Barry Neethling (Chief Flight Instructor)

Barry completed his PPL in 2000, Commercial Pilot’s License in 2002 and became an Instructor in 2003.

He was immediately appointed as an instructor at Maluti Air where he taught until 2006 and also spent some of his spare time as a fire spotter pilot. He was then approached by Aerocare Flying School to be an instructor as well as to manage the school.

After 3 years of gaining invaluable experience at Aerocare, he decided to fulfil his lifelong dream and open his own flying school. Barry has 27 types of Aircraft on his license.

Graham Leslie CA (SA) (Chief Executive Officer)

Graham qualified as a chartered accountant in 2005. He then spent 6 months kayaking 2 500km down the east coast of Africa in a sea kayak before taking a job in New York City as an accountant. After his time in New York, he worked in London as a consultant in the corporate strategy division of one of the large auditing firms and then returned to South Africa where he now breeds disease free buffalo and runs the finance division of his family farm. He is a pilot and started Paramount Aviation Academy with Barry in 2010.

Joggie Prinsloo (Flight Instructor)

Joggie has been training students to fly for 49 years, and many of his students are now Airline Captains.

He learnt to fly in the South African Air Force in 1961 and was there until 1973. During this time he flew planes such as the C130 Hercules, DC3 Dakota and the DC4 and also instructed new air force recruits.

After the air force, he worked as a pilot for various banks and in 1978 he started Ambulance Air Africa, which was a certified intensive care air ambulance service where he was both pilot and owner. It was in this role that he really learned to hone his flying skills as the job often required him to land on roads as well as to fly in and out of the mountains of Lesotho, and both were often in bad weather or at night, and sometimes even both.

In 2003 he sold his business and retired but then returned to aviation in 2007 when he was appointed the Chief Flight Instructor at Aerocare Flying School.

In 2010 he joined Barry as a flight instructor at Paramount Aviation Academy. He is highly thought of in the South African aviation community and is an invaluable source of knowledge and experience for students and instructors alike.

He has over 196 types of aircraft on his instructors licence and has logged more than 21 500 hours.

Jaco Smit (Flight Instructor)

Jaco completed his PPL training in 2008 where he was trained by Joggie and Barry.

He then went on to do his night rating, instrument rating and commercial pilot’s license on twin aircraft. In 2010 he obtained his flight instructors rating and has been instructing ever since. 

He is currently spending all his spare time studying for his airline transport pilot license, and has already passed almost half his subjects with ease. Jaco has accumulated over 1000 flight hours.

Freda Neethling (Student Liaison Officer)

Freda spent 11 years in the hospitality industry, running hotels and guest houses.hospitality industry, running hotels and guest houses.

Due to this experience,when Barry opened the flying school she was the obvious choice to perform the function of Student Liaison Officer and adds to the close family feel of the flying school.