The Central Coast Aero Club celebrated its 50th Birthday on Saturday night, October 21, with a dinner on the tarmac, illuminated by fairy lights for 126 members and guests.
One of the special guests was Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) representative Karen Blair, who presented Aero Club CEO Andrew Smith with the Aero Club of the Year Award for 2022.
Blair is the National Manager Regulatory Services and has background in flying operations having flown both domestically and overseas.
She has a Master of Science and Technology (Aviation) degree attained from UNSW.
Other special guests attending included CASA Media and Communications Officer Steve Creedy, CASA Section Manager Community Partnerships Prue Zamora, Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch, Greater Cities Commissioner for the Central Coast Robyn Parker, President of Business Wyong Matthew Lusted, pilot Glenn Graham representing Paul Bennet Airshows and Troy Seymour representing Aero Refuellers.
“Whilst enjoying the pre-dinner canapés guests were treated to formation flying and aerobatics by members of the Aero Club and at the close of the flying a stunning display by Glen Graham, a member of Paul Bennet’s Sky Aces Airshow’s team and a two-time Australian Advanced Aerobatic Champion,” club spokesperson Allan Cooper said.
“His award-winning skill was clearly on display as he threw his teal coloured Zivco Edge 540 aircraft around the sky to the thrill of the crowd.”
It has been a very significant two years for the aero club, which won the Aero Club of the Year award for 2022.
In addition to general flight training the club now trains pilots in aerobatics and formation flying and along the way provides a stepping stone for highly regarded instructors to advance their flying careers within the industry.
Also, the purchase of a state-of-the-art FRASCA synthetic flight trainer by a club member to lease to the club represented a very significant addition to its training capabilities.
FRASCA is the family name of Ruby Frasca, who established the American company in 1958.
Since then the company has exported thousands of various simulators to more than 70 countries around the world.
The simulator features two aircraft types.
A Cessna 172 simulator in an analogue configuration, just like the ones flown by the Aero Club for pilot training, can be converted in less than five minutes for advanced training to a Piper Seminole with a modern glass cockpit, where the instruments are displayed on computer screens.
“With 13 similar trainers already established in Australia, once the simulator was commissioned it was quickly approved by CASA, which regulates aviation at all levels in Australia,” Cooper said.
“The student pilot sits at the controls, just as they would in a real aircraft, with the outside world projected in amazing detail on three screens.
“However, in the synthetic trainer the instructor sits behind and to the side of the student where his or her performance can be monitored.
“There are many benefits to having access to this technology.”
Cooper said as well as building their regular flying skills, pilots could be presented by their instructors with rare situations they could encounter in their flying career but which would be unsafe to practice in the air.
The cost of some training can also be reduced.
“For example, the qualification to fly on Instrument Flight Rules ( IFR ), where a pilot does not have sight of the ground or horizon, requires 20 hours training,” he said.
“CASA permits 10 of those hours to be conducted in the Aero Club’s approved simulator.”
The Warnervale-based club is set to become an even greater asset to both the nation’s aviation industry and to the Central Coast.
Source:
Central Coast Aero Club
Festoon, not fairy lights 😌