My first instructional flight was in 2006 at the Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne, Victoria. At that time I was interested in aviation but not completely sure if I could commit the time or budget to see it through to the private pilot stage, and although I enjoyed the experience I did not feel as passionate about it as I should have. This became clear after constant cancellations due to weather coupled with work and home commitments and concerns about money, because let's face it this stuff ain't cheap.
My interest during the last two years as slowly increased, in part due to the constant flying using simulator software such as X-PLANE (version 9), combined with on-line research and study, and the fact that I am about to turn 40 (mid life crisis maybe!).
Anyway I finally decided to research flight training once more and investigated various flight schools and options, and purely by chance had a discussion with a colleague who is a pilot about a training school in Lilydale Victoria, and the advantages provided by learning at a remote facility as apposed to the larger metropolitan airports such as Moorabbin.
So I checked our their website (which is not great) and called to arrange a TIF (Trial Instructional Flight), which is basically a short flight where you a given a very basic introduction into the world of aviation.
On a nice Sunday afternoon I took the family to a few wineries in the area then headed to the Airport for the flight, but upon arrival was told that they had no record of my appointment and booking (not a good start believe me). After some consternation they agreed to take me up in a small aircraft known as a Jabiru-J160, although I had booked a Piper Warrier (again - not good).
I explained to the instructor that I had flown a few hours in 2006 and had a basic understanding of the controls and what I was in for, and we agreed to undertake a first lesson as apposed to the TIF and spent the next hour flying around the Yarra Valley, checking out the bush fires and learning about this little two seater aircraft, which although smaller is faster and more agile than the Cessna and Pipers, cheaper to run, and although is a fully functional aircraft is also rated as a recreational aircraft (RA) as apposed to general aviation (GA) for which the Pipers and Cessna's are rated, and this is where it gets interesting.
To complete a PPL (private pilots license) a student pilot need to pass a "Civil Aviation Safety Authority" medical (CASA), gain a student license, fly for 20 to 30 hours and pass a "General Flying Progress Test" (GFPT), before flying another 20 to 30 hours and passing the PPL.
To complete the RA certification you do not need any medical and can train for 20 to 40 hours to gain your certificate and endorsement to fly a passenger, and off you go flying solo around the training area. All for a fraction of the cost of the PPL, even better you can use the hours flown already as a credit towards the PPL if you wish. The one limitation is that you can fly RA rates aircraft only, such as the Jabiru, but not only is it cheaper, faster, harder to fly than the Cessna, it is great fun.
So my plan is now to fly the Jabiru-J160, gain my flying certificate and passenger endorsement, have some fun flying solo around Victoria, then budget permitting step up to my PPL down the track.
All in all a great day (once I got over the initial issues), and a massive learning experience.
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