New International Flying school planned in Gisborne NZ
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New International Flying school planned in Gisborne NZ
see article below in local paper...
Property developer says there is going to be a international shortage of pilots... hmm
Gisborne Hearld
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Saturday, April 30, 2011 • Sophie Rishworth
AN international flight school with the capacity to train and accommodate up to 300 pilots could be completed behind Gisborne Airport by the end of next year.
Property developer David Meban plans to transform land behind the airport into a thriving industry for future pilots from around the world, with on-site accommodation facilities and classrooms built over 6.7 hectares.
The project is still subject to Gisborne District Council consent but with expressions of interest having already been received from international operators in Singapore, United Kingdom and Asia, Mr Meban is positive about the outcome.
The international flight school opportunity is being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate. Its promotional flyer says planning is in its early stages but asks operators to register their interest now, so building and accommodation layouts can be tailored to suit.
Mr Meban said Gisborne was a good airport for a flight school because it did not have much congestion.
“It is not congested like in Hamilton, it’s got good facilities and it is under-utilised. At other airports pilots can be waiting 10 or 15 minutes and time is money,” he said.
Gisborne Airport has around 22,000 aircraft movements — a landing or a take-off — a year, which is well below an airport like Hamilton which has 100,000 movements a year.
The “first city to see the sun” also came up trumps in other areas such as topography, sunshine hours, proximity to the sea and having a 24-hour airport.
Accommodation for the pilots would be linked to the flight school via a walkway and cycleway.
Mr Meban said having the training centre and accommodation separate was intentional.
“I don’t want them living with the training centre. It’s the same design that is in Hamilton but fractionally bigger.
“It’s going to be really good for Gisborne as it is another industry with lots of added value. We did some research on the opportunities we could use this land for and hopefully this will attract other aviation industries.”
Mr Meban said there was a worldwide shortage of pilots.
“We wanted to get some industries that Gisborne could handle. When you talk to people around the district, it was being discussed 10 to 15 years ago and it just never got off the ground.”
Eastland Group leases and operates the airport and chief executive Matt Todd says each student could easily bring over $100,000 a year into the local economy.
“The students coming in obviously need aircraft and an airport to operate from, but just as importantly they will need accommodation, food, entertainment and transport. They will need school facilities and teachers/instructors, these people will need homes and the aircraft will need to be maintained.”
Mr Todd said Eastland Group had believed for a number of years that a flight training school in Gisborne, targeting international students, could provide significant benefits for this region.
“The key to the concept is to bring mostly international students into the district. It is not about meeting the training needs of the local community, as we already have companies like Air Gisborne that are quite capable of doing that,” he said.
“Obviously the airport stands to benefit from such a development but it is the regional benefits which potentially make this such a great idea. International airline pilots use English as the common language, meaning countries that have English as a first language are very attractive, especially to the rapidly developing economies in Asia.”
Mr Todd, a pilot himself, said training would start on small fixed-wing aircraft, which over a 12-to-18 month period would allow the students to gain a commercial pilot’s licence, a multi-engine instrument rating and then sit exams for an Airline Transport Pilots Licence.
They would then apply for a job with an airline and complete the rest of their training there.
Property developer says there is going to be a international shortage of pilots... hmm
Gisborne Hearld
Come fly with me
Saturday, April 30, 2011 • Sophie Rishworth
AN international flight school with the capacity to train and accommodate up to 300 pilots could be completed behind Gisborne Airport by the end of next year.
Property developer David Meban plans to transform land behind the airport into a thriving industry for future pilots from around the world, with on-site accommodation facilities and classrooms built over 6.7 hectares.
The project is still subject to Gisborne District Council consent but with expressions of interest having already been received from international operators in Singapore, United Kingdom and Asia, Mr Meban is positive about the outcome.
The international flight school opportunity is being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate. Its promotional flyer says planning is in its early stages but asks operators to register their interest now, so building and accommodation layouts can be tailored to suit.
Mr Meban said Gisborne was a good airport for a flight school because it did not have much congestion.
“It is not congested like in Hamilton, it’s got good facilities and it is under-utilised. At other airports pilots can be waiting 10 or 15 minutes and time is money,” he said.
Gisborne Airport has around 22,000 aircraft movements — a landing or a take-off — a year, which is well below an airport like Hamilton which has 100,000 movements a year.
The “first city to see the sun” also came up trumps in other areas such as topography, sunshine hours, proximity to the sea and having a 24-hour airport.
Accommodation for the pilots would be linked to the flight school via a walkway and cycleway.
Mr Meban said having the training centre and accommodation separate was intentional.
“I don’t want them living with the training centre. It’s the same design that is in Hamilton but fractionally bigger.
“It’s going to be really good for Gisborne as it is another industry with lots of added value. We did some research on the opportunities we could use this land for and hopefully this will attract other aviation industries.”
Mr Meban said there was a worldwide shortage of pilots.
“We wanted to get some industries that Gisborne could handle. When you talk to people around the district, it was being discussed 10 to 15 years ago and it just never got off the ground.”
Eastland Group leases and operates the airport and chief executive Matt Todd says each student could easily bring over $100,000 a year into the local economy.
“The students coming in obviously need aircraft and an airport to operate from, but just as importantly they will need accommodation, food, entertainment and transport. They will need school facilities and teachers/instructors, these people will need homes and the aircraft will need to be maintained.”
Mr Todd said Eastland Group had believed for a number of years that a flight training school in Gisborne, targeting international students, could provide significant benefits for this region.
“The key to the concept is to bring mostly international students into the district. It is not about meeting the training needs of the local community, as we already have companies like Air Gisborne that are quite capable of doing that,” he said.
“Obviously the airport stands to benefit from such a development but it is the regional benefits which potentially make this such a great idea. International airline pilots use English as the common language, meaning countries that have English as a first language are very attractive, especially to the rapidly developing economies in Asia.”
Mr Todd, a pilot himself, said training would start on small fixed-wing aircraft, which over a 12-to-18 month period would allow the students to gain a commercial pilot’s licence, a multi-engine instrument rating and then sit exams for an Airline Transport Pilots Licence.
They would then apply for a job with an airline and complete the rest of their training there.
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"Not congested like Hamilton" - fantastic statement... Hamilton wasn't congested either before an international training organisation (CTC) fronted up!!
Let's just do some basic calculations....
300 pilots = 200hrs each?
Average 1hr lesson = 200 flights = 400 movements
8-10hrs of circuits at about 8 circuits/hr = approx 64 circuits = 128 mvmts
Equals about 528 movements per student.
Obviously this doesn't account for cross countries where there are less movements at the home aerodrome, but there will also be an amount of local instructor training, maintenance flights, IFR approaches, etc.
SO conservatively to bump Gisbornes movements up to 100,000 per year only requires about 145 students per year.
And then there's the question of instrument training in a procedural approach environment (no radar services). GS Twr is a solo watch tower (as HN was pre-CTC), but they not only do aerodrome control, the solo controller is also responsible for the approach phase in the more restrictive non-radar environment.
There is also a question of infrastructure... when CTC moved into Hamilton it didn't take long before the grass runways couldn't cope with the extra pounding - in summer they turned to dust, in winter they turned to mud - requiring the airport company to invest in extra sealed taxiways and a parallel runway... I could go on but I think you get the message!!!
The phrase "Pie in the sky" jumps to mind!!
Let's just do some basic calculations....
300 pilots = 200hrs each?
Average 1hr lesson = 200 flights = 400 movements
8-10hrs of circuits at about 8 circuits/hr = approx 64 circuits = 128 mvmts
Equals about 528 movements per student.
Obviously this doesn't account for cross countries where there are less movements at the home aerodrome, but there will also be an amount of local instructor training, maintenance flights, IFR approaches, etc.
SO conservatively to bump Gisbornes movements up to 100,000 per year only requires about 145 students per year.
And then there's the question of instrument training in a procedural approach environment (no radar services). GS Twr is a solo watch tower (as HN was pre-CTC), but they not only do aerodrome control, the solo controller is also responsible for the approach phase in the more restrictive non-radar environment.
There is also a question of infrastructure... when CTC moved into Hamilton it didn't take long before the grass runways couldn't cope with the extra pounding - in summer they turned to dust, in winter they turned to mud - requiring the airport company to invest in extra sealed taxiways and a parallel runway... I could go on but I think you get the message!!!
The phrase "Pie in the sky" jumps to mind!!
Last edited by slackie; 30th Apr 2011 at 05:46.
Whispering "T" Jet
They would then apply for a job with an airline and complete the rest of their training there.
Investors in this little project BEWARE.
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And I've read more of the above...
"Gisborne has a 24 hour airport" - what does this mean? There isn't ATC in attendance for 24 hours! If this is the criteria then the only "24 hour airports" in NZ are AA WN and CH. If it is that the airport is available 24 hours then most other airports with runway lights also fall into this category.
Me thinks Mr Todd "(himself a pilot!)" hasn't done his sums, and doesn't understand enough about the industry and the effects of introducing a large training establishment to an aerodrome.
If there were to be a large increase in movements at Gisborne, then the tower would require extra staff... controllers (contrary to popular belief) don't sprout out of the ground like mushrooms, and also (believe it or not) cost extra $$$. The lead time to recruit and train the extra staff (if you could attract them to GS) is over a year, and in the mean time I guarantee that his pilots would be waiting over the 10-15mins he quotes!
The question of IFR training has also (quite rightly) been raised. I believe the local "round the traps" IFR training route in the area also takes in Napier, again a solo watch procedural approach tower with the same restrictions that procedural control brings. Terrain is also an issue in the area with relatively high MSAs that would not cope with numerous light twins and (or worse!) singles battling to complete their sortes.
I watch with interest!
"Gisborne has a 24 hour airport" - what does this mean? There isn't ATC in attendance for 24 hours! If this is the criteria then the only "24 hour airports" in NZ are AA WN and CH. If it is that the airport is available 24 hours then most other airports with runway lights also fall into this category.
Me thinks Mr Todd "(himself a pilot!)" hasn't done his sums, and doesn't understand enough about the industry and the effects of introducing a large training establishment to an aerodrome.
If there were to be a large increase in movements at Gisborne, then the tower would require extra staff... controllers (contrary to popular belief) don't sprout out of the ground like mushrooms, and also (believe it or not) cost extra $$$. The lead time to recruit and train the extra staff (if you could attract them to GS) is over a year, and in the mean time I guarantee that his pilots would be waiting over the 10-15mins he quotes!
The question of IFR training has also (quite rightly) been raised. I believe the local "round the traps" IFR training route in the area also takes in Napier, again a solo watch procedural approach tower with the same restrictions that procedural control brings. Terrain is also an issue in the area with relatively high MSAs that would not cope with numerous light twins and (or worse!) singles battling to complete their sortes.
I watch with interest!
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yes the cost of 1-2 more controllers would be significant!, and i'm sure delay's would be substantial.Other than a long cross country flight for an ILS endorsement its a great field, with many runways and diverse weather conditions, but I doubt the world needs yet another sausage factory.
