Aviation leaders Ray Cronin and Ian Hosegood honoured in Australia Day List

Helicopter instructor and operator Ray Cronin and former Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Principle Medical Officer (PMO) Ian Hosegood were recognized with Order of Australia Medals (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours list.

“Recipients have made a difference and had an impact at the local, national, and/or international level. Individually, they are inspiring and collectively they speak to the strength of our communities,” the Governor-General of Australia, David Hurley said.

Ray Cronin

Ray Cronin is the Managing Director and Founder of Kestrel Aviation out of Mangalore, Victoria, and President of the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA). In his career, spanning nearly 50 years, Cronin has established himself as a pre-eminent helicopter instructor and aerial firefighting expert.

Cronin introduced the first helicopter simulator to Australia and, as the helicopter specialist on the first Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) flight training panel, instigated the helicopter Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) conferences.

He was also a founding member of the Aviation Safety Foundation of Australia and spent six years as a Flight Service Officer with CASA.

Cronin is the helicopter specialist on CASA's Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) and winner of the 2018 Col Pay Award for a Lifetime of Service to General Aviation.

Ian Hosegood

Ian Hosegood has contributed to aviation medicine in both the military and civil worlds, serving as CASA Principal Medical Officer from 2006–2009.

Presently Chief Health Officer for Qantas, Hosegood has previously served in senior medical roles with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Brisbane in Queensland, Emirates Airlines, and the Australian Defence Force.

Hosegood is a Foundation Fellow of the Australasian College of Aviation Medicine, an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, and has served a term as President of the International Airline Medical Association in 2020.

He is also a member of the UN Special Commission Conducting Monitoring and Verification of Chemical and Biological Weapons Program in Iraq.