Whakatane Flying School (Aerohire Limited)

Whakatane Flying School is operated by Aerohire Limited at Whakatane Airport in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Aerohire was set up in March 2008 by Peter Rutledge, a commercial pilot and instructor who first soloed at Whakatane in 1980 and taught at the Tauranga Aero Club in the late 1980s before a career in software. The school opened at Whakatane in 2012 with a hangar, briefing rooms, a flight simulator and several aircraft types, and also flies regularly from Opotiki and Galatea. It is locally owned and describes its style as approachable and informal but professional. Opening days are Friday and Saturday or by appointment.

Training

• Trial flights and first lessons, with gift vouchers
• Recreational pilot certificates, private pilot licence and commercial pilot licence, with block courses
• Instrument rating, instructor rating, night flying and aerobatics
• Ground theory courses for new and experienced pilots
• Private aircraft hire for licensed pilots, and support for smaller flying clubs in the region

The fleet listed on the site: Cirrus SR22 (IFR), Cessna 172 (IFR), Cessna 152, aerobatic Cessna 150, Bristell and a Sport Cruiser microlight. The site's price book lists training rates in New Zealand dollars for the two seat, Cessna 172 and Sport Cruiser aircraft and a trial flight at $230; rates for the SR22 were not shown on the pages read.

Cirrus SR22

The school's Cirrus SR22 G2 page presents the aircraft (310 hp, 183 knot cruise, 1,100 nm range) as the one to do an instrument rating in. Chief instructor Peter Rutledge is listed as a Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP), so transition and proficiency training on the SR22 is available with a Cirrus trained instructor. Ask the school for current SR22 training and hire rates.

Contact

Enquiries through the website.
Description from the company's website (October 2026). Not a Cirrus Aircraft authorized service center. Is this your company? Claim this page to add photos and keep your details up to date.