Episode Details

Guest: Andrew “Stewie” Stewart and Nicola “Nix” Brooke-Stewart

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 11th of October 2024

Published: 12th of October 2024

Duration:  1 hour, 56 minutes, 29 seconds

In this episode Dave Homewood talks with Andrew “Stewie” Stewart and Nicole “Nix” Brooke-Stewart, husband and wife team who are both NH-90 helicopter pilots with No. 3 Squadron RNZAF.

They both talk about their training on the PAC CT/4E Airtrainers and Beech King Airs, and their progression onto helicopters. Stewie joined the Air Force a few years earlier than Nix, and he was able to fly operationally on the Bell UH-1H Iroquois, or Huey for short. Nix had a few flights on the Huey, but both progressed to the Augusta A109 LUH (NZ). And from there, on to the mighty NH Industries NH90.

They talk about their experiences operating the helicopters in all sorts of missions, from the back of Royal New Zealand Navy ships in the Pacific Islands such as Samoa and Tokelau, and the sub-Antarctic Ocean and Papua New Guinea, to mountain rescue efforts, search and rescues in the sea and rivers and floodwaters, to Australian bush fires. They have some amazing stories, and a wide variety of operational experiences.

Quick Links:
• The Royal New Zealand Air Force

• The A109 in RNZAF Service

• The NH90 in RNZAF Service

• The No. 3 Squadron RNZAF Association

Photos courtesy of Stewie and Nix:

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