Meet Our Team
Paul Daff - Chief Executive Officer
Accomplished and pragmatic, Paul is an executive leader with deep experience in leading businesses with capital-intensive, highly regulated and complex environments. Paul is adept at navigating through disruption, transforming cultures and advancing strategic outcomes, as well as leading organisations into new markets. Paul's expertise, built during his time within the Qantas & Jetstar Groups, Jetconnect and Skywest, includes; operations, commercial functions, finance, regulatory compliance, government relations, safety, project and risk management, underpinned by commercial savvy and strength in analytical thinking. Paul is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has led large multidisciplinary teams across Asia Pacific.
Antony Provan - Head of Operations, Chief Flying Instructor and Testing Officer
Antony wears many hats at RVAC as Head of Operations, Chief Flying Instructor and Testing Officer, which is a testament to his committed and hardworking nature. He got into aviation at 18 years old, but took a break to pursue a career in Computing, Scuba Diving and as a master class 5 in the Maritime Industry. By 2008, aviation called him back. He completed his instructor rating and landed a job at RVAC as a Grade 3 Flight Instructor. Today he’s climbed the ranks and is responsible for setting the organisation’s standards and testing to those standards. And his favourite part? It’s helping people achieve their goals!
Davide Ierkic - Head of Flying Operations, Chief Pilot
Davide’s love for aviation began with a plastic aeroplane model at 6-years old. Now, almost 15 years into a professional career, he’s proud to be in a position to transfer his skills and knowledge to other aviators. Davide is a Grade 1 Instructor and Flight Examiner with a Multi-Engine IFR endorsement and loves training other instructors to achieve these qualifications.
Instructors
Letitia Schueler - Senior Flight Instructor
Letitia has an innate passion for adventure, and her love for aviation was sparked by sheer curiosity. Cut to five years later, and she’s a Grade 1 Flight Instructor at RVAC. Her teaching expertise includes Multi-Engine, Night VFR, Instrument and Instructor training. With a constant desire to take on new challenges, she’s ever-learning and upskilling each time she jumps in the cockpit. When she's not teaching, she gives back to the aviation community through a fantastic organisation.
Corey Spencer - Flight Instructor & Saftey Manager
Outgoing, friendly and funny by nature makes Corey a delight to fly with. His passion for flying, ignited by the RAAF Museum at Point Cook and later the freedom the skies provides, is positively infectious. As a Grade 2 with a Design Feature Training endorsement, he too savours the journey that individuals take to achieving their dreams.
Koichi Bartlett - Senior Flight Instructor
Meet Koichi Bartlett, a Grade 1 Flight Instructor with an interesting background - a blend of Aussie, Kiwi, and Japanese cultures. Koichi has been fascinated with planes and spaceships since childhood, which naturally led him to pursue a career in aviation. He holds licences for RPL, PPL, CPL, and Ground Theory, and considers himself lucky to get paid for doing what he loves –flying. The most rewarding part of his job is being able to take in the breathtaking views from the sky that not everyone gets to experience.
Chelsea Hughes - Flight Instructor
Meet Chelsea, a Grade 2 Flight Instructor with a passion for flying. Chelsea loves that she gets to fly every day. Her interest in aviation began at a young age when she did a trial flight at 13 and has been hooked ever since. For Chelsea, the beauty of flying lies in the constant changes and the opportunity to keep learning new things. Chelsea is a graduate from the RVAC Flight Instructor Course.
Hugh McBain - Flight Instructor
Watching planes at the airport as a kid was enough to ignite Hugh’s love of flight. Today as a Grade 2 instructor, he appreciates the freedom and views of the sky – assuring anyone who tries it, there’s no looking back. His responsible and honest character speaks to the quality of training and the welcoming atmosphere at RVAC. Hugh is a graduate from the RVAC Diploma of Aviation Programme.
Daniel Segal - Flight Instructor
With his grandfather's influence sparking his passion for aviation, Daniel has embarked on a fulfilling career as a Flight Instructor, known for his engaging and collaborative approach to teaching, and his unwavering commitment to safety and professionalism - his licences, which include FIR, are a testament to his dedication to the field; he is driven by the desire to positively impact pilots in the early stages of their journey, and his passion for flying remains as strong as ever. Daniel is a graduate from the RVAC Diploma of Aviation Programme.
Nathan Oyston - Flight Instructor
Nathan is an avid MX-5 enthusiast turned Grade 3 Flight Instructor who takes great pleasure in teaching RPL, PPL, and CPL, as well as conducting TIFs, and is able to conduct charter flights. With a passion for flying sparked by his grandfather who introduced him to the basics of flight simulation with a computer joystick and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, Nathan's greatest joy comes from taking someone up for their first ever flight, handing them the controls, and seeing the absolute joy on their face. Nathan is a graduate from the RVAC Diploma of Aviation Programme.
Dilini Wijetunga - Flight Instructor
Dilini is a Grade 3 Flight Instructor, now living her dream of flying and teaching. After investing much time and money into flying, Dilini is delighted to have a career in aviation. Her enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge with her students does not go unnoticed. Dilini has been flying with RVAC since 2014 starting as a student pilot and graduating as a commercial pilot and flying instructor from the RVAC Diploma of Aviation programme.
Dylan Liew - Flight Instructor
Energetic, approachable and honest, Dylan's love of flying began at the early age when his dad took him to Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Malaysia to watch the planes come and go. Dylan and his brother challenged each other to guess the airline and where it might have come from. To this day, they still compete intensely, but luckily family squabbles are quickly settled using the flight radar app. Dylan now soars the skies as a Grade 3 Instructor, sharing his passion for flying with new students, watching them grow into qualified private and commercial pilots. Dylan is working towards his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot and visiting Taiwan.
Spohie Yu - Flight Instructor
Meet Sophie Yu an easy-going, yet driven and attentive Grade 3 flight instructor. Sohpie was inspired, after taking a trial introductory flight in the UK and found the feeling simply liberating. From then on, Sophie knew what she wanted to do. Sophie is her best self when she's in the sky, teaching those who want to follow their dream. Sophie is a graduate of the RVAC's Diploma of Aviation Program and one day wants to fly over Antarctica.
Deborah Fanning - Aviation Theory Instructor
Deborah has been teaching Aviation Theory Instructor for the last 20 years with a passion for inspiring her students. Deb first fell in love with planes at the age of 13 and first started flying back in 1981. After a stint flying gliders Deb bought her own plane in 2007 and completed her CPL. Today, she delights in the breathtaking views of flying and the evolving nature and challenges within aviation.
CHIEF STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Zain Kazmi - Chief Strategic Advisor
Zain served as Company Secretary for several years before being appointed to this important new role. His love for aviation was ignited while watching the majesty of Singapore Airlines' 747 "MegaTop" at Changi Airport. Since 2019, Zain has worked diligently to preserve the century-old heritage of RVAC. He's proud of the Club's stellar training excellence record and flight safety. With a Bachelor of Arts and Graduate Diploma in International Business, he's an asset to our team. He loves that aircraft and pilots take to the sky daily, and with each flight, they fight a battle against physics and biology. As a species that should not be able to fly, we do! And nothing compares to that feeling.
Staff
Aircraft Maintenance
Matthew Willams (LAME) - Chief Maintenance Engineer
Matt loves being challenged and using it as an opportunity to learn and grow his knowledge. With 7 years as a LAME at RVAC and 3 years of experience as Chief Engineer, it’s clear he’s living his philosophy of ‘There’s always a chance to learn’. He brings an enthusiastic, confident and friendly attitude to the team.
Francis Watterson - Apprentice (LAME)
Francis is an Apprentice (LAME) Aircraft Engineer at RVAC, with 2 1/2 years of experience. With qualifications in Aeronautical Radio Operators Certification and a diploma of Aero Skill Mechanical, Francis describes himself as attentive, relaxed, and enthusiastic. Francis' love for aviation began when he was much younger, looking up at the sky. He enjoys aiding in the mechanical process of the ability of flight and loves the freedom and professionalism of the aviation industry.
Administration
Chloe Parsons - Reception & Customer Service
Chloe Parsons is a friendly, funny and energetic Flight Operations Administrator with a passion for meeting new people and working in the aviation industry for the past 3 years. Her fiancé is a pilot, which has only fueled her excitement for aviation even further. Chloe loves the feeling of seeing familiar places from a completely different perspective and finds it thrilling to be a part of the behind-the-scenes operations that make flying possible. Whether she's helping pilots prepare for a flight or coordinating schedules, her enthusiasm and energy always shine through.
Lisa Brysdon - Financial Controller
Lisa has been counting numbers at RVAC for nearly 14 years and has accumulated over 30 years of Accounting experience. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting and describes herself as caring, kind, and understanding. Lisa loves the variety of her role and finds it rewarding to work in this position. She’s a Sandra Bullock fan and would love to travel to Alaska and see the Inside Passage.
Helen Walker - Member Services
Helen is our longest serving employee–having worked closely with our community for the past 37 years. She’s a people person at heart, which is why she’s our much-loved Member Services Coordinator. While her career in aviation wasn’t ignited by a passion for flying—she’s thoroughly enjoyed learning new things in such a dynamic industry. Her kind and pleasant nature make her a delight to be around, as she’s always genuinely interested in interacting with those she crosses paths with.
Jeannine Kittle - RTO Compliance & Student Administration
Jeannine has provided exceptional service to RVAC students for the past 15 years as our RTO Compliance Officer & Student Administrator. She diligently provides students with speedy assistance and loves guiding them with their studies. She graces RVAC with kindness every day. While Jeannine does hold a Private Pilot License, today she spends her leisure time and money travelling to distant destinations on commercial airlines.
Flight Deck Bar & Grill
Katerina Batis
When you visit the Flight Deck you’re sure to meet Katerina. Happy, energetic and super helpful, Kat loves meeting everyone who visits the Flight Deck to eat, drink or chill out. Kat loves the eurphoic feeling you get as you soar into the sky and likens it to sipping champagne or eating chocolates. Kat’s passion for flying has even led her to try a couple of aerobatic flights and now there's no looking back. Kat will ensure you enjoy your visit to the Flight Deck so much, that you'll keep you coming back.
Ari Batis
Ari is our friendly Caterer and he’s been feeding the stream of hungry pilots and aviation enthusiasts at RVAC since 2019. Prior to this Ari spent many years in the Hospitality industry. He takes much pride in providing exceptional catering services to all our guests, and is an uplifting presence at the Flight Deck Bar & Grill. His journey into aviation was by the movie, Top Gun–and after 22 years as a member of our Aero Club, he still is madly in love with watching planes takeoff!
