NASA - the Cessnock Space Academy - roll call

[HI'er]

'Tis almost 40 years since Australia's first full time flying school was conceived by one James (Jim) Spark...
honourably assisted by Donald Digney, and J. O'B....Sqdn Ldr Bob Bowring (we only remember you because of Fiz and Liz, Bob!...Max (dead Ants) Johnston, and Jan Newby...along with Ossie and numerous others!

NASA (not Black Dog) was a quantum leap forward in Australian aviation at the time, providing many aspiring airline pilots with the key to their dreams, and the airlines with the door to their self-funded pilot applicants - all vying with each other for that coveted place.

"Sparkie" - or as he HATES to be callled, "Sparksie" - you were indeed a man with foresight, who with Maureen, allowed ME to drive your Fairlane 500 to the bank on Fridays, to collect the wages for Mrs Chez, Jazza, and Mrs J...Bob the cook, and countless others...

It's time for all of us to say "Thanks Jim and Maureen" for a lifetime in aviation :ok:

[Wizofoz]

I remember when I was a casual instructor at Camden Aero Club with about 800hrs in the mid eighties, picking up a bit of free-lance charter and stacking supermarket shelves at night, a "NASA" (it may have had one of its' name changes by then, wasn't "CATA" one of its' incarnations?) Warrior pulled up and a couple of neatly uniformed youngsters got out, one of which happened to be a guy who had been a year behind me at school.

After some pleasentries he revielied that he had almost finished his 150hr CPL at "The Academy" (Which his Mum had financed through a second mortgage) and was "Just going over to Bankstown to line up a twin IFR job, as there's no point getting the rating without a job to go to"- I saw him a couple of years later, his total time was 155hrs, and he was about to embark on a trip up north to try and fing ANY kind of flying job.

NASA and it's later clones took a lot of money from a lot of people, gave them no real insight into the business they were training for, had a reputation for producing sub-standard graduates and not living up to its' promises.

Intergrated, airline specific training is a fact of life these days, but then it was a cynical money-making exersize at the expense of a lot of peoples dreams.

[Tickle Me Pink]

I'll second that!
I had the misfortune of being associated with that mob as a young and naive 17 year old. I convinced my dad, a man of very little means, to borrow $10 000 to fund my NASA course.
Big bucks in the late seventies. Only to be told that without additional training for an instrument rating I would be unemployable.
My dad could not afford any more money and I felt somewhat guilty at watching him struggle for a solution. So I pulled the pin less than 2 weeks after my course commencement.
Sparky or whatever he chooses to be called kept a total of $3500 stating that due to our contractual arrangements it was non refundable.
What a prick!

[rockarpee]

It was a business I guess, and worked for me. Bit like a sausage factory, basically all the boxes were ticked, but was out of work for 10 months until I discovered PNG which gave me a great GA background and lifestyle. been with the airlines for 18 years and still having a ball, as I said befor, it worked for me.

[TIMMEEEE]

Wasn't Ronald Berry one of the instructors for a few years when this place opened?

Either way Ron went on to teach literally hundreds of pilots after he left the space academy and ventured to the south coast, many of whom are now in the airlines.

Tickle me pink - I had to fund my licence by working and did the hard yards in GA both in Oz and PNG.
Ultimately I was rewarded with an airline job.
Did not you pursue the profession or did you call it quits?

Just interested because someone once gave me some stats of those that earnt commercial licences in this country and never pursued a career for whatever reason.

[Thumbs up]

Always a lot of knockers of the old NASA,almost always from people who never set foot at Cessnock.
For me, it was great!!.
Just after finishing there I got an instructor rating and then went through the instructor ranks at a flying school and got a good insight into the workings of a lot of other flying schools.It always amazed me how slack flying training (generally) on the outside was.

T.M.PINK;you're right, you were a naive 17 year old.Perhaps you should have done a bit more research or more particularly, your old man.To the best of my knowledge NASA didn't do instrument ratings.Nevertheless most came away from there with just a bare Commercial licence and managed to get jobs and work their way up.Generally the ones' that dropped out or didn't continue flying afterwards were the ones' that going bush or to PNG or wherever was all to hard.
So Sparky wasn't a prick,you just gave up, and that 3.5 grand you forfeited would have been notified to you in your contract.Unlike a normal flying school they just couldn't slot someone else in to take your place,they relied on you to stay for the duration.

A great place that did a good job and there are thousands of Pilots working around the world who would agree.

:ok: :ok:

[Tickle Me Pink]

Timmeeee,
In answer to your question I did follow my dream and like you, did it the hard way over many years.
Yes I am now employed by an airline.

Thumbs up,
I am very happy for you and your positive experience at NASA.
I found them to be rather full of bull**** in the end and offered nothing that I was not able to gain elsewhere. As for going out bush don't bother preaching that line to me son I know all about it.
In my experience Sparkie was nothing but a prick. Only pricks keep that amount of money for no services rendered.
You can believe whatever suits you.

[TopTup]

NASA / CATA.... Been there, did that glad I woke up and saw the rubbish when I did.

As a starey eyed 17 year old I was sold the dream of CPL, instructor rating, instruct for free and QF will be begging for you. Instructors only caring for their own hours, no regard for the student. The school telling you when you can have the honour of giving them your hard earned money (thanks to the Brewery as a glassy for MANY hours and mates from the rugby club for the labouring gigs!!!).

When I finally left they tried to take me for $8k. When I challenged it they gave up. Would have been interesting as I had about $80 in the bank till Austudy paid up!

If anything I could say it gave me some insight into the GA world.....

[Ronnie Honker]

A poor workman always blames his tools.

Most of the fellows I was acquainted with, and had the ability and determination, ended up where they wanted to in aviation.

The silver tongue was Jim O'Brien - Jock Boyd's predecessor.

Sparkie might have sugar-coated stuff in the beginning, but he had a "dream" and he realised it over several years (the twin, the brick buildings, the swimming pool).

If any of you thought that by simply forking out x number of dollars, you would be automatically given a com licence and an airline job, I can only say "there's one born every minute."
Certainly Sparkie had many good connections within the airlines, especially Ansett, and the number of NASA grads entering airlines was quite high.

I instructed there, and there was NEVER any hint of having to work for free - the wages were as per award.

NASA (later CATA, and then MASSEY in N.Z.), were great innovations by J.N. Spark, and changed Australian aviation training for the better, imho.

[Dambuster]

My memory of NASA/CATA was refuelling there in a Mooney 201 coming back from Mt Isa to Bankstown and dropping in for a fuel stop after diverting around weather.

A teenager in a C210 rocked up, dropped some guys off and tried unsuccessfully to start his engine in the 35 degree hot weather.
Poor guy almost drained his battery and a group of NASA/CATA students just sat there laughing, gorking and making fun of this guy quite verbally.

I walked up to the pilot, got him to wait a few minutes to rest the battery and suggested purging the fuel lines of any hot vapours before restarting.
As per the hot starting method (which this poor guy didnt know with some 5 hours on type) the engine sprung to life first time.
The C210 pilot gave me a huge smile and a big thumbs up in appreciation.

It gave me great pleasure walking up and giving the NASA/CATA student experts a real mouthful for their deplorable behaviour.
These wimps just sat there and shut right up like the schoolgirls they were.

I know their type isnt the norm, but it gave me real satisfaction righting a wrong IMHO.

DB.

Rockarpee..........IT WORKED FOR ME TOO !!!

[Capt Claret]

I disagree with the nay sayers.

I started at NASA in June '83 in Orange Flight and was the first graduate from CATA in March '84, the name change occuring at the beginning of 1984 I think.

As a 26 year old with two children and a spouse I couldn't afford to repeat, and have no doubt that had I gone to the local aero club all the mundane domestic things would heve gotten in the way.

As it was, I spent my $17k and for 9 months worked hard and obtained a CPL. Nothing less than I contracted with Sparkie.

My first full time employment was back there in '86 as a raw Grade 3, and I consider that I was very fortunate to work under a true professional in one, B Fooks.

I didn't feel short changed by any of my instructors. I didn't short change any of my students.

This isn't to say that the place was perfect. It wasn't. Just like no employer I have ever worked for has been perfect. There are good and bad points about them all, as there probably are about all employers world wide.

As an after thought, it's quite probable that none of my employers have found me the perfect employee, either! Life's a two way street, most of the time. :\

[TopTup]

Well put Capt Claret.

A poor tradesman does blame his tools, Ronnie, but that wasn't really the case. All be it many moons ago, being sent out on a dual PPL navs when the conditions were woeful, knowing the task could not be achieved but the instructor demanding we go simply so he could get that 0.7 hrs logged is what irked me. I was paying for his experience / log book time.

Having been picking up glasses all night, turning up prepped, planned and ready to go for the week old scheduled lesson only to be changed without notice and me sent packing home. That happened countless times. 1.5 hrs round trip.

Instructors teaching commercial ops with no commercial ops experience themselves. Able to regurgitate Trevor Thom ad nausium but unable to answer the "Why?" questions.

The overseas cadets getting treated like gold and given priority over all things living.....

No, you don't just turn up with a few $$ and expect that CPL and MECIR to fall in your lap, but some kind of professionalism and downright courtesy was.

I must say that NACA / CATA was not the only school I saw this from but was one of the leaders in the pack.

Flying schools as a result have always been a pet dislike for me in the way so many of them are "sausage factories". Sell the dream, take your money...... In Aust I reckon there are about 5 civil flying schools worth their salt. Just a personal opinion.

[rockarpee]

Jeeez DB just making a comment and not having a go at anybody, RELAAAAAAAX

[Metro36]

Great to hear the name CATA again. Fantastic part of the world to learn to fly (Hunter Valley). Especially if you also went to the Uni of Newcastle.

I was a part of the first Uni integrated course back in the late 80's and out of 18 students, 14 are currently flying for the majors...super

Unfortunately, there were a few casualties (for whatever reason) and I was one of the other 4 who didn't quite cut the QF grade.

But then again it didn't go un-noticed that I basically pissed most of it up the wall, had a grouse time at Uni and didn't exactly impress those that I should've to be recommended to the QF execs.

Boo Hoo to me.

It does beckon from most replies that CATA/NASA/Sparks was a fly-by night operator. True for some but if you worked hard then for a minimal outlay of 18 big ones (basically a months wage now) a huge potential awaited you.

Good luck and hello to all of class of '89 (ring a bell)

M36

[A31J]

Did the CATA thing..well 2 months worth anyway.

Red Flight..started in Walgett..

now there was something different..

backseating aeros in the Warrior during a night navex..

the whole flight made 'honoray' members of the local RSL where copious amounts of alchohol were consumed and lots of pool played till the wee small hours..

ahhh...nostalgia

:8

[Capt Fathom]

backseating aeros in the Warrior during a night navex..

the whole flight made 'honoray' members of the local RSL where copious amounts of alchohol were consumed and lots of pool played till the wee small hours..
And we wonder why GA is going down the gurgler! :(

[apache]

I think that you've hit the nail on the head there, Capt Fathom.

GA is in decline because the cost of alcohol, and the associated taxes, have gone through the roof.

If the price of BEER had remained the same as it was in the 80's, then there would be MORE money available to spend on FLYING somewhere to appreciate it!

Let's face it. IF you could fly somewhere with 3 mates, for 5 days, and pay $1 per beer less, then over the course of 5 days.... let's see :
4 drinkers x 5 days = 20
20 drinking days at 20 beers = 400 beers, * $1 per beer = $400
$400 = 1.3 each way in a pa28 or similar!

and of course, this is only a group of regular drinkers - imagine if they were DECENT alcoholics!!!(or all pilots)

you could go further!

The more you drink, then the more you save. The more you save, the further you could go. The further you go, the more exotic it is. The more exotic is is, the more you drink!!!

it's all good

[bluepacific]

G'day to all Red flighter's of 89.
A31J yes Walgett seemed so far back now, the RSL, Volleyball ......
Apache I agree its the cost of beer thats gone up.
BP:}