Law firm Maddocks has acted for the founder of Australia’s largest private pilot training school, Soar Aviation, on the group’s 50 percent sale to Australian private equity investor The Growth Fund.

Soar Aviation was started in 2012 by current CEO Neel Khokhani and has more than 50 instructors and 43 planes based at three airport campuses: Moorabbin Airport and Bendigo Airport in Victoria and Bankstown Airport in New South Wales. Soar Aviation partners with the Box Hill Institute to provide the theoretical component of its flight training courses, as well as access to student funding.

The Growth Fund won a bidding process to purchase a 50 percent stake in Soar Aviation.

The Maddocks team advising on the matter was partner Greg Hipwell, senior associates Elizabeth Lilley and Viviane Karoumbalis and lawyer Jessica Leppert.

Greg said Maddocks was perfectly placed to assist Mr Khokhani and Soar Aviation with this matter.

‘Maddocks has an established history of working closely with founders who are looking either to exit or bring investors into their business, as well a strong focus on the education sector,’ he said.

‘We recently acted for the founders of the Manly Fast Ferry on their divestment of the company to NRMA, the founders of Camp Australia on their sale to Bain Capital and for Swinburne University of Technology on the sale of 30 percent of its stake in Online Education Services to SEEK.’

‘We are very pleased to have assisted Soar Aviation on this strategic move to continue to grow the business.’