About Us
Kurusha runs a Declared Training Organisation and flying club at Thruxton airfield.
Operations started from the Nissen Hut at Thruxton on August 4th 2024, using G-BNRP (a Piper PA-28-181), and four part-time instructors. One year in and we now have five instructors and a second PA-28, G-ARVV. We’re committed to your training and won’t be asking for payment in advance or flying when the weather’s marginal, and if you’ve trained with us you can (subject to a successful check ride and membership of the Club) hire our aircraft. Self-fly hirers are also welcome subject to a successful check ride and membership of the Club.
The ab-initio courses we run are for the new NPPL(A) and PPL(A), and we can instruct for the Night Rating and Instrument Rating (Restricted) too. We have access to several examiners, whom we can normally get at short notice. In due course we hope to be able to run aerobatic courses.
For more information either call/text Nick (07808 682704) or Dan (07776 180684) or email admin@kurusha.uk, and we’ll get in touch as soon as we can.
Staff
Nick
The ‘Responsible Representative’ – and Head of Training, holding commercial aeroplane and helicopter licences. An instructor and examiner since 1989, Nick failed to get into university so joined the Navy and flew anti-submarine helicopters during the Cold War before a career in aviation encompassing instructing and examining, managerial positions and lots of paperwork.
Dan
With over 10,000 hours in the cockpit, Dan has a wide range of flying experience from vintage biplanes and training aircraft, through to modern turboprops and commercial jets.
He has been instructing for over ten years and is a former airline Training Captain. Dan teaches for the LAPL and PPL.
Simon
Simon has been flying for over 23 years and has amassed over 2,400 hours instruction time teaching on LAPL, NPPL, PPL, night and differences training. He teaches on both microlights and SEP aircraft.
He has mountain flying experience in California, Nevada and Arizona and bush flying experience in South Africa. Simon has also enjoyed ferrying aircraft from the UK to the Canary Islands and back.
His main job is a software engineer and in the past has developed flight safety software licensed to a major defence company.
Don
Our most experienced instructor, Don has been flying for over 50 years and has amassed over 5,000 hours instruction time teaching on NPPL, PPL, CPL, night, IMC/IR(R), aerobatics and Flying Instructor courses as well as doing tailwheel conversions and most other differences training.
Don has instructed in the UK and Middle East and is an examiner for NPPL, PPL and IMC/IR(R) ratings.
For the past 25 years he has spent much time flying around the Canadian Rockies, visiting most airfields between Vancouver and Calgary and from the USA to the Yukon.
Andrew
Andrew started his flying career with the RAF, flying Nimrods and instructing on the Tucano before finishing his service as a test pilot at Boscombe Down. After working for an airline and then as a commercial pilot he retired from commercial aviation to enjoy flying in its truest, basic form in a variety of vintage and training aeroplanes. After over forty years of flying he enjoys tailwheel, aerobatics and the art of navigating by map, stopwatch and ground features the most.