READ ER STORY
What dreams are made of BY DAVID MAC K AY
T
O most people, being involved in aviation is more of a dream than a reality. To become a fully-fledged pilot is more like being on cloud nine. Garry Baum has realised both dreams. Garry and his wife, Trish, are the owners of Lethbridge Airport, about halfway between Geelong and Ballarat on the Midland Highway in Victoria’s Southern Goldfields. It was about 30 years ago Garry bought a Gemini Thruster after having had only one formal flying lesson. He knew he wanted to be a pilot and actively involved in aviation and following that first lesson, he was hooked. Not only did he purchase an aircraft, he set about looking for somewhere to base it and so was born Lethbridge Airport. “You name it, we have it flying around”, says Garry. Lethbridge also became the home of Geelong Sports Aviators with membership growing to around 100 and more than 45 aircraft on the field. The success of Lethbridge Airport has been attributed to a number of factors. Garry’s dream and ultimate drive to make it happen, the closure of Geelong Airport at Grovedale, making Lethbridge now Geelong’s regional airport and a grant from the Victorian state government of $1m to level and seal the main runways and tarmac area. From humble beginnings, Lethbridge Airport has come a long way. It is now the home of one of Australia’s leading recreation aviation training organisations, Golden Plains Aviation. I have owned that business for two years, having purchased it from aviation identity Bruce Vickers. Bruce still instructs with us, and offers tailwheel endorsements as an additional option. Bruce has trained hundreds of pilots over his many years of instructing, with some ending up flying for Qantas and Jetstar. The current CFI is Graham Taberner, known to many pilots throughout Australia for his training of both RA-Aus and GA pilots and pilot instructors in Swan Hill and Edinburgh. More recently, Graham worked with CASA for six years until his retirement to Bannockburn. We don’t hold that against him anymore. GPA offers initial training in a Tecnam Ea-
glet before pilots progress to do their crosscountry training in a fully glass cockpit Alpi Pioneer 300. This allows students the best of both worlds, graduating with their Pilot Certificate having experienced both high wing and low wing flying. GPA can also transition pilots to their Recreational Pilots Licence. With Graham as CFI, GPA also has a tradition of training RA-Aus instructors. This is all completed at the airport and involves around 20 hours of dual instruction/training and 30 hours of briefings and PMI. Current GA pilots are often attracted to becoming RA-Aus instructors and often make ideal flight instructors. When asked about his vision for the airport, Garry has an impressive list of activities planned. It includes the recent sale of 17 hangar sites with 63 more to follow over the next couple of years. The building of a two story terminal building which will include flight training facilities for RA-Aus and GA, a café and bar, administrative offices and a flight deck overlooking the runways for people to enjoy on those barmy days. Further plans are for a small motel and some housing development. Lighting for night flying is also on the agenda. Currently the CFA and Ambulance Victoria can land helicopters at night using the helipad and PAL windsock. They provide the region with enhanced firefighting capabilities for medical emergencies. Lethbridge holds the Guinness Book of Records for the most number of continuous rolls by an aerobatic aircraft. The previous record was 360. Kingsley, in his Pitts Special, achieved over 900. Lethbridge is also the home of a number of unusual aircraft. A Russian Antinov (an2.com. au) regularly takes people over the magnificent coastal scenery including the 12 Apostles, lunching on return at a local winery. Two Chinese Nanchang military aircraft are often seen flying in formation around the region and over Geelong City. Lethbridge airport really has much to offer. For more information, www.lethbridgeairport.com.au or www.goldenplainsaviation. com.au.
“You name it, we have it flying around”
Lethbridge Airport showing the new development
31 / S P O R T P I L O T