Sue started her flying career in 1984, training at Paraparaumu Flight Training. She progressed to her CPL and flight instructing in Kapiti then from Wanaka Airport with Aspiring Air operating flights to Milford Sound and scenic flights to Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring. Sue continued to renew her Flight Instructor rating which was beneficial to the areas she was based at. Aircraft types flown were Britten Norman Islanders, C207, C206, C172 and C177. Her general aviation opportunities expanded to Queenstown with Queenstown Flight Seeing (now RealNZ) flying Twin Otters and Nomads to Milford Sound and charters to Manapouri, Franz Josef, Christchurch and Mount Cook airports.

Family commitments and the sale of the turbine aircraft changed Sue’s flying direction toward aircraft ownership, flight instruction, and guided pilot tours. Sue has flown for several tourist operators, she has management experience in the 135, 141 and 115 AOC operations, she is a strong advocate for General Aviation and Sue now looks forward to greeting members of the Marlborough Aero Club as CFI.

I was born in Auckland but spent most of my childhood living in the USA where I picked up my funny accent. I finished off my schooling at Massey High School in Auckland before moving down to Hawkes Bay to Start my flight training. I graduated from Air Hawkes Bay with a diploma in aviation at the end of 2016. With no flying jobs for me at the time I graduated, I worked at Western ITM in hardware and timber Sales for a year and a half. In 2019 I was hired by Air New Zealand as a Flight Data Analyst where my career in aviation safety started. My job was to collect and analyse the flight data that come off the aircraft from all of the Air New Zealand fleets as well as assist in investigations of aircraft incidents. Unfortunately Covid-19 rendered me redundant and so I ended up moving to Blenheim where I started work as ground crew for Sounds Air. While working at Sounds Air I decided to do my C-CAT instructors rating. After passing the flight test, I instructed casually at the aeroclub from time to time. Earlier this year I left my job at Sounds Air and moved back up to Auckland where I got a job at a company called Salus Aviation as a Safety Management Systems Specialist. I worked at Salus for 2 months before being offered the job instructing at the aeroclub. I am happy to be moving out of Auckland and back down to quiet little Blenheim where I will now be instructing full time and working part time for Salus remotely.

I am from Timaru and spent my whole life living in the Canterbury Plains before moving to Sunny Blenheim. 

After completing my PPL in my final year of high school I moved to Christchurch to complete my MEIR and CPL training. 

raduating during COVID lead me to move home and complete my C-Cat Instructor Rating with South Canterbury Aero Club in 2021. 

At the start of 2023 I got my first flying job as an instructor at the North Otago Aero Club where I worked for next two and half years and gained my B-Cat instructor rating at the beginning of 2025.  

Not long after that the job with Marlborough came up and in mid-June I packed up and left Timaru to begin working with Marlborough Aero Club.

I thoroughly enjoy flight instructing and have a deep passion for all things aviation, my favourite being flying aerobatics and tailwheel. In my spare time if I'm not at the airport you can find me going on walks and bike rides, camping, or reading a good book. 

I was born and bred in beautiful Blenheim.  My work history involves working full-time within an accountancy firm for 12 years, and then various part-time roles as sole office administrator in-between having 3 boys.

My husband Grant and I returned to Blenheim in June 2023 after spending 25 years down in Christchurch and then Timaru. My work background involves Banking, Health Promotion, Office Administration and being a “Mum”.

My aviation background stems from a father in the RNZAF, a brother who flew with No 75 Sqn RNZAF and my own ‘career’ in the New Zealand Cadet Forces having been Unit Commander at No 27 Blenheim ATC Squadron and also No 38 ATC Squadron in CHCH. I retired from the NZCF in 2000 after 20 years voluntary service.

Nowadays I enjoy time scratching around in our garden, trying to keep up with Grant on our mountain bikes, hiking, camping and spending time with our two grown up daughters, their partners and our granddaughter.

I look forward to greeting the members of the Marlborough Aero Club as they walk through our doors at Omaka.