Canberra Aviation Club, Circa 2005

Natalie took Bill and Nicole into a well appointed lounge, offered drinks and settled them in some comfortable chairs. “Tell me what you both would like to get out of learning to fly,” Natalie asked as an opening comment.

Nicole, clearly the most eager, started first. “My friends come here and have a great time. Brian wants to be an airline pilot, and has progressed to an ATPL in about a year, and tells me he can fly into almost any airport in the world, regardless of weather. Jane is hoping to get into the RAAF to become a Hornet pilot, and is the second on the pilot’s board at air-to-air combat and third at air-to-ground. I would like to learn to fly fairly skilfully and then choose to specialise, but I’m not sure yet of what I would find to be the most fun. ” “How about you Bill,” Natalie prompted. Bill cleared his throat, obviously a bit more reticent. “The kids seem to pick these things up so quickly, I’d just like to learn the basics and then do a few cross countries and perhaps participate in some contests-you know, spot landings, streamer cutting and those sorts of things. I like the social side, and I gather the Club has some pretty fancy dinners and social occasions. ” “Well, I think we can meet all those requirements, and quite easily too” said Natalie with a smile, “but to convince you, how about a walk through the complex?” She led them to a briefing room, with whiteboards with half erased pictures of lift and drag diagrams, several computer screens and reference books around the walls. “Most of the work starts here,” explained Natalie, “this is the briefing room where we give full theory lessons on all flying activities. We find that the lessons stick a lot better if the students understand the principles of flight and flying activities. ” The next three rooms had “Basic Training” signs on the door, and one had a red light illuminating a “Room Occupied” notice. “If we are quiet, we can watch from inside, “cautioned Natalie, “early training takes intense concentration, and its not fair to distract a student and cause them to crash, as there are penalties if that happens. The student has to re-pass all ground and flying tests to the point where they “died” before they can proceed to new skills. This is our way of ensuring that people take the exercise seriously and don’t just treat it as a video arcade. The exception is combat exercises, when you just drop out of that particular battle. ” Bill, Natalie and Nicole eased into the room like mice passing in front of a cat. The room contained a large screen with a student sitting in front, concentrating intensely, operating a yoke, rudders and a throttle. Behind the student’s video screen the instructor had a duplicate set of controls and her own screen, and was linked to the student through a headset. Natalie silently raised a hand to the instructor who waved back. Despite the fact that the room was comfortably air-conditioned, perspiration beaded the student’s forehead, while he struggled with a turbulent crosswind approach onto what was obviously runway 30 at Canberra.

Natalie passed spare headphones to Bill and Nicole so they could follow the patter between instructor and student. They were fascinated by the calm and patient way the instructor eased the student through the difficult windshear across the hedge, then anticipated the need to raise the flap, get directional control, use into wind aileron matched to rudder, then open the throttle for another circuit.

Outside in the corridor, Bill said, “that looks quite hard. ” “Yes, a Cessna 172 on short finals with a gusty crosswind is quite a handful. Tony, the student under instruction, has about three hours of ground training and five hours of “air time”, and should go solo in another two to three hours. He is doing well and should get his restricted licence without any problem. ” “How much does it cost,” asked Nicole, who was anticipating having to pay for lessons from her pocket money and earnings as a checkout operator at the local supermarket. “All personalised instruction costs $25 per hour per person involved. Hire of a flight station costs $15 to $25 per hour, depending on the type. There are some other costs such as log books, subscription fees and so forth, but we’ll cover those later. Let’s look at the airline system next. ” The next set of ten rooms were all marked “Advanced Flight”. This time there was a choice of a track-ball, a yoke or a stick, and the screen was placed inside a cabin which was designed to move in several directions, including rotation about a vertical axis. “These flight stations are a little more comprehensive, with faster computers and some movement to simulate motion. They can run different software to simulate different aircraft in different flight scenarios. They can even become air traffic control stations, as you will see later. ” “Let me give you a demonstration,” offered Natalie, “Aviater, this is Natalie, demonstrate aircraft A330 circuits at Sydney. Aviater is the computer, and it will respond to voice commands if you have been cleared,” she explained. The cockpit of an A330 Airbus came onto the screen. Glass instrument panels and digital engine gauges showed the power rising on the engines, and the aircraft started to roll down the runway. After becoming airborne, the aircraft made a left circuit to intercept a standard GPS instrument pattern. After landing it cleared the runway and taxied back to the terminal.

“Can you show me some fighter flying?” Nicole asked. “Of course, what would you like to see. ” “How about a Hornet versus a MiG-29?” Nicole requested. “Aviater, demonstrate Hornet versus MiG-29 at Williamtown,” Natalie commanded. This time the view was from an F/A-18 cockpit scrambling from Williamtown to intercept a low flying MiG-29 intruder. After some frantic gyrations, the Hornet released an AIM 120 missile, but was rattled by an explosion soon afterwards. “Continue?” asked Aviater. “Continue,” commanded Natalie. The F/A-18 closed and completed an impressive guns pass on the MiG-29, complete with bits flying off and an impressive explosion and pilot ejection sequence.

“How do you teach fighter flying?” asked Nicole. “You must complete the basic training to at least instrument flight standard. Then you choose an aircraft and convert onto that type. It-typically takes about 25 hours of basic instruction. The conversion takes about 10 hours and combat training varies according to the type of capability you want to acquire. Air-to-air usually takes about 15 hours. ” Natalie led Bill and Nicole up to the lounge at the top of the building where there was a magnificent view across the airfield. There was a long bar at the back covered with the usual aircraft memorabilia, and comfortable lounge chairs were scattered about. “We also have a large dining room next door,” said Natalie, “that’s where we hold our lunches and dinners. The whole room opens up for larger functions. Let me buy you a drink. ” Bill ordered a beer and Nicole a soda water.

Natalie mentioned, “many people really like war-gaming, especially if they can actually “be there”. Two flight stations can be configured as the front and rear of a Strike Eagle, and they canfly with other aircraft such as F16s in the “Blue Force” against other opposing MiGs similarly configured as the “Red Force”. They choose the battlefield and set up the scenario. Often, these air battles are like test matches, and rage for several days until one force totally defeats another. Our only problem is to get the people to end the war inside the time allotted, as they become so involved they find it hard to return to the humdrum of their normal life. ” “Actually, it is a debatable point whether the experience is real or simulated. The term “virtual reality” has become passe these days, but it is still an apt description. If the representation is good enough, it is very difficult for the person to tell whether their experience is real or synthetic. In fact, many people tell us that our flying is “more real” than the actual physical activity- except when you come to pay the bill – ours is much, much lower! Our style of aviation also lets people experience events such as fighter and carrier flying that few people can actually experience simply because there are so few vacancies. ” A sudden doubt crept into Bill’s mind. “Natalie, why did the club go down the path of synthesised flight training? Does it really work?” A bemused smile crossed Natalie’s face-she had obviously been asked this question many times before.

“There are two aspect that are really demanding and cost. I’ll take the demand first. Several years ago when the first really decent flight simulators appeared on the market, we analysed what it actually is that people do at aero clubs. Most people wanted to take a disciplined approach to leaning how to fly, and still feel excitement and a sense of achievement in the process. After the flying was done, they could go back to the bar and share their achievements with others. We have managed to craft the experience so that membership of the club is a satisfying mixture of personal achievement and social interaction. ” “Cost and technology were the biggest factors in driving the change. As you may know, there are three cost factors associated with owning your own aircraft: the cost of the aircraft itself, airport fees and airspace fees. ” *Aircraft costs have risen steadily over the past five years. While it only costs about $50,000 to make a light aircraft, in the USA the litigation coverage is at least $60,000. When profit and taxes are added, the price for a simple two seat aircraft is over $150,000. You have to fly a lot of hours to save just the interest in the capital. Fewer and fewer people bother, even if they can form a syndicate. ” “The next factor is airport fees. In the late 80s, the major airfields were transferred to the Federal Airports Corporation, which had a charter to achieve a full cost recovery. For one reason or another, the cost per general aviation aircraft was quite high almost $1000 per year. Added to the interest charges, this was a strong discouragement to the amateur pilot, and even aero clubs found the cost a significant factor in their viability evaluations. ” “Many private pilots simply sold their aircraft and invested in other leisure activities. As a result, there were soon fewer aircraft on which to levy charges, which then became higher. The result in aviation terms is known as “the graveyard spiral”. Now, there are so few private aircraft at FAC airfields that some of the airfields have had to be sold at a substantial loss to the Government and some have only RPT traffic, such as at Canberra. We have managed to get this land fairly economically because the FAC is desperate to get some extra income from their assets. ” “The story is much the same for the CAA. Initially, the fuel levy was seen as a good way of collecting the necessary revenue from General Aviation, and the safety side was well covered by the Government paying for this function. With the introduction of TAAATS in 1995, General Aviation no longer needed the full range of services and refused to pay, lobbying strongly for costs based on actual usage. After a couple of years of tension, the cost recovery rules were changed and to recover costs, all aircraft were levied fees, regardless of type, such as a $25 landing fee, “penetration of controlled airspace” fees of $25, and so forth. ” “When all these costs and fees are added, the cost for an hour of flying in the Canberra control zone using a Canberra based aircraft is almost $400 per hour. Most would be private pilots found the price too high when they compare the cost of other leisure pursuits such as skiing, sailing, motorcycling etc. Avia- tion has plenty of thrills to offer, but these days technology allows us to give more satisfaction though the use of computer based experiences. ” Bill sipped his beer. “So you never get to actually fly any physical aircraft,” he lamented. “Not true,” Natalie responded, “Canberra Aviation Club owns several aircraft, but they are remote. We have some new Jabirus at Temora and a Cessna and a Piper at Goulburn. If you have a yen to physically fly an aircraft, we organise regular bus trips or a weekend camp to both locations. ” “Many people try it and have a great time, but for most, flying here is sufficient. Simulated time does count as we are a CAA certificated training site. Many people obtain full certification to fly “real” aircraft at these remote sites, then go on to fly just the way people used to. The total cost is much less than even the 80s style of flight training before the charges got out of hand. We have records from the old Canberra Aero Club going back for decades and have compared the old with the new, factored for inflation of course. ” Nicole thought for a moment, then said, “Natalie, I think I would like to try the local flying. How do I do it?” Natalie said, “well, how about a flight grading package? You spend $90 and get two hours tuition and four hours flying time. That would normally cost you $110, and we have special instructors who will give you an honest assessment at the end of the time on how they think you will progress. If you don’t crash, you can count the flying hours towards your private pilot endorsement. You also get up to three months free membership to the club while you are completing the grading to see if you feel comfortable here. We find this is a good way of letting you learn about the club and how it operates. Most people stay on, and many have progressed to be veteran military and air transport aircrew. ” Nicole was impressed. “Pass me the terminal and I’ll sign up,” she said. Bill said, “after you Nicole, and I’ll pay $45 of your fees as well. We might even get mum to join – she is our family ATC professional and I’m sure she would enjoy helping us avoid running into Mt Majura on an instrument approach! She could hop across the airfield after work and show us how it’s done. ”