RISING STAR FINALIST
NEW MISSION FINALIST
James Koens has one mission, to provide a one-stop holistic solution to helicopter operations across multiple industries. Sentinel Aviation Pty Ltd is based on James’ own personal experience across multiple disciplines; a career in Army Aviation, eight years working on Ambulance Rescue Helicopters, and 20 years as a Volunteer Firefighter.
Sentinel Aviation was founded in response to a shortage of professional aviation experts with critical military and rescue industry experience. The business provides consultancy, training, support, and equipment services with the highest level of professional experience.
Meet James
“When you see an opportunity, you grab it.”
That mindset saw James Koens create Sentinel Aviation this year when an opportunity too good to miss came his way.
With just James at the controls for now, the business offers helicopter rescue training, consultancy and support as well as being a one-stop-shop for associated equipment.
Sentinel is the result of James’ years of experience in aviation plus his passion for teaching others.
“I've got a holistic approach to all of the roles that are involved in an aircraft and across industries as well,” the 35-year-old said.
James spent a decade in the Australian Army, first as an ASLAV crewman and then as air crewman on Black Hawks at 6thAviation Regiment in Sydney.
He got his pilot’s licence while still in the Army, his helicopter pilot’s licence two years after leaving fulltime service and has worked on firefighting, ambulance, and search and rescue helicopters.
“On a rescue helicopter, there's three main roles - the person that goes down the wire, the person who operates the winch, and the pilot - and I'm incredibly thankful that my journey has taken me through all of those three roles,” he said.
James currently flies choppers in the oil and gas industry, is a volunteer firefighter and does occasional Army Reserve time.
And this year, the opportunity to work with 6th Aviation Regiment arose, helping the Sydney-based unit with civilian qualifications.
James said a civilian company was contracted to provide civilian aircraft to the unit in the interim between theMRH-90 (helicopter) and the Black Hawk replacement, but air crew needed to be certified under the civilian regulations.
“That's where I came in,” James said.
“My business provides cross pollination training between civilian and military operations, and consultancy.”
A gap in the market also prompted the creation of Sentinel Aviation.
Having worked in the civil rescue industry for close to a decade, he knew air crewmen were often leaving Defence without the necessary qualifications to find work in the civilian world.
“I had a lot of people reaching out tome … and I'm referring them on to companies that weren't really that great at it and would charge a fortune,” James said.
Through Sentinel Aviation, James can provide Defence air crewmen and other veterans leaving Defence the ability to upskill or have their skills recognised.
And while James is still learning the business of running a business, he has not only landed that contract with Defence, he is also delivering his first rescue helicopter training course.
“That’s my biggest achievement and my biggest concern at the moment - launching this first course, training participants on a rescue helicopter and putting them out to industry,” he said.
Also, up there on James’ list of accomplishments is being named a finalist in the Rising Star category of The King’s Trust Beyond Service Awards.
“This blew a bit of that imposter syndrome away,” he said.
“At the same time, I feel it's great because I put a lot of emphasis on being able to support my Defence buddies in opportunities that I didn't have when I got out.
“I think it's super important to be able to have an opportunity, a launching pad for veterans who would otherwise probably be humble and operate quietly in the shadows, for them to have a platform to really demonstrate to industry that veterans are out there and they're doing some great things.”
