W.A. “DUB” BLESSING FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR For upholding high standards of excellence in flight instruction
Nobuyuki Kosuge Pilot / Flight Instructor, HeliStream, Costa Mesa, California, USA
Nobuyuki Kosuge’s soft-spoken demeanor and dedication to safe, skilled helicopter flight have had an immense impact on countless pilots over the past two decades. Born in Japan, Kosuge grew up near a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force air base, sparking his lifelong interest in
aviation. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Kanda Gaigo University in Chiba, Japan, but never lost sight of his dream of flying. Not long after college, Kosuge visited Southern California on vacation and took his
first helicopter flight. He was hooked. In 2001, he enrolled in the HeliStream helicopter flight training school in Costa Mesa, California, and began a six-year journey of obtaining visas, changing schools (and transferring a visa) when one went bankrupt, and applying for a green card. His hard work, along with the support of those around him, paid off. By 2007, Kosuge had his private and commercial certificates, and instrument and flight instructor ratings, as well as flight instructor experience in the United States, ground instruction experience in Japan, and green card sponsorship by HeliStream. Kosuge began at HeliStream as a primary instructor. His professionalism and
work ethic soon led to a promotion to instruct for HeliStream’s Customs and Border Protection Rotor Wing Qualification Course, a program he now manages along with many initial qualification courses for other agencies, including the sheriff’s departments for Orange County and Riverside County and the Ontario and Anaheim police departments. He has qualified dozens of law enforcement pilots through these programs. Today, Kosuge serves as HeliStream’s assistant chief flight instructor and FAA Part 135 check pilot. He has more than 10,600 flight hours in 11 aircraft models, with more than 9,000 hours of instruction given. While he no longer provides initial flight instruction, he remains very active with HeliStream’s students, providing stage checks and sharing his knowledge as students progress. “To see our students progress is very satisfying,” Kosuge says. “I enjoy seeing them through each stage as they build their
Nobuyuki Kosuge
skills and transform into professional pilots.” Kosuge also runs the company’s transition and recurrent training in the MD 500 and AS350, allowing him to provide
instrument proficiency checks for many of HeliStream’s law enforcement customers. One of the company’s Part 135 line pilots since 2008, Kosuge also flies a number of utility, photography, charter, and tour
flights and serves as a maintenance check pilot. He was also instrumental in developing HeliStream’s safety management system.
While many flight instructors may have moved on to different careers by the time they accumulate as much experience as
Kosuge, he’s happy to stay in the training arena. “I really enjoy HeliStream itself as a multiple-mission company,” he says. “I started with initial instruction, but as they
get more missions and support work in utility, firefighting, and other commercial work, I get to expand my skills and still instruct. Te variety makes this a very attractive company.” HeliStream sees Kosuge as one of its biggest assets due to his work ethic and the skills he
Sponsored by Hill Air
can share with students. “Nobu’s abilities as a professional flight instructor are exemplary,” says HeliStream
CFO Barbara Perrin. “He teaches by example, holding himself to the highest standards of professionalism. His students naturally learn from his well-developed and safe habit patterns.”
MARCH 2021 ROTOR 47
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