View Full Version : Airborne Aviation - Camden
deano65
21st Oct 2009, 05:38
Hi guys, anyone used these guys for CPL? Comments/Feedback? I have been through the sausage factory situation at 2 of the sausage merchants at Bankstown and looking for a school that actually...."cares"...
Dean
:uhoh: i feel your pain. I can only reccomend Avondale @ YCNK. ive heard good stuff about warnervale also
Go see Ray Ekinci of Air Combat Australia, Top bloke, knows his stuff and he'll really look after you.....:E
Trojan1981
21st Oct 2009, 07:14
I have had some dealings with AA and CA at CN. They would be my pick for CN. They have a wide variety of aircraft and all seem very professional.
Horatio Leafblower
21st Oct 2009, 10:13
Curtis Avn all the way :ok:
dat581
21st Oct 2009, 10:17
I'll have to back up Curtis too, i'm working towards my PPL and then CPL with them. Friendly instructors and a nice range of aircraft.:ok:
shortdrygrass
21st Oct 2009, 11:50
Camden is an excellent place to learn.
You have both an asphalt and grass strip plus a CTAF and GAAP (for the time being) environment in which to learn.
I'm convinced that all the operators at Camden are very professional.
looking for a school that actually...."cares"...I absolutely have nothing against Airborne Aviation or any of the other operators there but I did my PPL with Curtis (CPL is a work in progress) and have nothing but praise for the instructors and setup.
Take a stroll next door and have a chat.
/sdg
deano65
21st Oct 2009, 21:51
Many thanks for the replies here , and via PM...seems AA and Curtis are held in high regard, I will wander over and speak to both....
Dean
No junk male
22nd Oct 2009, 00:01
Curtis for sure! Excellent training.:ok:
Jay Bo
22nd Oct 2009, 02:48
This is my recent experience as of 3 weeks ago..
Was looking to do an aerobatics course. First things first emailed Airborne, Curtis, and Air Combat.
Curtis received email same day
Air Combat received next day
Airborne.................................................... ...........Still Waiting:ugh::ugh:
Went for a visit
Curtis - within 2 mins greeted with friendly people and introduced to instructor to answer all my questions
Airborne - walked in, must of been wearing my ghost costume. I could see them but ahaaa they couldnt see me. Finally got a rushed non specific info (takes about 7 hours and here are the rates goodbye)
Air Combat closed. Was in the late afternoon
Kind of easy to guess which one i chose
On Track
22nd Oct 2009, 05:11
I've had dealings with Curtis and Airborne in the past - though neither of them recently.
Have no complaints about either but I know the Curtis reputation has spread far and wide - at least across the Tasman.
boardpig
22nd Oct 2009, 05:49
Did my CPL with Curtis, loved it. Learned to really fly there, in and out of "very" short fields, ALA's, dirt tracks etc. Rob there is also an examiner for the CPL, so when he says you're ready..you are.
They also teach you to use the engine only as much as you need it... oops!
BP.
aussiefan
22nd Oct 2009, 21:08
Anyone here have any info on Liverpool? Also at Camden?
I have heard they are pretty good but only from one person.
deano65
23rd Oct 2009, 02:33
Hi again, bit of an update, spoke to all entities at Camden and without doubt, Curtis were the most informative and professional in the delivery of the info I asked for so I have embarked on completing my CPL with them...thanks again for everyone's comments...much appreciated
Dean
boardpig
23rd Oct 2009, 03:02
Best of luck with it Dean, never let that elevator drop when Jim's around :}
deano65
23rd Oct 2009, 03:06
Is he the "elderly" guy there? If so he tore shreds off some young guy this morning as he ahd sharpened a pencil and elft the shavings on the desk...was amusing.
Trojan1981
23rd Oct 2009, 04:48
While we are talking about Curtis, have they got the Tiger back in the air yet? And what on earth happened to RWK? (apart from the obvious)
boardpig
23rd Oct 2009, 04:53
LOL, yeah that be him alright....
boardpig
23rd Oct 2009, 05:00
To RWK?? I was going to fly that next week. Is it gone / grounded. Guess I could call and find out..:ok:
Trojan1981
23rd Oct 2009, 05:05
Destroyed I am told:(
I had many happy navs (and a few unhappy) in the old girl.
girl with a stick
23rd Oct 2009, 06:25
G'day!
I fly out at Curtis too, and heard RWK was torched by vandals at Mittagong.
Re Jim - keep ya stick back, don't taxi on the breaks, use your rudders and then he's a pussy cat.
Ahh, and regarding Liverpool Flying School; they're pretty swell too. I started with them out at HOX, did my first solo in one of their Skippers. They moved over to CN when HOX got sold off.
Welcome, Deano!
GWAS
(trust a girl to know all the gossip....)
Ultralights
23rd Oct 2009, 07:35
http://www.recreationalflying.org/forum/attachments/general-discussion/12657d1253164115-182-burned-down-burnt_cessna_001.jpg
http://www.recreationalflying.org/forum/attachments/general-discussion/12658d1253164217-182-burned-down-burnt_cessna_002.jpg
b_sta
23rd Oct 2009, 07:57
That'll buff right out :}
likes2fly
23rd Oct 2009, 08:06
Damn shame about RWK, a nice aeroplane with a unique, real aeroplane sound to it. Geez i hope they catch the bastards that did that. Was it there for an overnight?? or stuck in weather or what?
Not sure if that was owned by the curtis boys or privately owned. Was wondering why we hadn't seen it round for a few days.
Curtis tiger, CXV: She was up a few weeks ago, but havent seen her again for a while.
Trojan1981
23rd Oct 2009, 08:11
Oh No!!!:eek: The Witch is dead!
Despite all her problems, and all the times she let me down, I loved that little Cessna...
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh68/trojan1981/Moruya182009.jpg
RIP
P.S. She was privately owned.
kookabat
24th Oct 2009, 00:14
keep ya stick back, don't taxi on the breaks, use your rudders,
and DON'T TALK OVER THE BEEP,
then he's a pussycat
RWK was in Mittagong after popping a tyre there - it was fixed, then overnight that happened.
:{
boardpig
26th Oct 2009, 22:11
...very sad. :(
No more real life failures to deal with then. Flaps broken, one brake defective, smashed nav light on a pole at Parkes... ah the old girl had such a character...
the air up there
27th Oct 2009, 02:56
Vandals hey. Hmmmm, interfering with an aircraft. Could this be considered an act of terrorism in this day an age?
Trojan1981
27th Oct 2009, 03:39
No more real life failures to deal with then. Flaps broken, one brake defective, smashed nav light on a pole at Parkes... ah the old girl had such a character...
...electrical problems, fuel leaks etc, etc...
That brake problem scared the cr:eek:p out of me one day at CN, very nearly ran into a ditch off the side of the rwy and ended her flying days then.
boardpig
28th Oct 2009, 04:34
hehe, yeah I remember landing long and then the gradual swerve to the right under braking. This was the same day as total flap failures, certainly kept you on your toes. Strange thing was though, she always "felt" better to fly than the newer glassies. Dunno why.
BP.
j3pipercub
28th Oct 2009, 05:19
My God, the face on that witch is fugly
My God, the face on that witch is fugly
Is it just me, or does she look suspiciously like a former politician, named Pauline?
Also, have flown with Jim at Curtis and cannot recommend him highly enough. If you are of delicate disposition and are lacking in truth-handling facilities, best move on :ok:
Have not flown with AA, but know people who have and not a bad word to say about them either.
Trojan1981
28th Oct 2009, 22:03
She was a pleasure to fly when the planets aligned and everything worked. Have they got a replacement coming at all or are they down to the 182Ts?
Woodduck3
29th Oct 2009, 06:14
I flew for a while with Ray Ekini a few years ago. NEVER AGAIN.:=
hey woodduck why wont you fly with ray what wrong with him???
Horatio Leafblower
29th Oct 2009, 08:27
I have flown with Reha a few times too. It was certainly ...interesting.
I will say that I learnt something from him every time :ok: :uhoh:
likes2fly
30th Oct 2009, 08:18
Speaking of R Ek, haven't seen airtourer AMX up for a while, did they finally break it???
Nate421
31st Oct 2009, 08:50
likes2fly-
I'm guessing youve got something to say about AMX or Ray? Im sure your brave enough to go talk to him about it in person, as your brave enough to talk behind a computer screen.:ok:
I have flown with him many times and is very knowledgable, as I have with Curtis and found them to be the same, a respectable operation and very friendly, I have not flown with airborne so do not know much about them.
Reha Eckinci makes it a proud fact that he is the best pilot at CN he likes to put tickets on himself and rightly so he has an impressive resume, personality wise very arrogant but again he even admits this himself, I do admit ray's personality rubs alot of people the wrong way, but if you can handle the other bull****e he spits out he is very knowledgeable and one can learn alot from him
deano65
31st Oct 2009, 23:29
Does this guy work for Curtis?
shortdrygrass
1st Nov 2009, 03:01
Ray
Does this guy work for Curtis? No! No! No!
They're talking about...
Air Combat Australia (http://www.aircombat.com.au/aca/pages/pilot.htm)
/sdg
deano65
1st Nov 2009, 03:23
Ok thanks, have just migrated my backside to Camden and still trying to work out who is who.
Droste
8th Nov 2009, 05:12
May I know is there any homestay available at Camden Airport?
How can I get an accommodation there?
Nate421
8th Nov 2009, 08:42
Only at hotels/motels in narellan
Droste
8th Nov 2009, 13:43
Only at hotels/motels in narellan
Anybody will be broke in no time staying hotels/motels for months!
It is so costly to stay in hotels/motels. The flying course going to take months to complete.
Any other recommendations of place to stay near to Camden Airport?
Cap'n Arrr
8th Nov 2009, 22:34
Mate only suggestions I can think of are:
1 - Call the school you will be going to and ask them what's around.
2 - Check local classifieds for share houses. Try www.realestate.com.au (http://www.realestate.com.au). Agree about the motels thing being very expensive.
the polding center might still be open it was ment to shut in October but i am unsure
deano65
1st Dec 2009, 02:57
Bit of an update here, as from memory I think i asked the initial question :)
All very good at Curtis indeed....instructors are great blokes who give their time to answer your dumbass questions...the whole experience has been a lot of fun so far...
Cheers
Dean
deano65
1st Dec 2009, 03:17
I agree with your comments there...this is the third school I have visited, flown with been a student of so, as a comparison, all is good.
I have also flown with more than one instructor....at Curtis
Orion Delta
1st Dec 2009, 03:25
I'm STILL waiting for a response off Curtis after sending an email 2 weeks ago!:ugh: must be busy..
deano65
1st Dec 2009, 03:28
Give them a call...email does get lost occasionally......
Orion Delta
1st Dec 2009, 03:32
yeah your right. cheers
apollo85
1st Dec 2009, 04:20
ol' jimmy..... "GET THE BLOODY STICK BACK!" : D
would love a jimmy sound board
help me jebus
2nd Dec 2009, 11:33
11111111111
Ash767
7th Dec 2009, 07:36
Hi All
One of the questions I wanted to ask has been answered re "what are Curtis like" - They seem good from what I have read here!. I don't want a flying school that is going to waste my time and milk me of unnecessary hours.
My other questions are besides getting a medical done and buying new AIP's etc, has anything else changed? i.e do I need to get a security pass as I think they were coming in when I got out of flying.:ok:
Anyone know what NSW Air are like at YWOL?
boardpig
7th Dec 2009, 21:42
As the previous posts here have eluded to, Curtiss is well respected and won't waste your time. Curtiss Jim, grumpy old bugger?.. oh yes (not really but I won't tell). Knows what he’s talking about, definitely.
These days in the world of "terrorism is everywhere" you need an ASIC to walk around at airfields where RPT come in and out. (Orange, Bathurst, Parkes etc). You can apply for one on-line I think. Do you need one? Yes. Do you really need one… that’s a debate in itself.
BP
Trojan1981
8th Dec 2009, 03:52
Depends what you want to do Ash. I would reccomend both schools but for different reasons. Curtis are excellent for tail wheel/Aeros and bush strip ops. NSW are good because they have good instructors (no attitude like you can find elsewhere) good aircraft, a nice quiet area to fly and they do a fair amount of other work apart from flight training.
Some people will tell you one school is crap and the other is great. Pilots seem to love slinging mud on each other for some reason.
It's about personal preference. I have finished my training up to CPL and continue to fly with both schools.
palindrome
8th Dec 2009, 05:01
Training in Camden is more expensive but you will receive much better training and the two schools ( Curtis & Airborne ) there seem to keep their aircraft very well maintained.
If you want to save yourself some grief then please avoid NSW Air at all costs.
What are Curtis like? Well, the amount of people on here who've trained with them, and the fact that they continually pop up in threads as one of the east coast's most respected flight schools, should indicate something :ok:
Trojan1981
8th Dec 2009, 05:32
If you want to save yourself some grief then please avoid NSW Air at all costs.
Case in point:rolleyes:
Palindrome, you also said of Curtis and Camden in an earlier thread:
Personally I don't find flying in Camden very appealing with the amount of bullying that seems to go on in the circuit.
and
P.S am pretty sure none of the aforementioned bullying comes from Curtis students
Yes you're right. Not the students but the grumpy CFI that acts like he owns the airport.
So, where do you fly and why? Your profile is pretty bare...
palindrome
8th Dec 2009, 05:52
Case in point:rolleyes:
Do a search via the search facility, not a single positive comment or thread on the school in question.
So, where do you fly and why? Your profile is pretty bare...
Irrelevant.
Next question.
Trojan1981
8th Dec 2009, 06:28
Irrelevant, when reccomending (or bagging) flying schools, err....righto Troll
palindrome
8th Dec 2009, 06:38
Seriously. Don't make it your business to find out who I am or where I fly.
That really is none of your business. My profile is bare because I don't spend every minute on a chat forum, I do have a life.
It's not my problem that you get so offended and resort to name calling when I do not recommend a school that you fly at. You really need to deal with it..
Ash767
8th Dec 2009, 07:39
Thank you for your comments guys/girls
I will only be keeping my licence private and not CPL this time, so nothing too extravagant. I live in YWOL however, I thought about doing my "refresher" at Camden (YSCN, I think) as I would get GAAP exposure at the same time as getting back into the swing of things.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Can't wait to fly again!
deano65
8th Dec 2009, 08:27
Yes, your initial observation re the good name Curtis has should guide you to a reasonable decision......I live nowhere near CN either...:)
Trojan1981
8th Dec 2009, 08:56
Palin to ignore list...
Fantome
8th Dec 2009, 19:38
Re Ray E., and a heavily accented Yorkshireman , about to have a piece of Ray.
Yorkie - 'Ahm a blunt man, Ray. Always say what I think.'
Ray - 'Yeah, mate, me too. Now piss off.'
(Re Farmer Jim D. - no better man to take you through the finer arts of mastering a Citabria, a Maule, or any of that ilk. And the Curtis clan - Steve and his good old Pa before him have done GA proud. True red blood enthusiasts.)
gettin' there
8th Dec 2009, 22:34
(Re Farmer Jim D. - no better man to take you through the finer arts of mastering a Citabria, a Maule, or any of that ilk. And the Curtis clan - Steve and his good old Pa before him have done GA proud. True red blood enthusiasts.)
Maybe all you Jimmy fans should do some research about why no-one from the name sake's clan is involved with the company anymore and how the current owners came to "aquire" the business.
From the stories I have heard, they aren't the type of people that i would be trusting my hard earned with.
Never flown with them and Jimmy may be an ace in anything with a tail wheel, (then i would want to be too if had that much time in a citabria) but I've seen some fairly liberal interpretations of rules and regs. Stick and rudder skills is but a part of what makes a good pilot. :hmm:
Trojan1981
9th Dec 2009, 03:02
Stick and rudder- Jim is very good, so are several of the others. They lost many of their good instructors a couple of years ago due to various reasons (airlines, change of career path, personality clashes etc.) but most schools are the same that way.
why no-one from the name sake's clan is involved with the company anymore and how the current owners came to "aquire" the business.
Yes, some people left very bitter after that.
they aren't the type of people that i would be trusting my hard earned with
I wouldn't pay any school in advance. But their admin staff are very trustworthy, they will not try to rip you off.
Remember, if you go to a flying school, it's a business. These schools are there to make money in exchange for a service. Your cash in exchange for flying training. You need to treat it as such. Don't look for instructors who will be your best mate, look for the best instructors. Don't get involved in the
bullsh!t politics that pervades in aviation, just do your lessons, learn and go home. NEVER pay in advance!
If you want the social aspect, join a flying club.
I'm ranting...
palindrome
9th Dec 2009, 05:13
I would get GAAP exposure at the same time as getting back into the swing of things.
With the Class D transition it may or may not benefit you that much.
Camden can be a very busy aerodrome at times and I would hate to see the impact the changes would have on flight training. A cap may be introduced when its busy thus limited the number of aircraft doing circuits and increasing the time you will be required to hold outside controlled airspace... etc
I'm sure the control zone will be much safer to fly but it will be at a cost.
liveillusion
26th Mar 2010, 01:12
****en spot onTrojan!!!! I wish more people realised that too. Im sick of people talking about how bad and good some schools and instructors are,at the end of the day you are there to get your PPL OR CPL so you can go do some work,you dont need best mates in the school. Best advice is get your licence as quick as you can and as cheap as you can and dont **** around.
whos ranting now :)