The boy who watched planes through the window

Hugh McBain’s safety journey

When you speak to 29-year-old Hugh McBain about aviation, the word that instantly comes to mind is passion. Passion for people, passion for safety and a passion to mentor up-and-coming pilots.

A recipient of the 2025 CASA safety manager scholarship, Hugh began flying in 2017 after what could be described as a benign introduction to aviation.

‘I was about 14 and went to the airport to drop off a family member. I just remember staring out of the window for the next 2 hours looking at the planes take off and the rest is history,’ Hugh says.

‘Originally, I wanted to be an aircraft maintenance engineer but quickly decided I wanted to fly planes instead of work on them. Then I considered the air force but that really wasn’t for me.

‘The first thing I did was secure my recreational pilot’s licence before completing a Diploma in Aviation and gaining my commercial licence.

‘After that I did another Diploma of Aviation, this time the multi-engine instrument command rating followed by my flight instructor rating.’

His commitment to study paid off and in March 2023, Hugh was offered a job at the Royal Victorian Aero Club in Moorabbin as a flight instructor – launching his career in aviation.

‘I’m really glad it’s all worked out and getting into the safety side of things has broadened my horizons even more,’ he says.

‘Every day’s different and aviation can be complex, so with the range of safety issues that arise there’s always something to learn.’

Grabbing an opportunity

Six months after joining the Victorian Aero Club an opportunity arose in the safety team.

Without hesitation, Hugh jumped at the chance to be a safety officer and has since become a CASA-approved safety manager.

‘I like the aspect of the safety manager role,’ he says.

‘I run the safety management system at the aero club, conduct incident reporting and risk analysis for any incidents we might have.

‘I think being a pilot and a flight instructor is a crucial part of identifying and improving safety, because you have first-hand experience of things that can go wrong and have insight into why a pilot made a particular decision.

‘When you take that knowledge and consider the safety element in any given situation, you can identify a lot of lessons to share with other pilots and students to make them better.

‘Aviation is dynamic but can be inherently dangerous and it’s important to me that pilots of all ages are trained to a high standard.

‘As a flight instructor and safety manager, I want all up-and-coming pilots to be committed to safety and ensure they are able to identify and mitigate risks.’

Onwards and upwards

The annual CASA scholarship program is designed to enhance aviation safety in Australia and recognises the dedication of individuals who display a strong safety culture.

As a recipient of this year’s scholarship, Hugh will dedicate the $5,000 to further study.

‘I’ve actually enrolled in 3 courses,’ says Hugh.

‘I plan to complete an aviation safety management system course, an aviation compliance course and a course that develops critical thinking in others.

‘Upon finishing those courses, I will gain a Diploma of Quality Auditing in aviation.

‘It’s a real goal because we’ve made a lot of changes in relation to safety since I joined, particularly in the auditing space.

‘By doing these courses it will increase the safety of our organisation because we can analyse areas that simply weren’t looked at in the past and share information to educate and improve the aviation environment for everyone, particularly the young pilots coming through.’