MOST 16-year-olds count the days until their 17th birthday, itching for the freedom of those little red P-Plates and the open road… sans parents, of course.
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But for Cameron Atkinson the sky’s already the limit.
Before he was even handed his first set of L-Plates, Cameron was soaring the skies above Goulburn… Just one of the perks of learning to fly a plane when you’re 15.
The Trinity Catholic College student is fully licensed for Recreational Flying. Come his 17th birthday, he will be gunning for his Private Pilots Licence (PPL).
All of this, borne from a moment of curiosity and a love of gadgets.
“Because we just live up the road (from the Goulburn Flight Training Centre) I used to hear the planes all the time,” Cameron told the Post.
“Last year I came down to have a look at the skydiving plane because I’ve always heard it and Huy, the guy who instructed me, said “come on I’ll take you for a fly, see if you like it and you can start learning”, so we did that on a Sunday and on the Tuesday I had my first lesson and started flying. Two months later I got my licence.”
Becoming fully-licensed in a matter of months is no easy task. For many, it’s a matter of years.
Cameron was required to complete some 20 hours of flying with an instructor and 10 hours solo time.
Passing a series of exams and completing a period of doing “just circuits” (taking off and landing) were also expected.
All of this he had to do before and after school, and on weekends.
Even now, as a fully-licensed Recreational Pilot, Cameron is limited to a 25 mile radius of the airport.
“I can go to Crookwell, that’s about 23 miles, and I can go to Bungonia Gorge or anything like that,” he said.
“About a month ago I got the next stage of my licence so I can carry a passenger, and now I’m working toward a Navigation Endorsement so I can go anywhere.”
So, with his head firmly in the clouds, Cameron hopes to finish Year 12 before pursuing a career as a commercial pilot, flying planes for companies like Qantas. There’s a long road ahead to get there. First, Cameron will get his PPL, then a night licence to fly after dark and in any weather conditions before finally, a commercial pilots licence.
“I suppose not many people know about the Goulburn Flight Training Centre, but at the same time not many people have an interest in flying.
A lot of my school friends will come for a fly with me, they think it’s cool, but they would not know half the things that are going on while you are up there. Most people just think you press a button like a car and put your foot on the accelerator and go,” Cameron said.
“It’s a lot more checking because you don’t want anything to happen up there and there’s a lot more theory you have to know because a lot more things can go wrong.
“But, now that I’ve got my full licence, even if no one is here I can just go and fly. It’s just the freeness that I like. Flying is a bit of a challenge and can be a bit stressful at times but it’s just fun…”
For more information on the Goulburn Flight Training Centre, see www.gftc.com.au.
