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Anyone ever flew with Royal Aero Club Of WA?

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Anyone ever flew with Royal Aero Club Of WA?

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Old 17th Feb 2004, 12:36
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Cool Anyone ever flew with Royal Aero Club Of WA?

G'day mates,
I will be enrolling with the Royal AeroClub of WA for the intergrated CPL/IR course as well as subquently the ATPL theories.Anyone here ever flew with the club before? Any good advise to give me regarding my decision? Looking forward to hear from you guys.Thanks.

cheers,
Nismo
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Old 17th Feb 2004, 15:20
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Is it full time? With the theory component provided by the W.A Aviation College?

On the topic of RACWA, who took over from Anne as full time IFR?
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Old 17th Feb 2004, 16:12
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I flew with them one xmas... did some cct's in a 152. The seat when full recline during the touch and go resulting in me pulling almost full back yoke and almost idle. Managed to do the quickest situp in my life before it stalled at about 30 feet. Flew low rider for the rest of the cct. Came in and told them. Do you think they fixed it... no I think the line was

"Yeah, that will happen."
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Old 17th Feb 2004, 20:53
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Grrr

your user name is "Pass-A-Frozo" and you can do a situp?????????
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Old 17th Feb 2004, 22:40
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IR course. Go to Ad-Astral.
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Old 18th Feb 2004, 20:45
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RACWA

Nismo

Good luck with the course.

As for the RACWA it is not a bad place, but like all BIG schools has some areas where you need to be proactive with your training.

Get an instructor you are happy with and work with them on your bookings to fly with them as much as possible if not all the time. The norm is to be assigned an instructor when you start, but remember you can ask for a change if you want. it is also sometimes normal to be asked to fly with another instructor, this is also up to you but try to stay with the same one.

Book well in advance. Get to the airport early as all the parking spots will be gone.

Despite PAF comments the aircraft are well maintained and they have a proactive maintenance crew.

Once again have fun and a few beers.

Richo

PS I both learnt and instructed at the club and have been a member for over 20 years. They are still the best at JT.
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Old 19th Feb 2004, 09:35
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Concur. You could do a lot worse than RACWA at JT. Would strongly recommend Ad Astral for ME instrument rating though. Not saying RACWA is deficient in this area, rather that Ad Astral is very good.
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Old 19th Feb 2004, 13:14
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Nismo,

Welcome to aviation! Hope the training goes well for you. RACWA seems to be an OK training organisation, but in the past has been known to shuffle students from instructor to instructor, which is definately not good in the early stages of your flight training. So make sure you speak up if this looks like it is happening to you - remember, you are paying a lot of $$ to learn how to fly, and you should expect nothing but the best.

And above all, make sure you enjoy your training! Though often challenging, it is always fun

Cheers,

Max
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Old 19th Feb 2004, 16:31
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Would somebody be kind enough to send me a pm to let me know where Anne has gone. And why? Like to catch up.
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Old 19th Feb 2004, 20:21
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Lookout

Mate,

Mostly a good decision. Now like everywhere, the RACWA has its pitfalls. Whilst they offer excellent facilities and a good learning environment as far as the theory goes, there is a lot they don't teach you in the practical sense. That goes for any flying school though, so can't really do much about that before you go out and get some experience.

Try not to fall into the instructor trap there once you're done with your training. Whilst it is a better paid gig than a lot of others out there and offers good working conditions, the type of flying you'll do out bush will be a better starting point for you if your ultimate goal is the heavies, or even corporate/RFDS, etc.

This is my most important point: Don't let them rip you off. They have a classic reputation for this. Have they quoted you for the CPL course? If so, make sure they stick to it/the training program assuming you don't require any extra training than what's stated in the training program. A lot of my peers who did the course with me ran way over budget and couldn't finish the course, and it wasn't a function of student ability/progress in all cases.

Just remember who the customer is. You decide when you wanna fly, not them. Whilst I don't regret doing my training there, they have become a business, not a club, and refuse to acknowledge it.


520.
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Old 20th Feb 2004, 09:35
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Anne

Griv

Anne has moved to Perth AD to take up a C&T position with a very large GA (some RPT) operator. She was offered a very good package to go.

While not specific to this case, the whole C&T thing is seeing people with approvals becoming hot property. CASA is reluctant to or is making it very expensive to check someone up to a position. So if you already have one then expect to be come wanted in the future.

Bit of pisser for those who aspire but cant get a go because of the company policy on employing people in over the top mainly(only) because its cheeper for them, as they do in my company as well.

And what of the organisations who do put people up and pay for thier C&T quals, I can see a bond coming on.
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Old 20th Feb 2004, 10:05
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Conti 520

I disagree with your comments about RACWA ripping people off.

I have instructed there in the past and I can say that it is spelled out to you in the induction to try and get the student through as quickly and for as cheaply (for the student) as possible.

If any of your friends went over budget, it was because they weren't up to standard.

Sure the place is run like a business, but I have never heard of anyone who works there ripping students off.
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Old 20th Feb 2004, 11:01
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Anne has gone to Skippers to do check and training on the Conquest. As to why she left, well, let's just say that it wasn't for financial reasons. Lifestyle becomes a factor after giving your heart and soul for so long.
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Old 20th Feb 2004, 14:53
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Unhappy

Azimuth, I was a member there for a while (only because I could pay for the membership fees and save a bit, on the difference on the members/nonmembers hirage rate of their multis) and I can tell you some horror stories about them. they have a reputation for swapping instructors on the students far to regularly and one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing most of the time. they slow a students progress considerably by doing this. I know a bird that had done thirty two hours without going first solo. she moved to the place I was working for at the time and soloed within her first hour. and I have many tales very similar to this one.
I did up to my RPPL (GFPT) with them along time ago, as well as my low level and a couple of multi's, and found when working with the more experianced instructors, all was very good. but I have had a few check rides in aircraft with instructors there that really shouldnt be flying. (I even had to teach one of them how to do a wheeler type landing when he was checking me out in the Dh82a, because he had never been shown how to do it...... and I had to pay for the privelage).
All in all, they have exelant facilities and a generally good instructor base, but also have the BIG SCHOOL, pilot factory, mentality.
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Old 21st Feb 2004, 07:46
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your user name is "Pass-A-Frozo" and you can do a situp?????????
I did say I only had to do one

I personally think they milk money

Just my opinion though.

oh and Richo
Despite PAF comments the aircraft are well maintained
I think you mean my incident.. I'm not making it up.
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Old 21st Feb 2004, 10:51
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Don't write them off for the Instrument Rating.

Brad is a great IF instructor.

The Fresca 142 is a top sim...

and the 'Smelly Hole' is slow enough to allow you to stay ahead during your training.
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Old 22nd Feb 2004, 13:09
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Majority speaks for itself

Azimuth,

Mate, roughly 66% of my class didn't finish the course due to running grossly over budget, and therefore roughly 66% obviously didn't get jobs, not that getting one was part of the deal, but one still expects to be in the running to look for one after spending that kind of money.

Now, if you're telling me that 66% of the class weren't "up to standard", then it seems a little like you're saying that 66% of people are stupid. I think this is more pointing towards a deficiency in the teaching method(s) amongst SOME (not all) of the instructors there when the majority of the class comes out incomplete.

Incidentally, it was not spelled out to me/us when we went for the intro seminar and bought into it. Since my course year, they have modified the quote (increase, of course) and changed/added to the fine print. How convenient. They're as good as bum covering as teaching people how to fly, it seems.

You can still rip people off without the intent to do so, mate.

And then, the big sign on Hope Rd with a B744 taking off accompanied by the caption "A career that really takes you places",... yeah, sure, I wonder where it took those who were not as fortunate as me in their circumstance. I'd start by suggesting the Centrelink office.


520.
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Old 22nd Feb 2004, 19:38
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Hi Guys, just a point. You have mentioned about the intergrated course...

That is not RACWA who run the course. It is the West Australian Aviation College... WAAC.

That is independantly owned by a businessman.

The club side of things is generally getting very good. A lot has changed over the last couple of years. And a S**Tload is gonna change over the next few years....

But please please please remember that WAAC & RACWA although they share a building.. They dont share the same ethos. However WAAC do provide a lot of business to RACWA, and like any organisation they are going to take that business.

I did ALL of my training there and have a total of 3 instructors (that included FIR, NVFR, Twin End, Aeros)

If you enjoy flying there then do it... Enjoy it...

If not try one of the other numerous training organisations along the strip..

That is my 2cents worth anyway.
 
Old 22nd Feb 2004, 20:15
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Sure thing

Yep, absolutely.
That is precisely why I've undertaken training elsewhere for further qualifications, and this forms the basis of the few criticism's that I have against both the RACWA and the WAAC.

Without having done so, obviously I would have no basis from which to criticise.


520.
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Old 23rd Feb 2004, 11:33
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520

No-one at RACWA is trying to rip anyone off. If they were, their employment would be terminated immediately.

Because there is so much competition to work there, everyone who does is extremely carefull not to risk their jobs

Azimuth
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