The Parkes Aero Club

 

is based at the Parkes Regional Airport (5km east of Parkes), in a clubhouse and hangar leased from Parkes Shire Council.

The airfield is home to a busy maintenance organisation (Parkes Aviation Pty Ltd), and the HARS Parkes Aviation Museum.

Rex (Regional Express Airlines) have 3-5 flights each day between Parkes and Sydney.

 

The Parkes Aero Club has two aircraft, available for flight training and for private hire.

An aviation school operates at the clubhouse on weekends and selected days

 

The Parkes airfield began as a RAAF station during World War II.  

The Aero Club was established here in 1948, and encourages people of all ages to take up and continue flying. 

Learn to Fly — its easier than you think

 

Are you interested in learning to fly an aeroplane?

Do you have a friend who would like a special gift with a difference?

 

Then a Trial Instructional Flight (TIF) could be just the thing!

- no obligation to continue, and

- counts towards the issue of a Pilot Certificate or Licence.

 

Flying is fun, it is exciting, and much easier than commonly thought. Parkes provides an ideal learning environment both for the novice and the pilot seeking more advanced qualifications. Our club provides two well-maintained training aircraft: a 2-seat  RAA-registered Flight Design CTMC, and a 4-seat Cessna 172 (VH-DDV), with friendly flight instructors well quaified and able to accommodate individual tuition and personal requirements.

 

Using the RA-Aus (Recreational Aviation) training model, a student can be flying their first solo after a few hours in the classroom and about 10 to 15 hours in the air. After a minimum of 20 hours, students can obtain their RA-Aus Pilot Certificate, which allows them to fly unsupervised within a 25 NM radius of an airfield.

The next step is navigation training which once attained allows a pilot to fly almost anywhere in Australia (excluding controlled airspace at the time of writing).

Given the minimum 20 hours of flight training required, costs can be as low as around $5000 to obtain your basic Pilot Certificate, and can be completed in 6-9 months depending on time available, and the weather.

 

GA flight training typically takes longer (and costs proportionally more) but on completion allows the licence holder to fly larger aircraft into controlled airspace. The Licence holder may then go on to fly aerobatics or pursue a career as a commercial pilot!

 

It’s also possible “cross over” from the RA-Aus Pilot Certificate to the GA Pilot licence, a path which is becoming increasingly popular.

 

Recreational Aviation flying school instructor:         Dale Redfern  0412 458 394 Parkes Recreational Aviation Centre (PRAC)

General Aviation flying school instructor:                Doug Watson  0429 965 377

 

A more detailed explanation of the differences between RA-Aus and GA are described here:

Recreational Aviation Australia and Civil Aviation Safety Authority