Nobuyuki Kosuge, assistant chief flight instructor at Helistream in Costa Mesa, California, was named Helicopter Association International’s 2021 recipient of the association’s W.A. “Dub” Blessing Flight Instructor of the Year Award honoring “superlative contributions” and upholding high standards of professionalism. Kosuge will be formally honored with the Hill Air-sponsored award during a series of topical virtual events and webinars that HAI is hosting in celebration of its Salute to Excellence Awards.
“Kosuge’s soft-spoken demeanor and dedication to safe, skilled helicopter flight have had an immense impact on countless pilots over the last two decades,” HAI said in naming him as this year’s award recipient.
His passion for aviation developed as he grew up near a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force airbase. After he received a bachelor’s degree in English from Kanda Gaigo University in Chiba, Japan, Kosuge visited Southern California on vacation and took his first helicopter flight.
Hoping to pursue a certificate, he enrolled in the HeliStream helicopter flight training school in Costa Mesa, California, and spent six years working through the visa and green card process to continue his education.
By 2007, he had obtained his private and commercial certificates and instrument and flight instructor ratings. Kosuge also had flight instructor experience in the U.S., ground instruction experience in Japan, and green card sponsorship by HeliStream.
He began as a primary instructor at HeliStream but was soon promoted to instructor for the trainer’s Customs and Border Protection Rotor Wing Qualification Course. This is one of a variety of initial qualification courses that he now manages for a number of agencies. He is also overseeing the company’s transition and recurrent training in the MD 500 and AS350.
He has amassed 10,600 flight hours in 11 aircraft, including 9,000 hours of instruction. Playing an instrumental role in the development of HeliStream’s safety management system, Kosuge also serves as an FAA Part 135 check pilot, a line pilot, and a maintenance check pilot.
“To see our students' progress is very satisfying,” Kosuge says. “I enjoy seeing them through each stage as they build their skills and transform into professional pilots.”