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Flight Training
Warnervale Air offers
a staff of fully qualified flight instructors.
All instructors are employed on a full time basis, unlike
many other flying schools. At WVA you can learn to
fly, brush up on old skills, get endorsement on
several aircraft types, or add valuable ratings to your
current licence. The instructors at Warnervale are friendly,
courteous, highly trained (usually at Warnervale), and
will go out of their way to ensure you of the best possible
flying training available. If you are thinking
of learning to fly, then CONGRATULATIONS, and
welcome to Aviation. Flying is safe, fun, and very rewarding.
You will gain confidence in yourself, learn new skills,
and meet a lot of people. Aero Clubs are dotted
all around Australia and are full of friendly people
who share a common passion. Our local club is the
Central Coast Aero Club.
Some useful information about learning
to fly is here on this page but if you have any
other questions please don't hesitate to
inquire here.
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WARNING!
Learning to fly is highly addictive. It may cause extreme
happiness and could affect your sanity. You may be subject
to withdrawal symptoms if you don't fly regularly.
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A Brief Outline
FIRST SOLO
Initial training takes you to a stage
where you are capable of flying a simple circuit pattern.
That is take-off, fly around the aerodrome and come
back and land, by yourself. A short theory exam is involved
before you go solo. This 'First Solo' is something you
will remember for the rest of your flying career and
indeed your lifetime. Ask any Qantas Captain, or Jet
Pilot, and I'm SURE they'll tell you they still remember
their solo vividly.
GENERAL FLIGHT PROGRESS TEST (GFPT)
After you have passed the BAK exam and
have had the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
minimum requirement of 20 flying hours experience, you
can sit for the GFPT test. Passing this test allows
you to carry passengers. That is someone other than
a flight instructor. You can take-off and fly within
the training area of the aerodrome or within 10 nautical
miles radius of the aerodrome you departed from. You
may only land at the aerodrome you departed from. You
are now well on your way to obtaining a Private Pilot's
Licence.
PRIVATE PILOTS LICENCE – PPL(A)
This is a qualification that you should
be aiming for from the start of your training. The PPL(A)
entitles you to fly an Australian registered aircraft
almost anywhere in Australia and to fly an Australian
registered aircraft round the world, if you choose.
Training for this is conducted in a Cessna C-172 type
aircraft, a four seat aircraft more suited to the Navigation
phase of training. The PPL(A) phase
of training covers the navigation component, including
safe operation in controlled airspace. CASA
requires an additional 20 hours minimum navigation experience
for the PPL(A), however the average
is more like 27-30 hours for the vast majority of students.
The PPL(A) allows you to use your training
in a truly practical sense, (imagine visiting Aunt Mary
in Dubbo via air instead of battling the road traffic).
It also opens the door to other ratings, endorsements
and enhancement of your skills, such as night flying,
tail wheel aircraft endorsement, aerobatics, retractable
undercarriage etc. In conjunction with the Central
Coast Aero Club we have fly-outs to other aerodromes
a few times a year, enabling you to see this vast continent
of ours, meet other pilots, and generally enjoy your
new-found skills. There's nothing quite as much fun
as meeting other aviation enthusiasts from all around
Australia in a social situation.
COMMERCIAL PILOTS LICENCE - CPL(A)
This licence enables you to be paid
for flying aircraft. Do not, however, believe that it
will guarantee you a job in the aviation industry, as
usually it will not. The CPL requires
a minimum of 150 hours if you complete an integrated
course or 200 hours if you choose to go at your own
pace. Most pilots need more than the 150 hours, the
average is close to 200.
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Some Useful Tips
Our CFI has taken the time to
prepare some valuable notes and advice that may help
you with your training.
The Civil
Aviation Authority (CASA) regulates the various
licences and ratings you may seek throughout your flying
training. CASA lists the MINIMUM requirements,
not the averages that the student pilot requires.
Your abilities
are unknown before you start your training, and therefore
nobody can quote the hours you will require and hence
the costs. The flight tests you will complete are skills
tests. These skills are TAUGHT not
inherited. You must be prepared to undertake whatever
training you may require to attain the standard you
aspire to. Ensure that your training is productive.
DO the reading and study that is necessary and fly regularly.
Most students
choose to train part-time, flying once a week or even
once a fortnight. If you fly two, three, or even more
times per week, each lesson will be more relevant and
will eliminate the revision that less frequent flying
requires.
Do NOT
be coerced into paying in advance!!.....Pay as you go
!!!. If you pay 'upfront' you may be locked in to a
situation with which you are uncomfortable. When you
pay as you go, you are free to change flying schools
if you are dissatisfied with the organisation you are
with.
Do pursue
the skills that will give you the solid foundations
required for any job in the aviation industry. Maybe
some aerobatics, formation flying and an Instructor
Rating will gain that first job for you and give you
some valuable skills to carry throughout your flying
career.
Do call
in to the flying schools that interest you, and get
a feel for the school and the training you require.
Most Importantly
Enjoy your flying !! It's Safe and it's FUN
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