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Aaron crosses the dog fence at Border Downs, south of Cameron's Corner; four hours from Wagga by Jabiru.

"I thought it might be fun to have a lesson or two, just for the experience."

"I hold a lapsed Pilot Certificate and want to reactivate and update."

"I want to start training now and to fly every day until I am qualified."

"I can fly a Cessna but I need an RAA ticket."

All of these people have come to the right place!

 Training with us leads you to a Pilot Certificate issued by Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA). This is your basic qualification to pilot 'three axis' aircraft registered with RAA, eg. 25-167 but does not qualify you to pilot Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) registered aircraft, eg. VH- CXS.

However, hours spent training at our RAA school will still count, in full, should you like to start with us, then transfer to a CASA school to complete your General Flying Progress Test (GFPT), Private or Commercial Licence. The trend, in recent years, has been for trainees to at least do their initial training to, say, Pilot Certificate standard at an RAA school. We don't make any claims of superiority over general aviation (GA) (CASA system) schools, so the trend might reflect the fact that our hourly rates are typically 20 to 50% below their rates. This is because of our lower direct hourly costs combined with the fact that we tie up less capital in equipment.

Our Pilot Certificate is a boon to ageing pilots, as there is NO REQUIREMENT to undergo a CASA MEDICAL exam every two years, OR EVER!! If you're seventy something and want to fly, now is the time to go for it! If you have 'eagle eyes', that's great. If you wear bifocals or only have one eye, that's great too! Your vision only needs to be correctable to a private vehicle driver's standard. The procedure is that you sign a declaration that you would be able to meet the medical requirements for issue of a PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVERS LICENCE.

The restrictions applying to aviation under the RAA self administration system are as follows: 1) no night flying 2) all flying is visual, no flying in clouds 3) no aerobatics…UPDATE!...aerobatic endorsements are in the pipeline. 4) no flying in control zones (essentially, these are circles of a few miles radius around capital city airports and Albury)...UPDATE! UPDATE!...control zone endorsements will soon be available. 5) our aircraft have no more than two seats.

If your aviation intentions are essentially non-professional, the news is good. Our Pilot Certificate enables you to fly traditional 'rag and tube' ultralights as well as the sophisticated new breed of high performance travelling machines.

These new machines are pretty handy. How about a Jabiru (two roomy seats plus luggage) that goes from Bundaberg to Wagga non stop on 100 litres of fuel. Cruising speeds for most of the slick new machines are in the 90 to 130 knots (per hour) range. That's 166 to 240 kilometres per hour, in a GPS guided straightish line. This performance is now attracting the interest of hard-nosed business people and numbers of these "recreational" machines are being pressed into service as business tools.

 The Basic Aeronautical Knowledge (BAK) text we generally use, has 410 pages, cover to cover. The print is large and there are hundreds of illustrations. There are review questions at the end of each chapter as well as sample exams. There is no complicated maths. Most of it is just general reading. There is also a 124 page Flight Radio text, of similar layout. We also suggest you purchase the new CASA Visual Flight Rules Guide. The other reference works are the RAA Operations and Technical Manuals. These are provided, gratis, upon you becoming a member.

You can study BAK and Radio, on line. Go to www.raa.asn.au and enjoy the excellent, and totally free of charge, study guides, produced at great effort by John Brandon.

A typical training flight usually lasts for the major part of an hour. That's about all most students, on most days, can handle. Prior to this, you will perform a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft, and possibly refuel, as well as undergo a briefing on the lesson ahead. After landing, there is usually an informal de-brief. It's safe to say that you should plan on spending two hours or more at the aerodrome. If you are pressed for time, we are happy for you to cancel, rather than rushing the lesson.

It is important not to become dehydrated when flying. A few swigs of your favourite non- alcoholic brew, prior to take-off or during flight, will minimise headaches and maximise your available concentration. Of course, sunnies and skin protection are always suggested. Aerodromes tend to be flat and windswept, so in winter, bring something warm to chuck on, while you're wandering about. Of course, after an intense session of circuits and bumps, we'll have you sweating like a pig!

We operate on the basis that you settle your account after each lesson. This means that you are never committed to return. Of course, we are always committed to help you succeed! We suggest that you be wary of paying for flying lessons in advance at whichever flying school you might patronise. The inducement is often a cheaper (bulk) hourly rate. Many a student has rued the day he/she paid in advance, only to see the school evaporate overnight with his/her funds and a few others to boot!

Our aircraft are equipped with headsets. However, if you have your own, we encourage you to bring them along and plug 'em in.

During the early stages of your training it is best if you are able to clearly observe the reactions of the aircraft to your control inputs. Atmospheric turbulence masks this desirable feedback. Therefore, we attempt to fly at times of minimum turbulence. The autumn and winter months often produce beautiful 'still' days. However, from mid-spring until early autumn, the best shot at good conditions is from dawn until nine or ten A.M. After that it's no fun, so we go home. Sometimes you can score some good conditions in the last two hours of daylight.

Best progress is made if you fly once a week or more. Having said that, some students make a start, then return twenty years later, often after raising a family, to finish the job! That's fair dinkum.

Flying has much in common with sailing (nautical / aeronautical). In both cases we pit our frail craft and our skill against a mighty ocean. Maintain respect for the ocean, lest it clobber thee.

It has been said, that a freshly minted Pilot Certificate is "a licence to learn". As with any skill or discipline, the more you exercise that skill "post grad" the more refined it will become.

Good luck.