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L3 will also not be alone. It is important for instructors. It’s all very L3 CTS operates over 40 training keen to do part-time work and so that
teaming up with Aviation Australia, well to recruit them but keeping them aircraft – 14 Diamond DA20 and is another avenue of recruitment.
which currently provides certain is hard. So, you have to have a place 19 Cessna 172 singles and eight Based on all that combination we
levels of pilot training, ATPL, cabin that is not only good for the instructor Diamond DA42 twins – from its are convinced we will be able to get a
crew training, engineering and and student, you have to have a place Hamilton, NZ facility. l3 stable and consistent workforce,” said
maintenance training. “We are where the instructor’s partner can get Rowlandson.
partnering with them so that we can a job and the children can get a good “There is also an opportunity to use
bring that level of product. We are education. And most of all when the people who are destined to become
kind of hoping eventually this will be a children grow up you don’t need them pilots. They may accept a three-year
one-stop shop for aviation training.” moving a thousand kilometres away delay in getting an airline job to do
Attracting applicants for student to get a job. Here, you have Brisbane instructing for a couple of years. We
enrolments, which will open by which is just a couple of hours away. will explore all these options but to me
the end of this year, certainly won’t To me Toowoomba is a beautiful city. the biggest thing is the location.”
be a problem. More than 18,000 It’s a place where people would really That’s a point Joyce fully agrees
people have so far registered their want to live. with.
interest in the academy via qantas. “I think once we get instructors “We’re not just here for sentimental
com/pilotacademy. One issue which it will be easier to retain them. reasons,” he said. “First of all, we
will confront L3 will undoubtedly Professional instructors. We’ll also believe there is a really good case
be recruiting sufficient experienced look at giving them a career path, ‘We’re not to be here. This is an amazing
instructors to staff the academy. giving their instructor ratings free new facility with plenty of room
“Obviously, instructors are a of charge and certainly encouraging just here for to build our hangar, to build our
problem. They are being recruited into them to stay for a period of time.” training classrooms and to build the
the airlines and we will face the same L3 is also talking to Qantas about sentimental accommodation. I’m also told that it
issue,” said Rowlandson. pilots reaching the end of their career. benefits from the Queensland weather.
“One of the reasons we were “Also in south-east Queensland reasons.’ 300 clear days at least each year, a
very keen on Toowoomba is that we have a rather large number of critical requirement for a pilot school.
it is a unique location. It is all very retired airline pilots who are very ALAN JOYCE It’s also 90 minutes from Brisbane

32 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION