Civil Flying School at YMMB

[flyer12]

Retrieving training records from Civil?!

Hi, I used to be a student at Civil a couple of years ago and have re-commenced my training elsewhere. One thing I'd like to get hold of is my training records from Civil. Anyone got any ideas how to go about it now that Civil no longer exists?!

Cheers.

[hewisond]

Training records

Hey, I seem to be in the same boat. A little late, but I just found out that Civil closed

Ive been away from flying fro some time, but am about to start again.

Did you have any luck getting your records?

My dad used to know Mike Sutcliff through a car club we belonged to, it was strange that when i started flying, he was the owner of Civil... Im sad for both he and Ruth and all the staff.

[Di_Vosh]

Hewisond

Im sad for both he and Ruth and all the staff

Don't shed too many tears for MS! By the time Civil was sold (late 2004/early 2005, AFAIK) it was a basket case, and could only be put out of its misery.

Which is what the buyer did around a year later.

DIVOSH!

[Nagaman]

I learnt to fly at Civil in the days of Jock Garden and (sadly) the late Peter Bini etc when it was owned by (also late) Bib Stilwell .
£7/hr in a 'mouse' .....memories
Sad to hear it's no more.......along with my first employer Flinders Island Airlines (FIA)

[Tee Emm]

Not trying to justify my behaviour here (I should have left without giving them the benefit of the doubt for a few flights), just trying to alert the avid reader that they should be careful when evaluating who to spend their hard earned with..

Full marks to you for opening up about your experience. A telling blow against political correctness for a change.

Reminded me of the time I paid $80 to attend a local Council of Adult Education basic computer course. There were four men and three women on the course. One woman was a stunner with a low cut dress. The instructor (dirty old man he was and it takes one to know one, I might add!) would paid her much close attention when she put her hand up for help. He ignored all the other hands up for help.

He would walk behind the desk of the good looking 40 year old babe then lean over her back to see what she had on her computer screen and have a quick perv down the valley. I learned SFA from the course and walked out half way. Told the administrators they could keep my money but that they needed to have a quiet chat with their contracted computer instructor.

Some flying instructors are keen and enthusiastic. Others unfortunately are not. They haven't the hours to qualify up the food chain and they get bored sitting around their flying school waiting for some unsuspecting bright eyed and bushy tailed hopeful to come through the door.

Unfortunately, new students don't know this until their first dual flight. The CFI/ management are probably are unaware of all this happening outside their office. The CFI might not even have met the prospective student. Here is a story to illustrate this.


In another era, a bunch (60 in fact) of us joined the RAAF to start on a Pilots Course. The senior course before us warned of of three particular flying instructors who were screamers in the cockpit. These three were embittered Warrant Officers passed over for promotion.
Later, some of our course were scrubbed after suffering the attentions of these bastards.

The Commanding Officer was a former wartime POW shot down by the Japs early in WW2 and an absolute gentleman. Yet none of us would remotely consider complaining or request a change of instructor. That would be unheard of in those days.

Fast forward to 2005. The old CO was in a retirement home on his last legs when myself and another former RAAF colleague visited to pay our respects to this brave man. During the course of our conversation, the old Wingco explained how he was shot down and most of his crew killed in his Catalina flying boat, by a bunch of Jap Zero carrier borne fighters north of Rabaul, soon after Pearl Harbour.

Later, the conversation turned to the time he was Commanding Officer at RAAF Point Cook which is where we first met him as sprog trainee pilots.

We pointed out that among his flying instructors in those days were three that were screaming skulls. The old man was absolutely horrified this would happen under his command and without his knowledge. That was understandable since it was considered bad form in those days to dob in your flying instructor.

That is why flying school CFI's are largely unaware of poor standard flying instructors because no one is game to dob in these characters. Students at flying schools are not exactly encouraged to change instructors if things don't work out. In fact it is probable the subject is rarely mentioned. You get the common situation where CFI's do the instrument flying training and rarely fly with an ab-initio student - leaving that to the grade 2 and 3's. Then CFI's wonder why some students quietly close the door behind them and try their luck elsewhere..

[Capt Fathom]

Got to be a record for thread resurrection

[Sunfish]

TM words of wisdom

[cogwheel]

I learnt to fly at Civil in the days of Jock Garden and (sadly) the late Peter Bini etc when it was owned by also late) Bib Stilwell .

Yes those were the days, up in the pine trees. Jock was one of the best, he could even land the mouse looking out the back window! Great formation instructor.
As for B1N1... What a great chap and a very practical instructor. Did a few IR renewals with him when he worked at EN - one of the best.
Ah good memories!

[Old Akro]

My dad used to know Mike Sutcliff through a car club we belonged to, it was strange that when i started flying, he was the owner of Civil... Im sad for both he and Ruth and all the staff.

Mike & Nigel Brookes sold out of Civil years and years ago. Maybe 10 years or more. Whatever has happened to Civil has nothing to do with him. He's living happily in Townsville with Ruth and their kids.

Mike owned Civil at the time of the Mobil fuel debacle. It took a very heavy toll on the business.