Regional NSW’s training gem

Our vision has always been to grow our Cowra flight school into a domestic and international aviation training hub of excellence. To achieve this, we have implemented a strategy of methodically and deliberately improving our training facilities, aircraft fleet and staff training to allow for future growth and development. This strategy included building a brand-new hangar and classroom facility on our own property at Cowra airport and becoming a Registered Training Organisation to facilitate both domestic and international student intakes.

Fly Oz is jointly owned by Lyn Gray and Mark Dixon, both of whom work full time in the business. Both Lyn and Mark are very experienced pilots, Instructors and Flight Examiners with qualifications on many aircraft types. Lyn has experience on the Beechcraft King Air and is able to conduct training for a flight review in that aircraft. Mark has completed the Cirrus Standardised Instructor Program (CSIP) and is much sought after as an experienced Cirrus Instructor. Both Lyn and Mark have a background in adult education, which is a huge benefit in flight instructing as well as mentoring other instructors.

We have worked closely with both local and state governments on building a plan which will allow rapid expansion for student intakes going forward. This includes plans for a student accommodation facility on site at Cowra airport and additional classroom facilities to cater for the increased demand. We have also built strong business relationships with aircraft providers who can increase our aircraft numbers almost immediately should we require it. We have a very supportive local council who recognises the net benefit to the town of Fly Oz successfully achieving its vision.

The high quality of Fly Oz has been recognised by the Cowra Business Chamber. In 2018, Lyn and Mark won the Entrepreneur of The Year and again in 2019 won the Excellence in Small Business Award and were a finalist for Outstanding Business Leader. Also in 2018, Lyn was awarded the Flight Instructor of the Year from the prestigious Royal Aeronautical Society.

Our modern facilities include a large hangar and classroom complex with state-of-the-art projection equipment, air conditioned throughout with a kitchen and amenities. This provides our students with a high-quality, comfortable learning experience that exceeds their expectations.

We currently have nine full-time, passionate Flight Instructors working at this amazing location, including four Grade 1 Instructors, three Grade 2 Instructors and two Grade 3 Instructors. Our Instructors are knowledgeable and qualified to teach for the Recreational Pilot Licence, Private Pilot Licence and Commercial Pilot Licence, as well as for Instrument Ratings, Instructor Ratings, Night VFR Ratings, Multi Engine Endorsements, Gas Turbine and Pressurisation. We are also able to conduct speciality Flight Reviews in Cessna Caravans, King Airs and other advanced aircraft.

In 2019, Fly Oz completed over 120 different qualifications for our many students. This is up from 2018 when we completed 104 student qualifications. Many of our former graduates are now successfully employed right across the aviation industry, as airline pilots, charter operators, flight instructors, aerial survey and agricultural. We have been referees for countless students who have completed training courses with us and directly supply specific training courses for operators such as the RFDS, Careflight and AirMed.

Fly Oz’s main objective has always been to prioritise student learning and progress above financial reward. At Fly Oz, we are constantly simplifying and enhancing the student learning process by thinking outside the square in all areas. We were one of the first schools to go completely paperless with our record keeping, maintenance and course delivery. This allows online access to course materials, training records, Power Point briefings, flight logs and many other functions.

Several years ago, we implemented weekly staff meetings to directly keep track of students’ progress, workplace health and safety, maintenance issues, staff training and development etc. We also have a standardisation briefing for our instructors incorporated each week as part of the meeting to enable Fly Oz to maintain a high standard of consistent instructional ability. Instructors are encouraged to give feedback and offer their suggestions to continuously improve standards, working conditions and company standing operating procedures. This has led to greater staff involvement and all staff know that their knowledge and opinions are greatly valued.

Fly Oz prides itself on the quality student experience we offer. We have achieved this through prioritising our staff training and conditions, which flows on directly to the student experience

Fly Oz has its own 17,000-litre, three compartment fuel tanker, which provides fuel independence and security. It also provides a platform for Fly Oz to implement staff and student workplace health and safety training. Our students are trained directly on safe refuelling procedures from our tanker, which gives real-world experience and practical transferable skills. We have also converted all our PA28 Warrior fleet to run on unleaded and the fuel tanker, which has two independent fuel delivery systems, allows us to separately store and deliver both avgas and unleaded.

All staff at Fly Oz are employed on a full-time basis and some travel to and from Sydney weekly to work. To assist their work/life balance we have transitioned to four days on, three days off work rosters for the Sydney residents to allow our staff to maintain a healthy family life while enabling them to manage the travel requirements. As a result, we have an extremely low staff turnover rate and currently have four Grade 1 instructors who have been employed at Fly Oz for four to six years each. This provides the stability required to manage growth in student numbers while maintaining our focus on advanced training courses. It also provides us with a wealth of knowledge for mentoring the newer instructors.

Fly Oz has developed a reputation in the aviation industry for delivering high quality advanced flight training courses, specifically for Instructors. We are fortunate to run several courses per year for Grade 3 Flight instructors in Cowra. This allows Fly Oz the opportunity to select the best students to offer them roles as flight instructors with Fly Oz on completion of their ground and flight training courses. We always have at least two to three instructors on a waiting list to fill roles should they become available.

We also deliver an extensive number of specific instructor upgrade courses throughout the year. These include Instrument Training endorsements and Multi Engine Training endorsements. We have been contracted by several other providers to complete these courses on their behalf.

We have had several successful third-party training partnerships, most notably with the International Aviation College Nakhon Phanom University, Thailand, which has sent us two classes of pilots to complete their Flight Instructor Rating training. Our arrangement with International Aviation College Nakhon Phanom University Thailand was to train a fixed number of flight instructors to assist with the creation of a brand-new flight training academy in Thailand. The students were sent to Cowra in two batches for three months over an 18-month period. We successfully completed 23 instructors training during those two groups. They are now operating as Flight Instructors at their university in Thailand. We are in negotiation for a third class of students from Thailand but this has been delayed due COVID. We are currently conducting aviation training via online systems with students in Singapore.

Fly Oz currently provides full time ground theory courses for all CASA PPL, CPL, IREX and PIRC exams in our well-equipped classrooms. This covers both the CASA and ASQA knowledge delivery and evidence to comply with the regulatory requirements. We also have ample space at our Cowra Airport location to deliver the theory classes in our own facilities.

Fly Oz’s geographical location in central NSW allows for upwards of 345 flyable days per year in visual meteorology conditions. This allows us to maintain very precise training timelines, which provides maximum utilisation of aircraft and instructors while ensuring efficient student progress. We are also conveniently located close to Controlled Airspace at Sydney and Canberra to give our students the full range of learning experiences.

Our location is readily accessible by car being a four-hour drive from the Sydney suburbs or a two-hour drive from Canberra. Students can also travel to Cowra by public transport using the XPT train service as well as a bus service.

Cowra Airport has a long, sealed main runway as well as a grass cross runway, which gives students a variety of take off and landing experiences. The airport has a AWIS (Automatic Weather Information Service) and is equipped with Pilot Activated Lighting to allow for night flying. For Instrument Rating training, there are three instrument approaches at the airport. We are also surrounded by airports with a variety of instrument approaches so students can experience different navigation aids and approaches.

Fly Oz operates a fleet of Piper Warrior single engine and Beechcraft Duchess multi engine aircraft. Our business collaborates with reputable aircraft providers, allowing us to upsize our fleet on demand. This makes the business agile and able to provide training services to a wide range of customers on relatively short notice.

Fly Oz is currently accredited to deliver AVI50219 Diploma of Aviation CPL and AVI50519 Diploma of Aviation Instrument Rating. We are currently compliant with all CASA and ASQA qualifications. We also have a full-time compliance officer who can immediately respond to requests for information. Our Instructors have undertaken upgrade training to keep our school’s Instruction fresh, relevant and up to date.

Fly Oz prides itself on the quality student experience we offer. We have achieved this through prioritising our staff training and conditions, which flows on directly to the student experience. We have created a friendly educational environment where both staff and students feel welcome. Instructors are available to assist students with theory, study and flight planning. This provides the best opportunity for all stakeholders to achieve their personal goals while thoroughly enjoying the process.

Our completion rate for students enrolled in courses is well above 95 per cent. This is due to our detailed timetabling and our ability to keep to schedules. All staff are carefully monitored to ensure that all lessons commence on time and that student programs are maintained. Cowra’s favourable weather as well as our well-maintained aircraft, assist us in maintaining student timetables.

We use a cloud-based training record and booking system called Flightlogger. This program stores all training materials, flight and ground records, attendance, maintenance and student data (medicals, ASICS, exam results, navigation logs, etc) within this system. As it is cloud-based, students and staff can access these materials from anywhere which greatly simplifies the delivery process and keeps students fully engaged in their learning as they are able to easily review past training records as well as preview upcoming lessons.

Our flight lessons are well structured and commence with a thorough briefing on the lesson topic then a pre-flight briefing on the actual lesson sequence delivered by our knowledgeable Instructors. During the flight lesson, our Instructors maintain a focus on the student’s progress and any areas requiring further development. Observations are discussed in detail with the student after landing to ensure that the maximum benefit is obtained from each lesson. The student is also sent a copy of their training record to assist with their future skill development.

Fly Oz is able to tailor our courses to suit student needs, whether they are learning to fly for a hobby or have ambitions of becoming a professional pilot, such as charter pilot, airline or flight instructor to name a few. Our website and Facebook page have many student reviews attesting to the quality of our instruction and the friendly, relaxing atmosphere, which is the hallmark of Fly Oz.

Student achievements are proudly displayed on the Fly Oz Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/flyozaustralia

This shows the frequency of student achievements in the various licences, ratings and endorsements as well as allow the student to share their aviation success with their friends and family.

Information about our school and its courses as well as our Instructors can be found on our web page, which is frequently updated: www.flyoz.com.au. Additional information can be requested via our company email at [email protected]