Flying School in Bega for Chinese Students

[Lookleft]

Am I being cynical or is this overly optimistic:

Chinese flight school development proposed near Bega - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-25/flight-school/6258228)

Of all the places to set up a flying school I wouldn't have thought Bega would be at the top of the list. Every time I drive past the Frogs Hollow airport it seems to be advertising the local radio controlled flying club.

[hiwaytohell]

When speaking with Fairfax Media, Mr Stoner said the only missing element at this stage was customers and cash flow

Mmmm where have we heard that before!

[Horatio Leafblower]

A $30m flying school.

Employing 120 people.

From a greenfields site.

...Can anyone name for me a flying school in Australia that currently employs 120 people, of any job description? :suspect:

Sounds like someone is having a lend. :=

[Squawk7700]

120 would be gross numbers including maintenance etc at a guess... add cleaners etc.

[Horatio Leafblower]

...so can you tell me a flying school that employs 120 people, of any job description?

China Southern maybe?

Busy maintenance orgs run about 20 personnel.

If you took the busiest flight training group in NSW as an example and combine Basair+SydAviators+HVA+BasairBrisbane+Eagle Aircraft Maint, how many is that?

[Squawk7700]

Maybe someone can quote numbers from Ballarat for comparison.

Ballarat bought the local hotel... There would have to be 10+ there alone.

[tipsy2]

Can anyone name for me a flying school in Australia that currently employs 120 people, of any job description?

British Aerospace at Tamworth, Flight Trainng at Parafield and I suppose we could add 2FTS at Pearce.

Tipsy

[Hugh Jarse]

Horatio, they would have had that number at the Australian Aviation College at Parafield back in 1992 when I was there.

There were at least 50 instructors in all phases. The support staff would have been close to double that.

[Blueyonda]

Is there a link between this and the announcement of Sydney trying to steal the Grand Prix, all in the shadow of a looming election? After all, this story was announced by the ABC, not PPRUNE.

[Sunfish]

Having been on the Government receiving end of a few of these marvellously charitable private proposals many years ago, they usually revolve around:

1. A nice little Government grant to build private facilities, and/or,

2. A nice little council or State Government grant of land, on which to build and operate the facility, and/or,

3. Getting State Government support in the form of a letter, then heading off to China to spruik the deal to overseas investors as a representative of the NSW Government selling shares in a "Government approved project" - they will take tiny fee of course for their trouble. To put that another way, the operator is a "main chancer" who talks a good game but has no substance.

Sometimes the proposer asserts that they are related to. or part of, the Asian Government concerned just to suck you in. A Victorian company spent $2 million on writing a proposal for one of these types for what they were told was a Government project that wasn't.

Following disastrous Victorian Government grants to private job creation projects like this in the 1980's - in which various scheme proponents just took the money and ran overseas, or worse. The VIctorian Parliament set up FMEG - financial management evaluation group to vet these wonderful private proposals, starting with Dun and Bradstreet reports and finishing with Three years audited accounts and bank records. You would be amazed at how many exquisite proposals (for example new woollen mills adding value locally with thousands of jobs etc.) ended up in FMEGs rubbish bin.

To put that another way, good NSW public servants will have seen hundreds of these pipe dreams over the years and know how to deal with them. Most are bull****.

P.S. But wait, theres more…

The latest trick by Chinese is to come to Australia and buy about half the units in an off the plan development, then take lots of videos of yourself at the construction site, posing with workers, looking at plans, talking with engineers, wearing a hard hat, etc., etc.

..You then fly back to China where you pose as the developer yourself, showing your video of course - Chinese like to deal face to face with someone they think they can trust….and flog the units at inflated prices for all they are worth.

[Squawk7700]

:zzz:


.........

[tail wheel]

"Local aviators have welcomed plans to build a flight school for Chinese recreational pilots near Bega on the New South Wales far south coast."

Caveat emptor!

[Creampuff]

[T]he only missing element at this stage was customers and cash flow.Just like my plan to sell handbags made out of cane toad leather.

[LeadSled]

Just like my plan to sell handbags made out of cane toad leather.

Creamie,
That's because you were late into the market --- about the most 'orrible use of cane toad leather was a "ladies" bra??
Tootle pip!!

[Horatio Leafblower]

Leadsled,

Perhaps you could try marketing a men's bra instead? :confused:

[kaz3g]

Perhaps you could try marketing a men's bra instead?


I imagine a jockstrap wouldn't need much leather...?

Kaz

[LeadSled]

kaz3g,
Speaking for yourself, are you?
Tootle pip!!

[ACMS]

I hope they like Cheese :}

[The name is Porter]

Is this a 'partnership?' Are there Chinese 'investors?' Somebody trying to buy their way into the country perhaps?

[Stanwell]

I suspect it probably is a 'partnership'.
An item in February 24th's Bega District News caused me to wonder - not so much by what was said, but by what was not said.

The government (taxpayers) should support such initiatives and encourage Chinese 'investment' in Australia. :hmm:

[Ozgrade3]

Several reasons why this can't possibly work.

Frogs Hollow is in the middle of no where, not even close to any sort of town.

Would only work for Airline Cadet students, there is simply no market for recreational training of Chinese nationals.

Cadet training would not work, too far from an ILS.

Lastly, and most importantly, to train Chinese Airline Cadets you need, in addition to a CASA AOC, you also need a Chinese CAAC AOC. The Chinese government is not issuing any more AOC's.........unless you are very well connected to the government at the highest level.

[truthinbeer]

Frog's Hollow was for sale around 3 years ago...not sure if it still is. But why there when MIM is only 30 minutes drive down the road?

edit: the cheese is of-course halal...funding for islamists