About Yarra Valley Aviation
It's long overdue, but we're fixing it! Theory lessons at the LFS, we're starting off with a BAK course that will run in-house (no more awful Zoom sessions, we did out best, but they were very limited!) on Tuesday evenings 6-9pm and Sunday afternoons 3-6pm for 6 weeks at the airport.
We're rushing towards our premiere event of the year, our annual WINGS awards. This is where we celebrate the achievements of the pilots that choose to learn with us, that's you! We also have a number of prestigious and valuable scholarships that will be presented on the day, as well as some flying activities to enjoy. There's no charge to attend, it's our pleasure to have you along. Join the Yarra Valley Aviation team on Sunday 19th November for an afternoon of presentations, family friendly social gathering and flying. The afternoon begins at 1pm with presentations at 2pm. For more information contact reception at Yarra Valley Aviation.
It may seem obvious to say that "you will be rusty" when you're first stepping back in the cockpit after 3 months of enforced physical "aviation deprivation". Here's some tips and tricks we recommend you follow to help get you back up to speed in minimum time.
We are delighted to say that LFS is reopening for flight training again THIS Friday 22 October subject to everyone following a few important conditions. This is from the latest Victorian Government Roadmap which states Adult Education can recommence for onsite skills-based learning provided all staff and students have received BOTH DOSES of a Covid vaccine and follow Covid Safe procedures.
As per the latest state government COVID lock down rules, we are temporarily suspending lessons and joy flights from Friday 16th until Tuesday the 20th of July inclusive and we expect to re-open on Wednesday, subject of course, to any further details announced by the State Government.
LFS stays in touch with many of our past students as they progress through the world of aviation. Last week one of our former students achieved his wings with the RAAF after a very interesting journey.Jack Terry did his TIF with us in January 2011 and achieved his General Flying Progress Test (now RPL) in September while finishing Year 12. Working hard as a tennis coach and later as a baggage handler at Tullamarine he completed his PPL in April 2012 and then steadily built experience over the next year and a half including getting his tailwheel and aerobatic ratings and flying friends up to the Birdsville Races.
Last week's Wednesday's Part One GPS Seminar with Matt Gault and Gary McGhee was very successful. If you want to watch it and missed it, we put the video up on YouTube here. This will be very useful for you before we start Part Two this Wednesday, which is a workshop on the Garmin 430 and 296 series GPS receivers as found in many of our aircraft
The RAAus is pleased to announce that 2020 scholarships are open to applicants of all ages. Applications for the 2020 round of scholarships open on 1st August (closing 31st August) and include the categories of Under 25, Over 25, Instructors, and Maintainers. We have a good record of LFS pilots being awarded these scholarships, so have a go! We'll help with your application references - contact our office or your instructor for a reference letter.
Our weekly seminar series starts THIS Wednesday the 12th of August from 6.00pm 'til 7.00pm. We're using the Zoom platform, which you can access from just about any device.Our first session is "A Pro's Guide to flying at Essendon Airport". Our special guest presenter is Kelvin O'Callaghan, who has around 40 years of experience working in Australian air traffic control and who is currently a tower controller at Essendon airport. Kelvin is also learning to fly with us at Lilydale!
Sadly STAGE 4 has forced the LFS to cease flight training for the time being. Given the fact that in the last 4 months there have been zero cases of Covid-19 transmission in Melbourne-based flying organisations, a number of appeals are being made at high level to the relevant Victorian authorities to exempt flight training from the shutdown.We are hopeful on these appeals while there also appear to be some grey areas in the STAGE 4 restrictions as published that may give us room to continue. However, we feel it appropriate to give it 5 days in the hope that a government response to clarify, one way or the other, can be elicited. In the meantime, Yarra Valley Aviation will remain open 7 days per week as per our normal operating hours for essential flying only.
Lilydale Flying School is remaining open and operational at this time LFS recognises that pilot skills (especially when learning) degrade as time passes between flights and that our clients have invested or plan to invest considerable amounts of money, time and effort to complete their pilot qualifications. At this time, the best advice we have from Victorian and Federal Governments is that flying lessons continue to be deemed as educational and may continue under the current restrictions.
It is with heavy hearts that we must inform you that Lilydale Flying School instructor, team member and "the voice of the airshow" Bob Irvine passed away last night after a long illness. Many of you will have flown with Bob and benefited from his experience and passion for sharing aviation. Blue skies and tailwinds Bob, you will be missed by all of us at the Lilydale Flying school and our extended community.
It is with great sadness that we report the recent passing of Ric Wallis, renowned photographer and enthusiastic LFS pilot. Ric had learnt to fly with us in the 1990s, acquired a Cessna 150 and flew thousands of hours around Australia.
We hope you are well and have kept your personal balance ball "in the middle" during these confronting times. Thankfully it is slowly becoming apparent that the worst is behind us although we will all be adjusting to a "new horizon" for some time. After careful consideration of Federal and State government advice, we are again taking bookings for all flight training. We do this whilst asking everyone to continue to take all appropriate precautions
We are delighted to be able to offer you two online theory classes commencing NEXT WEEK using Zoom to connect to the classroom. Both courses are capping their sizes to 10 to ensure everyone gets plenty of interaction!
As the COVID-19 Coronavirus situation continues to unfold, the well-being of all staff, students, customers and our community is at the forefront of our minds. As such, as of COB this afternoon (Tues 24th March) the Lilydale Flying School will cease Dual Flying training apart from some limited flight testing. Solo Flying and Private Hiring will continue as normal and instructors will be on hand to assist and supervise with ninety day check flights. Lilydale Airport (and Lilydale Flying School and Yarra Valley Aviation) will be continuing its other operations 7 days per week including Charter flights, Fuel Sales and Aircraft Maintenance. This all means you will still be able to take to the air!
Flying over weather, be it low cloud or smoke haze, is ok as long as a number of conditions are met. In this article we briefly talk about what this means.
We're very happy to once again be able to welcome Nils Jameson to Lilydale to present another of his excellent Safety Seminars. Nils flies Boeing 737s for Jet2 in the UK and his seminar is a "not-to-be-missed" event suitable for beginner pilots through to the old hands with thousands of hours. Wednesday the 18th of March, 6.30pm for 7pm start. Please RSVP or call us to let us know if you're coming so we can arrange to have enough seats and snacks.
On Sunday 15 March we have our First LFS/LFC Nav Challenge for 2020. This fun event is open to pilots of all experience levels and pairs you in teams of 3 to firstly work out Flightplan waypoints (from cunning cryptic clues) and then fly to your 3 destinations at regional Victorian ALAs - including lunch along the way. Please RSVP with the LFS desk if you're interested!
So far this summer has seen us dealing with very dry conditions and smoke haze. The Yarra Valley has a unique micro-climate and when it's smokey elsewhere, sometimes we're clear, and visa-versa. Don't trust weather cameras, they don't tell an accurate story. Call us before you make any decisions about flying to YLIL, or having a lesson.
On Sunday the 17th of November, we're hosting a big Outback Morning Tea to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in celebration of Rev. John Flynn's birthday (founder of the RFDS). Bronni will be cooking up a ridiculous number of her Nan's Scones (best recipe in the world), and you'll be able to get a big fluffy one with a huge dollop of jam and whipped cream for $3 - free tea and coffee provided!
Join the Yarra Valley Aviation team on Sunday 24th November for an afternoon of presentations, family friendly social gathering and flying. The afternoon begins at 1pm with presentations at 3pm. For more information contact reception at Yarra Valley Aviation
A set of very rare circumstances have combined to fill up Lake Eyre. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, and many Lilydale pilots are taking the opportunity to fly there and see it. You can hire one of our planes and fly yourself, or we can take you there. William Creek is the place to land, and then tour the lake, also known as Kati Thanda. If you're in a hurry, our PC12's will get you there very quickly.
The last few weeks have been wet and our grounds have had a lot of rain. We need it, but it does affect our operations - in particular how we handle takeoffs and taxi-ing. While everything is lovely and green, we need to make sure that as much as possible we avoid taxi-ing over any puddles or standing water.
Following last year's open and shut success, this event is expected to sell out in a heartbeat! Commercial flights to the Island are all but booked up; that's where we step in! Charter flights ex Essendon/Yarra Valley for the Long Lunch on Saturday (incl overnight, fly back Sunday) are still available - call 03 9739 1211 now for details.
If you've spent much time at the flying school, you're bound to have come across Ree Adams. She's a regular at our study group and a qualified RPC holder, working on her cross-country endorsement. Ree's been a volunteer at a number of our events including our airshow and will be at Avalon as a volunteer there too.
If you're flying the Melbourne Coastal Route around Station Pier, the recommended altitudes were changed in December. The VTC and VNC are NOT being recalled and re-released. Your charts, if paper, are WRONG and will be until the next release in May 2019. Yes, you're expected to have read the NOTAM. Both Australian EFB vendors, AvPlan and OzRunways, have patched the charts in their software.
Take the hassle out of getting to and from the Avalon airshow with a Yarra Valley Aviation return chartered flight. From February 26th to March 3rd Avalon Airport near Geelong will host one of the largest Airshow, Aerospace and Defence exhibitions in the Southern Hemisphere. We will have chartered flights departing from the Yarra Valley Airport for the entire show. Flights will be $220 per person return. Contact the Yarra Valley Aviation team for more information
A huge day for Aviation lovers and families! Featuring flying displays performed by drool-worthy aircraft; planes that are usually tucked away in hangars are pulled out and shined up for display, and other birds - as rare as they are impressive - come to visit. It's an annual showcase of Aviation in the Yarra Valley: vintage aircraft, warbirds, aerobatic and formation flying displays, all at the stunning Lilydale Airport. ENTRY COST IS $25 per car ($10 for motorbikes), or $10 per head for buses. GATES OPEN 11AM - pre-purchase your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lilydale-air-show-2018-tickets-49628702786?aff=eac2 to avoid waiting at the gate!