ‘mistake’ of gifting me an intro-flight… and well here I am!”
Marc has flown in a Cabri G2 and an EC120 in his Swiss private -training, he has also flown a Robinson R22/R44. Marc laughed when saying he still loves the Cabri but “I have to say, the Robbies did grow on me.” Marc shared his hopes for his training; “I really want to work as a flight instructor to get some experience for my career. Also flying tours is high on my bucket list. Later I would love to fly aerial work in an A-star… but honestly.. I just want to work in a HELICOPTER. Doesn’t really matter what the job is 
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.Obstacles Marc has had to overcome was “getting over frustration when you hit learning plateaus. Also figuring out financing wasn’t always easy as it is hard for us Europeans to get any kind of loans back home.”
Marc suggested as advice for future students; “First of all be sure that you’re fully committed to it, EVERYTHING else will work out, be patient and enjoy the best of your life. YOUR FLYING!” When sharing about his favorite experience while flying with MLH Marc said “There has been a lot, hard to choose. Probably the night flight over the city of Honolulu or one of the cross country to another island. My favorite thing about flying in Hawaii at MLH has been the diverse terrain, the Bravo-Airspace at HNL, the high winds, and of course, it’s just beautiful place to be
Marc said he selected to come to Mauna Loa Helicopters because “I searched for a career builder and not only a time builder school. MLH popped up as one of the few F1 schools. Research online gave me only positive feedback and I called the school. After talking with Ben it was clear.”
Congratulations to Marc on this award. Keep working hard and we look forward to seeing your graduation photo coming up soon.