Sunshine Coast Flying School

2 days ago

Attention Robin Pilots / Students. There's still booking opportunities for this sunny long weekend!! Note, from Wednesday 27th Jan we are fully booked until Saturday 30th Jan, so get a flight / lesson in now if you can! The following slots are available (may change without notice!):

Sat 23rd: 07:30, 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, and 15:30 private hire only
Sun 24th - 07:30, 09:30, 11:30 private hire only
Sun 24th - 13:30, 15:30 private hire or dual lessons
Mon 25th - 08:30, 10:30, 12:30, and 14:30 private hire or dual lessons.
Tues 26th - 11:30, 13:30, and 15:30 private hire or dual lessons

Call GoFly or message / call Colin directly to book your slots. ... See MoreSee Less

3 days ago

This is an outcome from a fatal spin accident where a student and instructor, practicing wing drop stalls, lost control of the aircraft and crashed.

I'm going to ramble on a bit here! In my view, this outcome is a sad day for ab initio flight training in Australia! Instead of addressing the weaknesses in the FAE-8 Manual of Standards (MoS) for spin endorsement training, CASA have, in effect, prohibited instructors from teaching the application of rudder (yaw) to initiate a wing drop stall if the aircraft is not 'spin approved'.

Note that, to gain certification, GA single engine training aircraft are required to demonstrate recovery from a one turn spin, within one additional revolution or 3 seconds (FAR 23) regardless of being 'spin approved' or not! The CASA lawyers are just playing with the definitions from a legal perspective. In reality a wing drop stall is the starting point of an incipient spin or spiral dive, the latter if insufficient yaw is present to stabilise the spin.

This amendment says a lot about CASA's confidence in the skills of Australia's flight instructors! Or perhaps it is more about an aircraft manufacturer's confidence in their aircrafts ability to comply with FAR 23 when NOT in the hands of a test pilot?

Those key issues aside, I hope CASA will revise FAE-8, to increase the depth of training and competencies required for a spin endorsement (a requirement for a GA instructor rating and hopefully RAAus instructor rating in the near future).
During their training, Instructors must gain an in depth understanding and practical exposure to a variety of wing drop stalls / incipient spins and stable spin scenarios in order to teach this safety critical part of initial flight training to an acceptable standard. I see far greater risks to safety if instructors, due to inadequate aircraft and training, can only teach students to "fear and avoid" such an important part of basic flight training.

The ATSB report on the accident advised training organisations to clarify with their aircraft manufacturers if intentional wing drop stalls (the initial stage of an incipient spin) is permissible. To avoid liability risks I'm sure most will say no.

So in summary, I think we will find that most ab initio training aircraft are 'not fit for purpose' to teach basic wing drop stalls, never mind spinning! However, we will also discover that the majority of instructors are not adequately trained (or permitted) to teach wing drop stalls, spin avoidance / recovery to a high enough standard, so why worry? A very sad situation! 🙁 ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago

Thinking about learning aerobatics? Or how to confidently recover from a spin or unusual attitude? Don't think too long, do it NOW! Try a lesson in the fantastic Robin R2160 with our CFI, Colin Appleton. Message / call Colin or GoFly to book your slot! Read more: "Why pilots should learn aerobatics": www.sunshinecoastflyingschool.com.au/aerobatics-training/ ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

Congratulations to Mark Bundy on completing our intensive 4 day Aerobatic and Spinning endorsements course with CFI Colin Appleton, in the fantastic Robin R2160 aircraft. Mark is a 'fast learner' and with good weather this week he completed the course to a very good standard in just 3 full days. Well done Mark! ... See MoreSee Less