Fun, Friendly and Affordable

Learn to fly in a friendly encouraging environment with the Tumut Aero Club. Learning to fly has always been a big part of our club. The Tumut Aero Club was formed in 1957 with the intention of teaching people to fly. We have been teaching people to fly for more than fifty years, training pilots in various avenues of flight including General Aviation, Gliding and in more recent years Recreational Aviation.

What is Recreational Aviation?

As the name suggests, Recreational Aviation is aviation based entirely on flying as a recreation. It is designed to be fun and affordable. Recreational aircraft are also known as Ultralights, and are limited to 2 seats, with a maximum takeoff weight of 600kgs.

The reason for the term recreational aircraft, is because when someone thinks of an ultralight, they tend to think of a aircraft made of virtually nothing, with open cockpits and not much else. Sometimes that is the case, However with lightweight materials such as fiberglass and carbonfibre, recreational aircraft over the last two decades have come along in leaps and bounds. Now ultralights tend to look very similar to General Aviation aircraft, with the strength, safety and performance to match. Because the aircraft are lighter, engines don't need to be as powerful, so the running costs of these aircraft are cheaper.  

Is Flying Safe ?

There are more people killed annually falling off donkey's than people killed in aviation related accidents every year. Safety is paramount in aviation. When you are taught to fly, you are showed the correct procedures carried out to minimize the risks. Things like the importance of checking the aircraft before every flight, systematic procedures, checking and rechecking as well as the effects of things such as stress and the effects of colds and flu.

Also as part of your flight training emergency procedures are taught so that in the event of a problem, it becomes second nature to know what to do. An flight instructor is able to see how each individual copes with pressure in a controlled environment so that  everybody, including people on the ground are always as safe as possible. Once you have completed your pilots licences there are also very specific rules as to how often you need to fly to maintain a minimum safe level, as well as flight reviews at least every two years to ensure that each individual pilot does not pick up any bad habits.

Is Recreational Flying expensive?

As mentioned above, recreational aircraft are designed to be affordable. At the Tumut Aero Club it is possible to complete the minimum requirements for your recreational pilots license for three thousand dollars. In order to obtain a Recreational Pilots Licence you must pass a flight test and therefor it may take more than the minimum requirements to reach a suitable standard. 

Flying Costs with the Tumut Aero Club

With the Tumut Aero Club we split every hour into tenths in order to calucate costs for flying with us. See the following table to see how our system works.

Enough reading.....check out a video to help you understand a bit more.