Flight training open day at the Essendon Airport!
16 June 2003
On 28 June 2002, Kangan Batman TAFE’s Aviation Department will hold a free flight training open day at Melbourne’s Essendon Airport for all enthusiasts who wanted to learn how to fly, but who never knew where to start.
After a very successful open day held in May, the Aviation Department decided to hold another for the general public wanting to learn more about flying, the realistic costs involved and the time it takes to gain a flying licence.
This open day is aimed at people wanting to learn flying for recreational or professional purposes. Attendees at the Open Day will qualify for Open Day specials including free simulator and ground theory instruction. These specials will save them $770 towards their flight-training course.
A wide variety of people from all demographics attend the open days – including doctors, lawyers and high school students. Flight instructors, trainers, flight simulators and a training aircraft are all on hand to give an overview of the flight-training program offered by Kangan Batman TAFE in association with Interair (Kangan Batman TAFE’s preferred flight training provider).
The open day allows attendees to talk to the instructors and be able to sit in the cockpit of a training aircraft used in flight-training. They are able try their hands at flying on the type of flight simulator used to teach the basics of flying in the flight-training program.
To cut the time and the cost to reach the first-step in flying – the General Flight Progress Test (GFPT) - Kangan Batman TAFE has formulated a unique flight-training program.
This program includes theory and flight simulator practice before students are allowed into an aircraft for flying lessons. The flight stimulator used in the course is an advanced training device that can replicate a single engine light training aircraft to a more advanced 737/400 jet aircraft.
According to David Jackson, Kangan Batman TAFE’s Flight Training Coordinator, the advantages of learning on a simulator are manifold.
“Students are able to put theory into practice on the flight simulator, where they learn the basics about cockpit controls, take-off and landing. An instructor is present to help them through any areas of difficulty with the help of a ‘freeze’ button where they are able to repeat the procedure they are having difficulty with, again and again.”
“Learning the basics of flying on the flight simulator frees up more time for students when they go for their first few flying lessons as they have learnt the basics of cockpit controls through the simulator. Interair trainers expect the students (through simulator practice at Kangan Batman TAFE) to have reached the level, where they are now ready to go straight into their flying lessons.”
“The theory and simulator practice before hand can save students up to $2,700 towards their GFPT, an appreciable amount of money,” he says.
Kangan Batman TAFE is one of Australia’s leading aviation training institutes. The Aviation and Engineering Department is located within the Aerospace Industry Training Centre (AITC), a purpose-built training facility located at Kangan Batman TAFE’s Broadmeadows Campus.
