Flying hobby in Melbourne / Australia in general

[drpain]

Hi,


I’m moving to Melbourne this September/October, and I want to continue my flying hobby there. I need some advice and insight on the local conditions…

First, I have to tell that I’ve been reading the CASA VFR manuals and consider to be quite informed with the local legislation issues also (although I haven’t found the full AIP online yet…)

Aaaaa-nyhow, mostly I’m interested to know about the practical issues. I have a JAR PPL (A) licence with around 90 hours of time on C152/172 planes, and I know that the license conversion is quite straight forward.

Currently I live in Finland and belong to a local aero club that is run on volunteer basis, we have 3 planes that members can hire and those planes are not hired for outsiders. Is this the normal procedure in Australia also, or do people, who fly just for fun, use some commercially oriented plane hire companies?

Also some insights on where would be the best place to get some ground hours with beer/coffee/etc. (is there a better english word for this?) with likeminded aviation people in Melbourne… Maybe even hitch a ride (I’ll always pay my share!) to get the feel on the local procedures and R/T before getting behind the stick my self ;-)

I really appreciate your help!

Tomi L, aka. “Drpain”

[Di_Vosh]

Congratulations on moving to the best city in Oz :}

Once you've got your licence converted, police checks done, etc, most aeroclubs/flying schools would have similar requirements.

That is, an instructor or the CFI would want to do a check flight with you. This would consist of a few circuits, manoeuvres, as well as an area familiarisation, and any local procedures.

They may allow you to "backseat" another pilots navex, but it's more likely that they'll want you to do a nav through CTA so that they are satisfied with your r/t and nav skills.

It also depends on where in Melbourne you're going to live. If you're living in the East, then there are Lilydale and Coldstream airports. North there is Essendon, Northwest are Sunbury and Romsey airfields. West are Point Cook, Melton and Bacchus Marsh. Southeast is Moorabbin and on the Mornington peninsula are Tyabb and Tooradin airports. (Apologies if I've missed any :\)

All of these airports have either flying schools and/or aeroclubs and most (if not all) would welcome new members. Most have websites and can be googled for more information. (Use www.google.com.au instead of www.google.com, as it has an optional Australian filter).

There are pros and cons for all of these airports, and your circumstances and location will probably dictate which would better suit you. I'd strongly suggest that you "shop around" at the flying schools and aeroclubs, as some are focussed on CPL/MECIR training, where others are more suited to recreational pilots.

Good luck with it.

DIVOSH!

[Islander Jock]

dr pain,
I second what Di Vosh said and welcome to Oz. As for his description of Melbourne being the best city, well you may well think that until you cross the desert and visit Perth. It's only a short journey :E

Flying here is not difficult, just different. You'll love the freedom of being able to get in a light aircraft and be able to fly almost without restriction around the country, except for the CTAs when close to the major airports.

[scrambler]

Latrobe Valley has a good club atmosphere and good aircraft. A little bit of a drive from Melbourne but well worth it.

http://www.latrobevalleyaeroclub.com.au/

[Ear Muffs]

Try also Melbourne Flight Training at Moorabbin. Great Guys that run it. www.melbourneflighttraining.com.au

[drpain]

Hi Guys and gals,

Ihad absolutely NO IDEA that here ar that many smaller airports around Melbourne alone! I gues in general that the aviation as a hobby is far more common in OZ than in Finland:D

It was also suggested that I take a look at the www.aeroclub.com.au (http://www.aeroclub.com.au) websit, and yeap, it did offer more than enough schools and clubs :ok:

One thing that would be very helpful though, would be to find some sort of maps about the airports, are those offred online anywhere? Something like this: http://www.ais.fi/ais/vfr/ (A finnish VFR guide -also available in english). I don't need the real VFR charts just yet, just to get some idea about the location of airports and preferbly about the airspace classifications.

Keep up the good work!:)

[jetstar1]

Hi Drpain,

I suggest you have a look at http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/pilotcentre/training/flyingaround/melbourne.asp. It is primarily focused on avoiding CTA violations, but includes an electronic Visual Terminal Chart for Melbourne.

Also have a look at http://www.casa.gov.au/pilots/melb.htm. This is a visual pilot guide for Melbourne.

Enjoy :ok:

[Chief galah]

G'day Tomi L,
Check your PM's for some contacts.
CG