Our Cessnock (near Newcastle, NSW) flying school provides training from the initial lesson for the Recreational Pilot Licence and Private Pilot Licence, through to most advanced ratings and endorsements, including the Multi-Engine Instrument Rating (MEIR) and Gas Turbine Engine (GTE) endorsement.
Click on any of the options below to read more about the individual qualifications we can offer, or read on for an overview of the training we provide.
RPL and PPL Training
The first step towards becoming a pilot is the Recreational Pilot Licence, where the student pilot learns the basic skills of airmanship and flying the aircraft. We generally conduct our RPL training in the Cessna 172 due to it’s economic operation and ease of handling. The training is conducted by our professional, CASA approved, flying instructors who have significant experience in teaching pilots to fly and are able to tailor the training to your level of learning to complete the licence at your own pace.
The next step towards the freedom of a full Private Pilot Licence is to add navigation skills to what you have learned during the RPL. This phase of the training consists of flights away from our home base of Cessnock to other airports in order to attain the skills and knowledge required to navigate on your own. As for the RPL, our qualified flight instructors are able to pace the training program to suit you.
To learn more about the RPL and PPL, click the links in bold to be taken to the individual licence pages.
Advanced Training
For already licenced pilots, we offer a wide variety of advanced training options. We specialise in the Multi-Engine Instrument rating, which we generally complete in our Duchess, Cessna 310 and Category B flight simulator, but can also provide training for the Multi-Engine Aeroplane Class Rating, Night VFR Rating, Private IFR Rating and a variety of PIFR add-ons.
We also offer endorsement training, including another of our specialities, the Cessna 208 Caravan and Gas Turbine Engine (GTE) endorsement. Other endorsements we can provide training for are the Retractable Undercarriage, Manual Propeller Pitch Control and Tailwheel Undercarriage endorsements.
Accommodation and facilities
Blue Sky Airways is based on the eastern taxiway at Cessnock Airport, a 45 minute drive from Newcastle and under two hours from Sydney. We can provide budget accommodation onsite for our students, or for those looking to treat themselves during their stay with us we can arrange accommodation at the Rydges Hunter Valley, right across the road from the airport.
Our address is 455 Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin. At the same address is our Airport Cafe, providing refreshments for our students between flights.
Hire Rates
For our current hire rates please visit our rates page HERE.