Flying school out of Katoomba?

[ayavner]

Hi all - RAAus site lists Hay Air in Katoomba, however there is no website and I've tried the numbers before which just ring....

 

Does anyone know if this is still out there, or if there's another? I know its a bit of a drive, but sure is beautiful out there....

 

 

[Ultralights]

I have heard a rumour, and its only a rumour, that YKAT has been closed permanently.

 

 

[ayavner]

oh noes!

 

on the way back into town yesterday, drove past the air strip at Richmond. I believe that's an RAAF base, but could swear I saw signs for a gliding club. Anyone know of a school there?

 

 

[PapaFox]

Your eyes aren't playing tricks

 

http://gfa.org.au/imis15/GFA/Clubs/NSW_CLUBS/RAAF_RICHMOND.aspx

 

 

[ayavner]

Yup, that must be what I saw. So do you know of any RAAus flying schools out of Richmond?

 

 

[furio]

Pretty sure there are no RAAUS schools at Richmond. There are two that run out of YBSK and a couple at the Oaks just south of Camden. Also try Warnervale on the central coast.

 

 

[ayavner]

Yup, I am currently with one in Bankstown, haven't tried the other yet, but am starting to cast my glance further afield as it occurs to me that flying out of YSBK really isn't that much fun :) I have an email in to Dave at one of the schools at the Oaks, just need to organise a time to drive down there and check em out..

 

 

[old man emu]

Check out Gostner Aviation at Camden.

 

OME

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Its got me buggered how they operate out of Bankstown at all under RAA.

 

As far as I can tell, all the training is done, then the last bit (5 hours of solo) is done at wollongong or elsewhere..

 

I cant for the life of me see how that arrangement could get endorsed by RaAus.

 

I wouldn't even do any GA training from Ysbk. You'd be bloody good at taxiing and transiting to the training area, only to turn around and come back again..

 

 

[planedriver]

Its got me buggered how they operate out of Bankstown at all under RAA.As far as I can tell, all the training is done, then the last bit (5 hours of solo) is done at wollongong or elsewhere..

I cant for the life of me see how that arrangement could get endorsed by RaAus.

 

I wouldn't even do any GA training from Ysbk. You'd be bloody good at taxiing and transiting to the training area, only to turn around and come back again..

Not wrong there Andy, you just taxi for a lesson, and before take-off, it's time to divert to Bob Jane's down on Canterbury Road for a new set of tyres

 

 

[pylon500]

http://gfa.org.au/imis15/GFA/Clubs/NSW_CLUBS/RAAF_RICHMOND.aspx

There is both a Gliding Club, and an Aero Club based at RAAF Richmond.

That said, they are primarily for the serving members on the base and surrounding military bases, and their dependents.

 

They do allow a small percentage of civilian members, but there's usually a waiting list.

 

I was secretary of the Gliding Club for a year or so while based there.

 

This was pretty much before the time of ultralights, or I may have tried to start up a club there myself...

 

 

[crazy diamond]

I think from memory there were repairs being done to the A/C Rod was using (a Jab). Haven't heard anything else, I know the NPWS/RFS/EMS have used the strip in the past for fire fighting operations, last time I was up there (maybe 9 months ago) there was a twin and a couple of other GA aircraft hangared up there. Would be sad if it has been forced to close for good!

 

 

[crazy diamond]

Just found this...

 

http://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/news/local/news/general/protect-airstrip-for-emergenices-candidate/2641207.aspx

 

 

[ayavner]

Hrmmm intersesting. I also show in the August '12 AIP that it seems to be listed with all the usual information, and nothing on there about it being closed or off-limits, so i am guessing the airfield is still open. I'll see if the number there is different from the one the RAAus list has for Rod, and I'll try to give him a call...

 

 

[shu77]

I was flying out of Bankstown and found the same issues. I ended up going on holiday for a week and finishing my licence at Murray Bridge in SA. Very good school and I would really recommend it.

 

 

[Guest nunans]

Its got me buggered how they operate out of Bankstown at all under RAA.As far as I can tell, all the training is done, then the last bit (5 hours of solo) is done at wollongong or elsewhere..

I cant for the life of me see how that arrangement could get endorsed by RaAus.

 

I wouldn't even do any GA training from Ysbk. You'd be bloody good at taxiing and transiting to the training area, only to turn around and come back again..

I always wondered the same thing, it's CTA down to the ground so an RA pilot would need a PPL solo there. It must be like you suggest, you do a whole lot of dual time (mostly on the ground) and when you can fly it with your eyes shut the instructor takes you to a non towered aerodrome and you do your solo stuff there while he waits.

 

Doing RA training at YSBK would however give you alot of exposure to towered aerodrome procedures and get you used to talking to traffic controllers which is one thing that people learning at little country strips miss out on.

 

 

[lark]

Havent been to the kat strip since the late 90s, had assumed it would have been closed down by the locals by now!

 

 

[shu77]

I

 

I always wondered the same thing, it's CTA down to the ground so an RA pilot would need a PPL solo there. It must be like you suggest, you do a whole lot of dual time (mostly on the ground) and when you can fly it with your eyes shut the instructor takes you to a non towered aerodrome and you do your solo stuff there while he waits.Doing RA training at YSBK would however give you alot of exposure to towered aerodrome procedures and get you used to talking to traffic controllers which is one thing that people learning at little country strips miss out on.

I actually took the approach coming back to RA from GA that it was good practice to being at a busy field. The radio procedures and CTA is not really difficult (I feel like I am missing something when I taxi out and don't end my call with an AWIS identifier "with Charlie") and the Jabi is not that different to a C152 that its a nuisance in the circuit, so its more an issue that I can operate the aircraft and manage my comms and seperations effectively with a PPL rated RA instructor next to me, but I'm suddenly incapable if he gets out. Travelling to Wollongong for Solo work is not so bad in the beginning and you can use it as Nav practice as you progress, but you do hit a point where you are adding 2 hours additional flying to each hour of Solo for no real benefit at which point the solo stops being cost effective.

 

 

[ayavner]

that's kind of a sobering thought :( But, as you say, i can think of it as practice for Navs which may end up shortening my time on that end of it when I get to that point.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

You would be much better off just driving to Wollongong and doing your training there.

 

My 2 cents

 

 

[shu77]

Depends where you live, Wollongong is a long drive from the North Shore and the weather is not always condusive to circuit training. I found it easier to go to Murray Bridge for a week.

 

 

[ayavner]

Its a pretty long drive from Winston Hills too, that's kinda why I've been going out of Bankstown. I'll have to pose this to my instructor this weekend and see what he says... I am all for getting more experience in whatever form it takes, but having to pay for 2 extra hours for each hour of solo would tend to push things back in the overall scheme of things... must be a way around that. See now this is where having my own plane would help :)

 

 

[Ultralights]

Bankstowns not that bad, there is very little of the GA industry left, so no more taxi delays at YSBk anymore...

 

 

[shu77]

Don't get me wrong if you can absorb the trip down and back into your Nav training it works nicely, its when you have enough Nav to want to look further a field, but not enough PIC to sit your certificate test that it becomes an issue

 

 

[ayavner]

I will bring that up... just so that he is aware that I am looking to maximise value per dollar spent. I do see some value at YSBK, as some have mentioned, I do feel like I am getting a more well-rounded experience which will be helpful when I want to make the leap over to GA. But its definitely not the "fun" I had envisioned when i first started daydreaming about sitting in a chair in the sky lol :-)