Hey all,
I know we have a few commercial pilots among us
, Ltd included, but was wondering who else out there is an aviator or is in the process of becoming one?
Feel free to add your own story into the conversation or add some tips or words of advice for those of us who still have our L-plates on display
Here's my story:
My old man was an instro in the RAAF. Joined in the early sixties and retired as a Flight Sergeant after just over 21 years service. "Join the military and see the world" was what they told dad, but all he got to see was Wagga for rookies, then posted to Sale. Here he met my mum, and being a migrant family with no other relies apart from the immediate family, she wanted to stay in Sale as much as possible. That worked out ok, coz Sale was one of those places that no one really wanted to go to Sale, but once you were hear no one wanted to leave. So after a couple of years in Sale, and getting married and having two kids, we set off to Malaysia for 2 and a half years. Then back to Sale. Then Wagga again, but only for 18 months this time, and then back to good old Sale again. And that folks, is 21 years in the Australian Air Force for you!
So, naturally, I grew up around aircraft. Dad loved his planes, and even though he worked on them day in, day out, every time the Roulettes flew overhead, he'd stop to have a look. It was therefore only natural that I started doing the same thing.
Dad never spent time on fast jets. Most of his time was on DC3s, Macchis, CT4s, and later PC-9s. Not that any of that bothered me. I recall many an occasion where we'd be out at the base, for a family day, in support of an airshow, Dad going in as the duty officer to organise a refuel and a tub for a Tracker that was passing through, and even once when Dad was assisting with a public display on the roof at Myers where he was in charge of the Link trainer! Now that was a beast!
In year 12 I tried out to become a pilot in the RAAF, but I didn’t know at the time that I had an eye condition that would never have permitted me to become one. So, after they offered for me to become an Airborne Electronics Analyst, I stopped following my pilots dream at that stage in life. When I finished secondary school I got a job as an apprentice sparky and was lucky enough to get a position with Australian Construction Services who were based out at RAF East Sale. All of this was pure luck and there was no hand in organising any of this at all. So, for the 12 months I stayed with my apprenticeship, I was still around aircraft, with one of my favourite jobs being the first-business-day-of-the-week run around the airfield ensuing that all of the airfield lighting was functional.
Then I decided to quit the apprenticeship to go back to Uni and get me engineering degree. At the end of the last year during swatvac, I saw an ad in the local rag calling for engineers in support of the Hawker Siddeley 748 (which was used primarily as a Navigation Trainer) and the Pilatus PC-9. Being in a basketball team with the young engineer in charge of the HS748 fleet, I was able to get myself a tour of both the maintenance organisation and the logistics support organisation where the advertised position was. Having met the Chief Engineer on that visit allowed me to be rather more comfortable at the interview when I saw he was the main interviewer. So, before I had even formally finished my engineering degree, I had secured a pretty reasonable job with the RAAF as a public servant. And, it was based at East Sale!!
After a couple of years working on the HS748, I tried my hand as a contractor to defence in Sydney, but that soon failed and I found myself back in Sale again, and back at the organisation I had left only a matter of months before. Except this time I was employed on the PC-9. Now for those of you who don’t know what the heck I’m talking about (although I probably lost you a few paragraphs back), the PC-9 is most commonly known as the aircraft that the Roulettes use today. But what most people don’t know is that the PC-9 is used as the second tier training aircraft for both the RAAF and Navy. And that the fleet totals 65 (ok, I think after the last crash at Sale about 3 or 4 years ago, it will now be 64) aircraft in total at 4 different bases in Australia.
I had various roles over those following years and loved working around the aircraft. But as things sometimes go, the work environment for me become unpleasant, and a new move was in store. So I left the APS and got a job working for a power station in the Latrobe Valley, but continued to live in Sale, commuting each day. At that point, my interaction with aircraft on a daily basis disappeared.
It wasn’t until last year when the father of my daughter’s friend mentioned that he was taking lessons that the bug caught up with me again. I needed a new project to undertake in the new year, and since I had always wanted to become a pilot, the time was never better. So, I got in touch with an ex-colleague of mine who also happened to have worked with my Dad. He has always worked in the aeronautical field, and happened to have his own business on the side in the form of a flying school. Since I had gotten on so well with him, I decided he would be a good choice for me to go with.
Jarvo, my instructor, operates a Jabiru J-160C and a Savannah out of West Sale, Latrobe Valley and Yarram. To date I have only flown in the Jab and primarily flown out of West Sale, with a couple of landings and take-offs from Latrobe Valley. I have had five sessions to date, the first being a trial flight, followed by four formal lessons. The first lesson was level flight, the second was medium bank turns, the third was slow flight and the fourth, today, was aerodynamic stalls. I have accrued about 5 hours at the controls so far.
I don’t know where this will end up at this stage. I certainly aim to get my RA-Aus licence, but I don’t know if that is where it will end. Ultimately, I would like to be able to fly with my wife and daughter, which will necessitate a PPL, but I don’t know if I will be able to justify that continuing expense in the end.
The adventure continues!
Craig H