Kestrel Aviation - Where to start

Where do I start?

Making the decision to start a course of pilot training requires considerable thought and careful planning. Once the initial decision to start training has been made, a flying school must then be selected, the course of training must be decided on (accredited or not, combined aeroplane/helicopter or straight aeroplane straight helicopter), the method of training (full time, part time or block training) and theory options must be considered (self-study, full time theory, combined theory/flight training, or private tuition).

The best way to clarify these issues is to visit our facility and talk to one of the staff to consider all of the options. Clearly many of these decisions can only be made after taking into account individual circumstances and commitments. Our instructors and staff will assist you with formulating a personalised plan and then will help you stick to your plan!

Most people that have decided to commence a course of training have given much consideration to the financial commitments, but many have not fully considered the time commitment. Time management is particularly an issue for students studying on a part time basis who are studying at home. Our instructors are able to offer advice and suggestions to ensure that students are able to meet their goals and finish their licence successfully.

We have addressed some of these issues here for your information but recommend that you arrange an appointment with one of our staff or phone us to discuss these issues while taking your own circumstances into consideration.

1. Where should I do my training?

While we encourage you to train at Kestrel Aviation, we do suggest that you ring around and obtain as much information as possible to enable you to make an informed decision. We would strongly recommend that you do not just select the closest training organisation to you - pilot training is expensive and schools are limited so it is worth travelling to find the one that suits you. Some of the things to look for include:

How experienced is the flying school and how long have they been around for?

Flying training is a serious business. We are teaching people to fly multi-million dollar equipment and to carry the general public who on the whole have no notion of the experience level of the pilot at the controls. Consequently there is no room for compromise and only pilots with the best skills and the right attitude will make it in the industry. Employers are looking for pilots from schools with a proven track record and it is important that the school's Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) has the respect of the industry, which only comes about after many years of experience. Chief Flying Instructor for Kestrel Aviation, Ray Cronin is the longest standing civilian CFI in Australia.

Is the main activity of the company flying training?

Most flying schools will engage in other aviation revenue streams. This is good for students to be able to observe and participate in commercial operations, however where these operations are a greater focus for the company than the training activities, this could compromise the standard of training received. Aircraft and instructors can be suddenly unavailable as they are tasked to other operations, and students may not receive the attention they require with proper briefings and support.

Where is the school based?

Airspace, safety, weather and accommodation are the main considerations when looking for a location. Airspace restrictions are more of an issue for helicopters than aeroplanes simply because the costs are much higher. Students start paying for their lesson from the start of the engine. If clearances are then required to taxi to the holding point and then to fly out to the training area, over the course of a licence this can add up to many hours wasted. Students can also find the radio and traffic stressful and distracting when they first start training and could be equated to having your first driving lessons in the middle of Melbourne or Sydney.

Safety is a further issue and where possible it is more logical to be flying over areas which present the maximum possible number of safe landing areas in the event of an emergency. Clearly open paddocks are preferable to mountainous/treed areas and built up suburban areas.

Favourable weather conditions will mean that time is not wasted waiting for poor weather to clear. In Victoria, the weather north of the divide is generally better flying weather than at the coastal airports.

Accommodation and domestic issues are also important; is the school readily accessible to shopping/banking areas? Is the accommodation provided adequate for study and rest? Is it close to the school? Is it good value for money?

Do students receive full briefings before their lesson?

Students should always be briefed adequately prior to their lesson. It is not acceptable to read some notes or watch a video before going out on a flight as a replacement for a full brief from an instructor. A briefing session not only enables the student to ask any questions and get a better understanding about the forthcoming lesson, but it also enables the instructor to interact with the student and evaluate their knowledge level of the candidate.. Any concerns of the students' will become clearer to the instructor and they are then able to focus more adequately on the student's strengths and weaknesses. A debrief is also required after most flights but is normally shorter than the pre-flight brief.

Briefing Notes are a handy tool for the student, enabling them to read up on the lesson prior to the briefing. Students are then able to formulate any questions or concerns and have more time to study up on related principles of flight. Briefing Notes however should not be a supplement to a full comprehensive brief from an instructor

Are the courses accredited?

The benefits of enrolling in a certificate course are:

I. Completing a nationally recognised course.
II.All vocational courses are GST free.
III.students enrolled in a full time course are able to apply for Austudy assistance.
IV.Enrolled students are eligible to receive the 8%Educational Textbook Subsidy Scheme (ETSS) discount off textbooks.
V.Credits can be obtained from the course towards a diploma or degree course.

2. Part time versus full time study.

While the majority of students at Kestrel Aviation are studying on a full time basis, this may not suit everyone's budget or time availability. Each student needs to consider their own circumstances and in consultation with an instructor, design a plan to suit their own budget and availability.

Full time study has the obvious advantages of maximizing continuity in the training, with students most likely to get through their courses in minimum times. Theory is studied in the morning, with the flying programme in the afternoon In addition students are able to learn from their co-students and instructors by observing their experiences, and with all students sharing the common goal of obtaining their pilot's licence an intensive learning environment is evident.

Students who are unable to commit to full time training are able to study on a part time basis or in 'block' training a week or two at a time. We would normally recommend a minimum of 1-2 hours of training per week to maintain continuity in training. Students training on a part time basis are able to book their lesson the day before and need to allocate at least 2 hours for every 1 hour sortie for briefing, de-briefing and aircraft inspection.

3. Straight helicopter versus combined aeroplane/helicopter courses

See 'Combined Courses' under Pilot Training.

4. Theory options

See 'Theory Training' under Pilot Training.

5. Paying for your course

Pilot training is not cheap and as a consequence is limited to people who have the funds available to pay for it. Some students choose to do their training on a part time basis to enable them to pay for their training as they go. When budgeting for a part time course, it is important to take into consideration that it is in the students best interests to fly an average of at least 1 hour per week and preferably 2. There will also be times when extra funds will be required for textbooks and equipment, theory training, aviation medical check, exams and flight tests. In addition some flights can be longer than 1 hour for example navigation exercises can take up to 2 hours of flight time. Consequently if the student is budgeting on 1 hour per week and is able to take that amount from their weekly income, it will be necessary to start with a minimum of around $5000 to enable them to train weekly without any delays. (or more of course depending on weekly income).

The other option is to finance the course. This is one option that we generally advise against however encourage people who are considering financing their course to come up and talk to us about it. Once a course is completed, pilots will be focused on trying to build hours, and with the added pressure of servicing a loan, it can become very difficult to do both. Consequently we would generally advocate taking a bit longer at the beginning to save up the initial amount as explained above, while perhaps undertaking a home study course for the theory which will save more money and then flying on a part time basis while continuing to earn an income. While this may not be as beneficial as flying on a full time basis, it will be much more achievable than having the full course fee available from the beginning.

For information on course costs please contact Kestrel Aviation directly