Article Review - A Southern Pilot Goes Troppo - An Article By Charter Pilot, David Kent

Most people with an interest in general aviation would be familiar with the dilemma of the newly minted commercial pilot; that is, now that you have a licence how do you get a job? Most jobs require experience, and you can’t get that without a job... so one of the most common solutions is to start at the bottom and work your way up. In Australia, that most often means packing your bags and heading North, where the distances are vast and planes are used considerably more frequently than “down South”. Like some kind of aviation Mecca, there are planes to be flown, and hours of experience to be added to the logbook.

For me, the motivation for the change from instructor at the Royal Victorian Aero Club to charter pilot based in Darwin was a little different experiences (both good and bad, as it turned out!) I would miss out on. With the support of my wife who would join me later, I packed my bags and ‘went troppo’.

Here goes the story by David on his time spent as a charter pilot up in the Top End (Darwin)........ Read his complete story in the Winter 2008 edition of the Plane Talk, The Magazine of the Royal Victorian Aero Club. David writes interesting articles and I strongly recommend him to publish his stories, one day.

David Kent

Plane Talk Spring 08

Plane Talk Summer 08