I've lived in Christchurch all my life. I started flying when I was at high school through the Canterbury Aero Club (essentially the same thing as the IAANZ, same facilities/aircraft etc). I worked part time in a supermarket to pay for lessons & during my last year at high school I passed my PPL flight test. I joined the IAANZ (2003/2004ish) & studied there full time the year after high school. I got a “free pass” so to speak into the academy because I already had my PPL so didn’t have to prove anything.
Being a young humble 18/19 year old I felt pretty uncomfortable the whole year I was with the academy. It was pretty over-the-top there with a fancy pilot uniform (flying a Tomahawk lol) & glitzy facilities & people; there was no shortage of arrogant aviator wearing “topguns”, who thought they were the “big man” driving their flash convertible that their old man paid for & walking through the malls in their “pilot’s” uniform all the time, I still cringe thinking about it.
It was an extremely busy year for me even though I had a head start over most going into the IAANZ with my PPL. Around 1/5 or possibly even ¼ dropped out of my intake. I got a student loan (with interest at that time) for my CPL with MEIR & having that hanging over my head was very stressful, the whole course was very tightly packed in & there were tight deadlines, It felt like I was in a straight jacket with no room to move basically.
I studied hard & passed the theory exams & CPL/MEIR flight tests, after that my time was up so I was shuffled out the door which closed behind me & the next group of students arrived to begin the course. I felt like an object (or a number) that had just completed its turn on the factory line.
I felt disillusioned afterwards; after all I had spent $70,000+ in a short amount of time I felt like I had been treated like a number. My experience was the opposite at the Canterbury aero club when I was working towards my PPL, I was physically paying with my earned money (not student loan) so felt like I had complete control & could call all the shots. I would usually just fly on Sundays when all the academy guy’s weren’t there so it was also a quiet & relaxed environment, no rat race vibe.
I had no contacts (no family or friends were in the aviation industry), I felt like I wouldn’t be respected by a pilot employer as a young 19 year old, I had nowhere to go & with a massive student loan with interest I slipped into a depression. I’m not blaming anyone for that situation; flying was something I always wanted to do (& still is) so in my naivety I didn’t foresee the dead end I encountered post flight training.
To cut a long story short I worked full time in a supermarket for several years to get my loan under control, then after that I got a job with Air New Zealand as a baggage handler. I was lucky with my flight instructors, they were excellent & now I see many of them regularly on the ramp at CHC airport. One is a 1st officer for Pacific Blue, 3 fly ATR’S for ANZ, 1 is a 737 FO for ANZ & several other’s fly the beech 1900’s for ANZ.
I’m flying with the ANZFC now to get my license current again, the hire rates are significantly cheaper than the IAANZ (especially so for me being an employee of Air New Zealand). The ANZFC is really laid back & casual as well, the complete opposite of the IAANZ. Once I’m current again I’ll think about where I will go from there.