About

Ever since his first flight in a Bell 47 Sioux with the NZ Army Ned has been hooked on the world of aviation. Today he is still out there in all corners of the world shooting with operators to capture the stunning, innovative images he has become renowned for. Not content with sitting in the office overseeing the Kia Kaha Media team Ned prefers to get out into the field as that’s where his passion lies

Throughout his career Ned has shot everything from rotary wing to military jets as well as travelling to the frontlines of Afghanistan regularly during the early days of the War on Terror. Today he continues to shoot military aviation as well as the civilian helicopter world – and even expanding into shooting wildland fire-fighting from the ground.

Never one to stand still and watch the grass grow Ned and his team are always thinking of new ideas to showcase this amazing industry.

“Mark Ogden has been in aviation since a teenager. An ex-Australian Navy pilot instructor and instrument examiner on a variety of aircraft, he was also the Royal Air Force Central Flying School Agent for the Royal Australian Navy.

Mark also spent seven years as an accident investigator for Australia’s Bureau of Air Safety Investigation and Australian Transport Safety Bureau before joining an oil and gas company managing aviation operations in Papua New Guinea and Alaska for 16 years. 

He has also presented at various forums and written many articles on aviation and defense matters.”

 

 

Alan trained and worked as an engineer working for the British Government in Research and Development for over 30 years. He has been a freelance aviation journalist for 45 years specializing in helicopter related journalism and photography, and has been published in many International aviation journals.

He is one of the founders and a trustee of the award winning Helicopter Museum, located in the South West of England, which holds over 100 aircraft representing the wide spectrum of helicopter technologies. He was restoration manager for over ten years organizing the conservation and preservation of the collection, and has received a Lifetime Achievement award from Aviation Heritage UK, the umbrella body for all the aviation museums in the UK.

Alan is also a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale registered judge for helicopter sport flying events at National, European, International and World Championships. He has received the Royal Aero Club bronze medal, awarded annually for outstanding achievement in aviation.

After learning to fly on a RAF scholarship before he could drive, 'Foo' flew Bulldogs at London University while completing a history degree.  Joining the RAF with his heart set on flying Jets, he completed BFTS to Jet standards but was (happily) streamed helicopters due to 'service needs'.

Completing the last RAF Gazelle/Wessex training course, he was posted to his beloved Chinook, where he flew on operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Iraq, and qualifying as a Tactics Instructor.  Posted to an Evaluation and Training role, he taught the UK's tactics course and helped develop new TTPs before ground tours in capability management.  'Foo' finished his career with two deployments to Afghanistan.

In 2015, 'Foo' formed Ascalon Defence which provides SME input to industrial, Government and NATO initiatives.  He's heavily involved in NATO's NGR studies - with a lead role in defining Survivability requirements. 

Happily married for over 25 years, and with the kids growing up, 'Foo' is now able to spend more time writing (which satisfies his passion for history), enjoying a decent glass of Red wine and smoking the odd cigar, preferably while watching cricket or rugby.

Chris is a 1991 graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy, and the Australian War College.. He holds a Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering, and a Masters degree in Business Administration and has attended Harvard management and policy courses. Awarded his Naval Aviator wings in 1993 he completed numerous maritime deployments flying the S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter. Chris is a Distinguished Graduate (Dux) of the United States Naval Test Pilot School.

Chris held multiple senior Australian military command and staff roles including Officer-in-Charge of the Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit, Squadron Command, Chief of Staff to Chief of Navy, Commander of Australia’s Fleet Air Arm, Director General Air and Land Combat Analysis and Acting First Assistant Secretary Contestability.

Upon leaving the Navy in 2020 he was appointed CEO of Coulson Aviation Australia, then Vice President of Government Affairs for the same company. Chris now holds a portfolio of professional roles. Chris is an experienced EMS and SAR pilot with over 2500 flying hours in more than 35 different military and civilian aircraft types.

Leigh Neil’s involvement in aviation started back in the early 1980s, flying light fixed-wings in Canterbury and Nelson, New Zealand. With an ex-RAF father, one airline pilot brother and another ex-pilot brother who published an aviation magazine, Leigh has always had a passion for aviation. He part-owned a Thorp T18, participated extensively in competition flying for several years and obtained his CPL(A) subjects before family responsibilities took him down a different path.

He now lives with his wife of thirty-five years in the outdoors paradise that is the South Island’s West Coast, working in the mining industry and maintaining his aviation connection via KiaKaha Media. When not working or writing, he enjoys the quiet small-town life. Now that the physical rigors of hunting and fishing in the mountains are getting a little too demanding, he spends his free time exploring the twisting roads through the forested hills of Westland on his motorcycle.

Declan started flying in the Dublin Gliding Club aged fourteen before moving onto powered flight in the Ormond Flying Club in Birr the following year. Following this early beginning, he spent over twenty years in the Irish Defence Forces, initially in a local reserve infantry unit, and then as a helicopter pilot in the Irish Air Corps. 

While in the military, he flew a variety of types including the Gazelle, Dauphin,EC135 and AW139 in a selection of roles ranging from troop transport to VVIP and quite a bit of HEMS. In 2010 he served overseas with the UN when he worked in the Force Headquarters in Chad as the J3 (Air), coordinating all military aviation ops for the mission.

After flying for Starspeed for several years on a Middle East based contract, Declan returned to Ireland and is now flying in the SAR role for the Irish Coast Guard on the S-92. He lives in Dublin with his wife Stacey and their three children, Elise, Adrian and Jude.’ 

Jop has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and has been flying helicopters since 2014. Straight after completing his degree, he moved from The Netherlands to the United Kingdom to start his journey as a professional helicopter pilot. 

Before starting in the HEMS industry he was a flight instructor on the Cabri G2. He initially gained experience in HEMS as a First Officer in the UK, and got promoted to Commander in 2023, flying the AW169.

During his time off, he loves to travel around Europe with his partner Janine, who also flies helicopters for a living. They both manage a website together called Pilots Who Ask Why, which has 1 main objective: Making aviation and the technical subjects within it easier to understand for pilots, or anyone else interested in learning more about aviation.

Terry Miyauchi started his aviation career in the mid-1980s and served in the U.S. Army as an AeroScout pilot. Through the years, he has worked as a pilot, instructor pilot, standardization pilot, safety officer, and aviation manager.  He most recently retired from the Arizona Department of Public Safety where he served as the Aviation Commander, overseeing a statewide fleet of parapublic helicopters and airplanes.

Mr. Miyauchi holds a Graduate Degree in Aviation Leadership from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  He has amassed thousands of commercial helicopter hours in multiple helicopter types and holds ratings in helicopters, airplanes, gliders, and lighter-than-air balloons.  Although his tenure is deeply rooted in the operational side of helicopters, his passion has undoubtedly morphed into the human, organizational, and leadership behavioral aspects our industry.

For the past 4 years, Terry has the distinct honor of interacting exclusively with law enforcement, fire, SAR, and emergency management units globally as the Public Safety Segment Manager for Bell.

Dick Downs’ aviation career spans over forty years, from first climbing into a Bulldog T1 to commence his RAF training, to currently flying the Airbus 350-1000.

As an RAF Tornado pilot, Dick’s tours included 31 Squadron in the Strike/Attack role, 45 Squadron as Deputy Chief Weapons Instructor and pilot instructor for the Tornado Qualified Weapons Instructor Course, and, finally, the Strike/Attack Operational Evaluation Unit at Boscombe Down, where notable projects included several first-of-type weapon drops and the development of NVIS and Electro-Optic systems and tactics for the RAF fast jet cadre. Since leaving the RAF, he has continued as a civilian Operational Test pilot and Flight Test Engineer, working on a variety of projects, including Flight Test Article design, EO, RF and EW systems development and helmet mounted systems.

To keep his hand in, Dick also operates as a commercial pilot, qualified on the Airbus 330/340/350 series and flying for a UK based international airline.

Bronni Bowen’s interest in aviation emerged a decade ago when she decided flying small planes would be something she mastered in her lifetime. Moving to the wine country outside Melbourne to pursue it, she fell into hot air ballooning, an activity iconic to the region. Bronni now holds private licences for both and is working towards her commercials – the real question being which will she complete first?

Bronni started writing for HeliOps magazine in early 2020. Her columns and features, profiling individuals in the helicopter industry, carry her great passion for sharing the stories of people and places worldwide. Her dream is to explore, fly and write from the wilds of the Australian outback and Papua New Guinea.

Today, when she isn’t wrangling excited passengers and giant hot air balloons at daybreak, she’s flying a Cherokee 6 on short adventures around Australia, reading, writing stories about friends, studying, or spending quiet time outside in the bush

Nick has had an interesting career in aviation having worked for a number of leading publications, and he spent the last 25 years as a NASA contractor working on various aviation-related projects.

Veronico’s last assignment was leading the communications effort for the prime contractor operating NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) – a highly modified Boeing 747SP fitted with a 2.7-meter telescope, where he served as a crew member on 87 science missions.

He has written more than 45 books, including the Hidden Warbirds series as well as Hidden Warships, and is a co-author of the Wreckchasing series. 

During his career he’s flown in a variety of helicopters from the AH-1S and OH-58 to the MH-53, various models of the HH-60, Bell 206s, R22/R44, and the prototype MDD NOTAR.

 

 

Glen White's journey into aviation began in the South of France  in a Bell 47—an aircraft where the full down autorotation was just a normal maneuver. His career is marked by a series of distinguished roles: serving as a Bell 212/412 instructor at FlightSafety, providing Naval support for the Aegis Program, and flying tours across the azure waters of the Caribbean.

As an EMS pilot, Glen has navigated a multitude of aircraft, undertaking high-altitude mountain rescues that demand precision and calm under pressure. His expertise was further recognized at Eurocopter, where he contributed as both an instructor and a factory pilot.

In 2004, Glen founded EuroSafety with a revolutionary vision: to transform pilot training within the industry. His dedication to evolving the learning process has not waned; to this day,

Glen remains at the forefront of educational innovation, equipping pilots with skills to not only fly but to excel in the ever-changing aviation landscape.

Liz McConaghy was the longest serving female crewman on the Royal Air Force Chinook Fleet, spanning a 17-year career flying on the aircraft and amassing over 3000 hours flying. She was the youngest aircrew to deploy to Iraq aged just 21 and also the only female crewman on the Chinook wing for 4 years.

Her career saw her deploy twice to Iraq followed by 10 deployments to Helmand, Afghanistan in support of Operation Herrick which gave her an insightful and very personal perspective on war. In 2020 Liz suffered from PTSD after the traumatic events she witnessed on the MERT(flying ambulance) which led to her trying to end her life in Aug 2020. She survived and began writing poetry and subsequently an autobiography to help her recovery journey. Chinook Crew Chick was released in Sept 2022 and went to Amazon Bestseller within 3 weeks.

She is now a Keynote Speaker and ambassador for mental health, specifically for Veterans with PTSD. Since beginning her journey as a motivational speaker Liz has won ‘Inspirational Defence woman of the year 2023’ and been nominated for ‘Woman of the year 2023’.

Nick Baird’s career began as an graduate Aeronautical Engineer designing aircraft control valves and pneumatic systems before moving into business ownership as part of a management buy-out team at Permali Gloucester Ltd, a UK-based manufacturer of ballistic protection, fire-safe composites and other specialist equipment and materials for civil and defence applications.

At Permali he led the growth of the company’s aerospace and defence business, including a significant increase in R&D and export sales.  He also managed numerous projects to add protective armour to airborne platforms including Chinook, Merlin and Puma helicopters along with various military vehicles, working with the major defence prime contractors as well as directly with Governments on Urgent Operational Requirements.

He now works as an independent consultant and writer, focusing on research and analysis relating to policy, regulation and procurement issues, and is an advocate for small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Kevin Humphreys erved in the Australian Army for 20 years flying Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters. He deployed on multiple operational and humanitarian missions around the world undertaking a variety of operational flying and staff roles including Commanding Officer.

Following his military service, he spent the next decade as a civilian Search and Rescue pilot, including roles of flight examiner, Chief Pilot and Director of Operations.

Kevin now plays a significant role in mental health advocacy. He is the Mental Health Ambassador for AIRBUS Australia Pacific, a Community Ambassador for Mates4Mates (Veteran’s rehabilitation charity) and founder of Cor Infinitus which gives dignity and respect to the families of those who’ve served their nation and taken their own lives. .