About HQ Aviation
The Robinson SpecialistsSince 2011
HQ Aviation is a Robinson Authorised Dealer and Service Centre, a provider of UK CAA approved flight training and an expedition operator at Denham Aerodrome, just outside London, founded in 2011 by Captain Quentin Smith.
- EGLD
- 51.5751°N / 0.5059°W
- Denham Aerodrome
- Hangar E
- Robinsons in the fleet
- 30+
- Pilots trained
- 500+
- Flight hours
- 30,000+
- Continents
- 7
Our story
Built on passion for flight
Training. Sales. Maintenance. Expeditions.
HQ Aviation was founded in 2011 by Captain Quentin Smith at Denham Aerodrome, just outside London, built on his decades of flying from the airfield. What started as one pilot's vision to create a world-class helicopter centre has grown into the UK's leading Robinson helicopter specialists.
We've trained hundreds of pilots, sold and maintained Robinson helicopters across the fleet, including R22, R44 and R66, and led expeditions to some of the most remote places on earth.
Today, HQ Aviation is a Robinson Authorized Dealer and Service Centre, and home to a community of pilots, engineers and adventurers who share one thing: a love of flying. Training is delivered under HQ Aviation's UK CAA approval.
The Founder
Captain Quentin Smith
Founder & Managing Director
Two-time Helicopter Aerobatics World Champion. Guinness World Record holder for the first piston helicopter at the North Pole, and he flew an R44 to the South Pole too. The man Paramount Pictures chose to train Tom Cruise for Mission: Impossible. Over 12,000 hours as pilot-in-command across every continent on earth.
The HQ vibe
Not a flight school.
A clubhouse.
Aviation for private fliers shouldn't be clinical. At HQ we believe in “hangar talk”: the conversations between flights, the stories shared over coffee, the knowledge passed from experienced pilots to new students. That informal exchange is where real learning happens.
Our students don't just train here, they belong here. Former students who are now self-fly hiring interact with new students, creating a support network built around a shared passion.
With engineering on the ground floor and operations on site seven days a week, pilots can watch their aircraft being rebuilt, ask questions, and see past the panels into the machine they fly.
- Hangar Talk
- The informal exchange of knowledge between flights
- Social Events
- Car races, go-karting, clay pigeon shooting
- Pilot Network
- Former students mentor new ones through the journey
- 7 Days a Week
- Operations team on site every day of the week
Denham Aerodrome
Escape to the country
Located just inside the M25 on the Buckinghamshire and Greater London border, Denham is uniquely positioned: close enough to the city to be practical, far enough to feel like a different world. Rolling countryside, open skies, and one of England's most charming aerodromes.
- 30 min
- From Central London
- M25
- Just Inside the Orbital
- EGLD
- ICAO Designator
Our philosophy
We don't teach you to pass a test
We teach you to survive one.
When Q Smith teaches a student about ditching procedures or survival equipment it is not theoretical. It is empirical knowledge derived from surviving the Drake Passage. That authenticity is something no competitor can manufacture.
Flight training is often a commodity, a race to the bottom on price. HQ Aviation is different. Students come here not just for flight hours, but for entry into an explorer's club mentored by a World Champion with real-world survival experience.
Competence First
Every procedure taught has been validated in extreme real-world conditions, not just in a textbook.
World Champion Led
The presence of a World Champion at the helm acts as a supreme trust signal for every student.
End-to-End Support
Engineering, operations, and instructors under one roof, with flights supported from mechanics to logistics.
Our journey
The story so far
1994
World Champion
At just 32 years old, Q wins the Freestyle Aerobatics gold medal at the World Helicopter Championships in Moscow, becoming the first British pilot to do so. He flies a humble Robinson R22 against Russian turbine helicopters on their home turf.
1997
Around the World
Q and Jennifer Murray complete the first piston-powered helicopter circumnavigation of the globe. 97 days, 28 countries, 30,000 miles. Their R44, G-MURY, now sits in the Smithsonian.
2002
North Pole
Q and Steve Brooks become the first to land a piston-powered helicopter at the North Pole, a Guinness World Record, flying Robinson R44 G-NUDE into one of the most hostile environments on earth.
2005
South Pole
Three years after their record-setting North Pole landing, Q and Steve Brooks set an R44 down at the South Pole. Minus 26 degrees, 14,000 feet density altitude. A feat of endurance, planning, and courage.
2011
HQ Aviation Founded
Captain Quentin Smith establishes HQ Aviation at Denham Aerodrome: a Robinson dealer, service centre and flight school under one roof, built on his decades of flying from the airfield.
2012
World Champion Again
Q wins his second Freestyle Aerobatics World Championship, performing a backwards autorotation: an engine-off backward landing from 300 feet, a manoeuvre experts previously deemed impossible.
2018
Tom Cruise
Q trains Tom Cruise to fly a helicopter for Mission: Impossible Fallout, compressing 2,000 hours of experience into three months of intensive training.
Today
The Clubhouse
Over 500 graduates, a 30-plus-strong Robinson fleet, a world-class Part 145 maintenance facility, Robinson Authorized Dealer, and expeditions that continue to push boundaries.
What we do
Training, sales, maintenance, expeditions
Flight training
PPL(H), CPL(H), type ratings, night ratings and instructor ratings. From first flight to career pilot.
Explore training
Aircraft sales
New and pre-owned Robinson helicopters. As an Authorized Dealer we offer factory-direct R22, R44 and R66 aircraft.
View aircraft
Maintenance
Robinson Authorized Service Centre. Full overhauls, 100-hour inspections, avionics upgrades and bespoke rebuilds.
View services
Expeditions
Pilot-led helicopter expeditions to the most extraordinary places on earth, led by Captain Q.
View expeditions
The fleet
Robinson helicopter specialists
| Model | Seats | Engine | Range | Cruise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robinson R22 | 2 | Piston | 185 nm | 96 kts |
| Robinson R44 | 4 | Piston | 300 nm | 109 kts |
| Robinson R66 | 5 | Turbine | 350 nm | 110 kts |
Robinson R22
If you can fly an R22, you can fly anything.
The two-seat, piston-engine helicopter that started it all. Powered by a Lycoming O-360-J2A, its design prioritises lightness and simplicity. The standard entry point for civilian helicopter pilots, and the aircraft Q flew to win the World Championship.
- 2
- Seats
- Piston
- Engine
- 185 nm
- Range
- 96 kts
- Cruise
Robinson R44
The world's best-selling helicopter.
A four-seat, piston-powered helicopter with the iconic teardrop fuselage. From training to touring, the R44 is the most versatile piston helicopter ever built. G-MURY, the R44 that circumnavigated the globe, now sits in the Smithsonian.
- 4
- Seats
- Piston
- Engine
- 300 nm
- Range
- 109 kts
- Cruise
Robinson R66
Designed for the owner-operator lifestyle.
A five-seat turbine helicopter powered by the Rolls-Royce RR300, derated to 270 shp for exceptional reliability and lower fuel burn. The R66 retains the R44's handling with turbine smoothness and a large baggage compartment.
- 5
- Seats
- Turbine
- Engine
- 350 nm
- Range
- 110 kts
- Cruise
Beyond the licence
Don't just be a passenger.
Be a pilot in command.
At HQ Aviation the client is not a passenger. They are an active part of the flight. We specialise in pilot-led expeditions: high-end, experience-driven aviation for licensed pilots and aspiring aviators who want to command their own aircraft across international borders and hostile terrain.
From the frozen ice of the Bering Strait to the jungles of Vietnam, HQ members have circumnavigated the globe and landed on ice caps. We handle the logistics so you can focus on the flying.
Hangar Movements
Your helicopter is towed from the hangar to the flight line before your arrival and returned to secure storage after your flight.
Refuelling
Aircraft fuelled to your required levels before you arrive. No waiting for a bowser or self-fuelling.
Flight Planning
Routes, permissions and border paperwork handled by the operations team so you arrive ready to fly.
Engineering On Site
A Part 145 facility on the same airfield, seven days a week, so a snag never becomes a cancelled trip.
Official partnership
Robinson Authorized Dealer & Service Centre
HQ Aviation is one of a select number of Robinson Authorized Dealers worldwide. We sell factory-new R22, R44 and R66 helicopters direct from Robinson Helicopter Company in Torrance, California.
Our Part 145 approved maintenance facility is equally authorized as a Robinson Service Centre, qualified to perform full overhauls, 100-hour inspections and factory-standard rebuilds.
You are invited
Come and see us
Visit HQ Aviation at Denham Aerodrome, whether you're interested in training, purchasing an aircraft, or simply want to experience the world of helicopter aviation. Our doors are always open.