glider tug pilot in Australia
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glider tug pilot in Australia
Hi there,
I come from Switzerland and have a PPL (A). Now I would like to fly as a glider tug pilot in Australia to get the needed 150 flying hours for the CPL (A). Does anyone of you know places in Australia where they need pilots? I would work unpaid but I also couldn`t pay for the flights.
Your help would be very helpful,
regards David Weber
I come from Switzerland and have a PPL (A). Now I would like to fly as a glider tug pilot in Australia to get the needed 150 flying hours for the CPL (A). Does anyone of you know places in Australia where they need pilots? I would work unpaid but I also couldn`t pay for the flights.
Your help would be very helpful,
regards David Weber
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Welcome to Lake Keepit Soaring Club
Contact the Lake Keepit Soaring Club using the link above. They are a private operation and would love to hear from you I'm sure. Only thing is, I seem to remember that they require you to have some gliding experience.
Contact the Lake Keepit Soaring Club using the link above. They are a private operation and would love to hear from you I'm sure. Only thing is, I seem to remember that they require you to have some gliding experience.
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Keepit dont operate a winch im pretty sure and are usually looking for a mid week tuggie, also Gliding club of Victoria in Benalla are as well. Both of them would require some gliding experiance. But sometimes if they are having trouble finding pilots it might just involve doing a couple of tows in a twin to get an understanding. the season runs from about october to march and you get paid sweet farkall. think when i did it i got a 20 dollar meal allowance per week! but tail wheel experiance looks pretty good on your resume..
David,
The Gliding Club of Victoria has a very busy summer operation at Benalla, Victoria. Tugs are used exclusively including Pawnee, new 'E Tug' and Champion. Accomodation is available at the airfield and it is an easy walk into Benalla town. Try them on www.glidingclub.org.au
Good luck,
Larry Dart
The Gliding Club of Victoria has a very busy summer operation at Benalla, Victoria. Tugs are used exclusively including Pawnee, new 'E Tug' and Champion. Accomodation is available at the airfield and it is an easy walk into Benalla town. Try them on www.glidingclub.org.au
Good luck,
Larry Dart
You might want to look into the regs regarding the aeronautical experience requirements for the CPL(A). You will need 200 hrs TT and meet the requirements of CAR 5.115.
To do the 150 hr integrated CPL course you must be enrolled at a flying school that offers such a course and glider towing is not part of the syllabus.
ComLaw Management - Series- Civil Aviation Regulations 1988
To do the 150 hr integrated CPL course you must be enrolled at a flying school that offers such a course and glider towing is not part of the syllabus.
ComLaw Management - Series- Civil Aviation Regulations 1988
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Hi all,
thanks so much for all your answers!
Here in Switzerland we use Robin DR40 for glider tugs, such as
Photos: Robin DR-400-200R Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
I think you dont use them in Australia, dont you?
For a CPL(A) according JAR, here in Switzerland we need 150 flying hours to start the education as a CPL Student but we can only pass the CPL-test if we have at least 200 flying hours. Is this different in Australia?
Regards
David
thanks so much for all your answers!
Here in Switzerland we use Robin DR40 for glider tugs, such as
Photos: Robin DR-400-200R Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
I think you dont use them in Australia, dont you?
For a CPL(A) according JAR, here in Switzerland we need 150 flying hours to start the education as a CPL Student but we can only pass the CPL-test if we have at least 200 flying hours. Is this different in Australia?
Regards
David
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I towed in Benalla (Gliding Club of Victoria) in the season 2002/2003, got accom and toast for my reward.. But then again, it's effectively a non-for-profit organisation so dont feel to guilty about working for nothing.. I got myself 200hrs for the season (Oct-Mar) in the Pawnee (PA25). For some silly reason they want you to be solo in a glider to tow there, but I think some of the switched on people in ops are working to change this.
I got my first big break from working there, charter ops flew in and out ~once a week. Making my first contact by saying g'day, this soon led me to get my 500hrs MC!
I also did some time in Tocumwal, Narromine, Kingaroy Soaring Club, Darling Downs Soaring Club, Southern Downs Aero and Soaring Club (Warwick). The other major op is at Corowa (Australian Soaring Center).
go_soaring! instead
I got my first big break from working there, charter ops flew in and out ~once a week. Making my first contact by saying g'day, this soon led me to get my 500hrs MC!
I also did some time in Tocumwal, Narromine, Kingaroy Soaring Club, Darling Downs Soaring Club, Southern Downs Aero and Soaring Club (Warwick). The other major op is at Corowa (Australian Soaring Center).
go_soaring! instead
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Hi!
thanks for your reference. Have you got a contact at Darling Downs Soaring Club? Their website seems to be out of order.
How much does the education for flying glider tugs cost?
regards David
thanks for your reference. Have you got a contact at Darling Downs Soaring Club? Their website seems to be out of order.
How much does the education for flying glider tugs cost?
regards David
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Hello,
I'm in a similar situation myself (bare JAR PPL(A), need to build up hours, plus PL(G) with about 60h TT on gliders).
I have a question though. As far as I know (I stand to be corrected) Australia operates under FAA, not JAA/EASA rules, right? So - is it possible to build up hours there, and then come back to EU and start JAR CPL(A) training here? I.e. will a CAO operating under JAR acknowledge the hours flown in a non-JAR operating country?
Cheers
Michael
I'm in a similar situation myself (bare JAR PPL(A), need to build up hours, plus PL(G) with about 60h TT on gliders).
I have a question though. As far as I know (I stand to be corrected) Australia operates under FAA, not JAA/EASA rules, right? So - is it possible to build up hours there, and then come back to EU and start JAR CPL(A) training here? I.e. will a CAO operating under JAR acknowledge the hours flown in a non-JAR operating country?
Cheers
Michael
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Many have gone through the various gliding clubs and built up flying hours towards CPL, including myself. One thing to remember is that the gliding club exists to serve the interests of the members. It does not exist to provide a means for free flying hours for wannabee professional pilots.
That said, any club would welcome a pilot who regularly attends the club and pitches in as a normal club member. This means turning up early in the morning, helping out to push and wash gliders, helping with launching, going on the occasional outlanding retrieve, cleaning the toilets, etc, etc.
Most clubs would require at least solo standard in a club 2 seat glider prior to doing towing. This is fair enough as it gives the tug pilot perspective on being on the other end of the rope. It also serves to prove that the club has a proper club member flying the tug who is not going to bugger off as soon as some hours have been clocked up.
The club will be puting resources of time and money into your training as a tug pilot which may take some hours of flying with the Tug Master or someone else who is CASA approved to sign you out for glider towing. People will resent this if you aren't going to hang around for a while.
I was Tug Master at a club some years ago and I received 1 or 2 approaches per week from PPLs wanting to fly the tug. I always said that club policy was to allow club members who were solo, had a PPL and tailwheel endorsement (10 hrs) to fly the tug. This disuaded most people, who it seemed to me just wanted to turn up at their own convenience and disappear when they felt like it. One PPL even told me that I could pay him for his 'labours' of flying the tug at a nominal $10 per hour!
I know of several people who went to Benalla, got themselves solo in the IS28 and then lived in the clubhouse for 12 months flying and helping out most days. At the end of a year, these guys had ~ 500-600 hrs extra in their log book which gave them a decent leg up for a job out West or up North when they did finally get a CPL.
Good luck to it for those who are keen. The Gliding movment comprises a cohort of dedicated individuals who have a great deal to offer regarding airmanship, handling skills, aeronautical knowledge and commeraderie. No doubt some of the best flying I have ever done and hanging out with some top people. Gliding showed me that Sport Aviation is where Amature Aviation excells
That said, any club would welcome a pilot who regularly attends the club and pitches in as a normal club member. This means turning up early in the morning, helping out to push and wash gliders, helping with launching, going on the occasional outlanding retrieve, cleaning the toilets, etc, etc.
Most clubs would require at least solo standard in a club 2 seat glider prior to doing towing. This is fair enough as it gives the tug pilot perspective on being on the other end of the rope. It also serves to prove that the club has a proper club member flying the tug who is not going to bugger off as soon as some hours have been clocked up.
The club will be puting resources of time and money into your training as a tug pilot which may take some hours of flying with the Tug Master or someone else who is CASA approved to sign you out for glider towing. People will resent this if you aren't going to hang around for a while.
I was Tug Master at a club some years ago and I received 1 or 2 approaches per week from PPLs wanting to fly the tug. I always said that club policy was to allow club members who were solo, had a PPL and tailwheel endorsement (10 hrs) to fly the tug. This disuaded most people, who it seemed to me just wanted to turn up at their own convenience and disappear when they felt like it. One PPL even told me that I could pay him for his 'labours' of flying the tug at a nominal $10 per hour!
I know of several people who went to Benalla, got themselves solo in the IS28 and then lived in the clubhouse for 12 months flying and helping out most days. At the end of a year, these guys had ~ 500-600 hrs extra in their log book which gave them a decent leg up for a job out West or up North when they did finally get a CPL.
Good luck to it for those who are keen. The Gliding movment comprises a cohort of dedicated individuals who have a great deal to offer regarding airmanship, handling skills, aeronautical knowledge and commeraderie. No doubt some of the best flying I have ever done and hanging out with some top people. Gliding showed me that Sport Aviation is where Amature Aviation excells
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Brilliant post Anthill.
I did some towing many years ago and that is certainly how our clubs operated......
Gliding member first, tug pilot second.
In my towing it was absolutely imperative that we took the guys to where they wanted, you had to feel the sky yourself and know exactly where the lift is at any time.
I see so many pilots these days that appear to have no idea where to fly when it comes speed and economics, be it the side of the valley, the ridge, altitudes or the wave or whatever. I normally fly a small training aircraft and often get about in excess of 130 kts ground speed. sometimes at 150kts extended cruise, - not bad for an aircraft that the bar stool warmers here constantly knock
I would be the last person to fly a straight line cross country, in NZ the glider pilots have it all over the powered equivalents when going from point A to B.
I think you have summed up the tow pilot requirements very well. I looked at a job towing at Lasham in the Derek Piggot days.... you're thinking along similar lines to him.
I did some towing many years ago and that is certainly how our clubs operated......
Gliding member first, tug pilot second.
In my towing it was absolutely imperative that we took the guys to where they wanted, you had to feel the sky yourself and know exactly where the lift is at any time.
I see so many pilots these days that appear to have no idea where to fly when it comes speed and economics, be it the side of the valley, the ridge, altitudes or the wave or whatever. I normally fly a small training aircraft and often get about in excess of 130 kts ground speed. sometimes at 150kts extended cruise, - not bad for an aircraft that the bar stool warmers here constantly knock
I would be the last person to fly a straight line cross country, in NZ the glider pilots have it all over the powered equivalents when going from point A to B.
I think you have summed up the tow pilot requirements very well. I looked at a job towing at Lasham in the Derek Piggot days.... you're thinking along similar lines to him.
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towing at Lake Keepit
Hi,
first of all, good luck to all pilots looking for tug pilot job. It is the best think you can do for your timebuilding. It helped me a lot to gain 200hrs for my CPL, because each summer during my studies I spent in Spain as a tug pilot. Now, when the crisis is still in aviation industry and I couldnt find any commercial job I tried all gliding clubs in Australia and New Zealand, if they are looking for a tug pilot. And some of them offered me possibility to fly. But the best opportunity was in Lake Keepit Soaring Club, since they operate 7 days a week. So in 3 weeks I travel to Australia and be there 7 months expecting arround 100hrs of towing, new experience and nice life in bush. They have taildragger CallAir A-9A.
But... I dont agree with Charlie1080, that tailwheel experience looks good in your resume. I have about 150hrs on taildraggers and 800 tailwheel landings and nobody among commercial companies has been interested. Of course it helps for your next tow pilot job or maybe in skydiving companies, but not in air transport.
By the way, for JAA licence holders it is quite easy to get australian validation, you just need to wait couple of weeks after sending huge amount of documents to australian aviation authority. New Zealand validation can be more tricky...
So, keep trying, keep sending plenty of CVs all arround the world as I did. Good luck and happy landings.
first of all, good luck to all pilots looking for tug pilot job. It is the best think you can do for your timebuilding. It helped me a lot to gain 200hrs for my CPL, because each summer during my studies I spent in Spain as a tug pilot. Now, when the crisis is still in aviation industry and I couldnt find any commercial job I tried all gliding clubs in Australia and New Zealand, if they are looking for a tug pilot. And some of them offered me possibility to fly. But the best opportunity was in Lake Keepit Soaring Club, since they operate 7 days a week. So in 3 weeks I travel to Australia and be there 7 months expecting arround 100hrs of towing, new experience and nice life in bush. They have taildragger CallAir A-9A.
But... I dont agree with Charlie1080, that tailwheel experience looks good in your resume. I have about 150hrs on taildraggers and 800 tailwheel landings and nobody among commercial companies has been interested. Of course it helps for your next tow pilot job or maybe in skydiving companies, but not in air transport.
By the way, for JAA licence holders it is quite easy to get australian validation, you just need to wait couple of weeks after sending huge amount of documents to australian aviation authority. New Zealand validation can be more tricky...
So, keep trying, keep sending plenty of CVs all arround the world as I did. Good luck and happy landings.
