Page 97 - AA 2018_09

Flight Options

I t has to be one of the best approach and more experienced pilots, not ‘We could its training at “home” and at its facility
What’s not to like? For both trainee
in Jandakot, WA.
and departure patterns in Australia
That delivered a CASA Certified
– for the view, if nothing else.
much.
To the north, the imposing
It is one key reason why, in a highly
edifice of Mount Coolum. Historical competitive environment, Flight form this Level D full motion Cessna Citation
Mustang simulator for training,
records suggest the name of what is Options – one of Australia’s foremost academy to including type ratings and ATPL.
actually a volcanic plug, 200 metres flight schools – is managing to retain Since then, in a joint venture with
above sea level, originated from instructors, bucking a current trend train people Ansett Aviation Training, Flight
the Aboriginal meaning “blunt” or given impetus by the pilot shortage Options has installed a King Air
“headless”; steep at the sides with no and migration of experienced hands to right the way 200/350i Level D simulator that has
true peak. the airlines. become the “go-to” for training and
Take a look and the description is The Sunshine Coast is such an through.’ endorsing Royal Flying Doctor Service
spot on. attractive place to live that it is home pilots among other civilian and
To the east, the stunning, seemingly to a significant number of former TIM HOLLAND military King Air pilots.
endless white sand and accompanying airline pilots who have now turned Now, the proven capacity of
surf breaks of the Sunshine Coast from their attention to instructing. Flight Options to deliver a complete
Maroochydore to Mudjimba, further But more on that later. training regimen has provided the
north from Coolum Beach to Peregian, First and foremost, Flight Options trigger for an ambitious new stage
and beyond to iconic Noosa Heads. is about everything from recreational in its development: a flight training
Multi-million-dollar houses, luxury level (RPL) to advanced air transport academy program pitched at the
units, more modest homes and holiday pilot licence (ATPL) training, airlines and related operators.
resorts vie for the best ocean outlook. supported by some of the most For pilot academy head of
To the west and south, sugar sophisticated equipment available. operations Tim Holland, it will deliver
cane and other farm land is given The school is the ongoing on a Padgett ideal: “His take was that
a backdrop by the Glasshouse brainchild of highly respected aviation we could form this academy to train
Mountains and the steep ridge line industry veteran Steve Padgett, people right the way through from
of the Sunshine Coast hinterland. chairman of Alliance Airlines. It is learning to fly to the right hand seat of
In places, sub-division has lured a more than 20 years since Padgett a jet, and be a feeder not only for his
combination of southern investment saw the potential of the Sunshine company but for others,” he said.
and local re-settlement. It remains a Coast, first establishing Sunshine The timing appears spot on
region of opportunity: a heady mix of Express Airlines and then, among given the current debate over pilot
lush acreage and modern development other ventures, a training facility shortages that many agree is an issue
– all served by a relatively benign that became home to the Singapore of appropriate skill levels rather than
climate. (Airlines) Flying College. sheer numbers.
What’s more, the Sunshine Coast It was something of a full circle That said, there is a stark reality
Airport itself in beachside Marcoola for Padgett when Flight Options, in the now well-publicised figures
is an award winner. In November under the ownership umbrella of his projecting a need for 637,000 new
last year YBSU was declared the best Universal Training Systems group, commercial pilots worldwide between
under 10 million-passenger airport bought back into the college premises The Citation Mustang sim now and 2036 with 253,000 required
in the CAPA Asia Pacific Aviation shortly after Singapore Airlines represents a unique capability in the Asia Pacific region alone.
Awards for Excellence. decided to shut down and consolidate in the region. flight options Meanwhile, skilled pilot ranks in
Australia are being chipped away
by recruiters in both China and the
Middle East offering high salaries and
other incentives.
That overseas migration has a
flow-on effect to Australian regional
airlines which, in turn, have become
more concerted feeders to both
Qantas and Virgin. In a recent
report in News Limited publications,
Regional Express COO Neville Howell
foreshadowed possible cuts to some
regional services because of the lack
of Rex stand-by pilots capable of
covering for sick leave. The report
quoted Howell’s claim that 17 per cent
of Rex first officers and 56 per cent
of its captains had been lost to the
majors in the past two years.
Rex trains its own pilots at its
academy in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
Virgin, meanwhile, has an
established pilot cadetship program
in partnership with Flight Training
Adelaide, while Qantas has reacted
by pledging to set up a $20 million
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