Parafield Flying Centre

Watch this space! Coming soon to a flying school near you...

When the low cloud and showers and rubbish visibility finally dissipated yesterday afternoon...First solo for Lakshay Moond! His family members were watching and cheering him on from the ground near the Tower.
Congratulations to you Lackshay 👏👏

This is very sad news indeed. Bob's books got so many of us through our exams. Sharing of knowledge is his lasting legacy.

It is with very heavy hearts that we share the news that Bob Tait passed away quietly yesterday, just before 5:00 pm, with family present.

Bob was much more than the name on the front of a book. He was a teacher, mentor, storyteller, pilot, author and friend to so many people across the aviation community. His ability to explain difficult things in a simple, practical and memorable way helped generations of pilots through their training, exams and flying careers.

For many of us, Bob’s books were part of our own aviation journey. For others, Bob himself was the voice at the front of the classroom, the calm explanation when something did not make sense, or the encouraging words that helped them keep going.

We know this news will be felt deeply by many students, pilots, instructors, schools and aviation families across Australia.

Paul, Maree and the Bob Tait Team would like to thank everyone who has supported Bob, his family, and the business over many years. It has been our privilege to continue Bob’s work, and we remain committed to protecting and carrying forward his legacy with the same care, honesty and dedication that he built it on.

We would also like to reassure everyone that Bob Tait’s Aviation Theory School and the Bob Tait Store remain open and operating as normal.

Thank you, Bob, for everything you gave to aviation.

Blue skies, mate.

Our thanks to everyone who has made contact today to check in on our well-being. We can reassure you all that the accident at Parafield today was not one of our fleet, and not one of us.

It is a very real tragedy, and we extend our warmest regards to our Parafield Airport colleagues at this time, and our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those involved.

Today is World Pilots Day! And Sally Dukic decided to celebrate by flying solo for the first time in many years. Sally achieved her GFPT (the equivalent of the RPL) back in the 1980s, and was promptly whisked away overseas by her husband. She decided it was time to get back into it and finish that PPL. We're so proud of her, and so very impressed by her dedication and determination. Nice work Sally! 👏

“World Pilots' Day is celebrated annually on April 26 to honor the dedication, skill, and professionalism of pilots who ensure safe air travel. The day focuses on recognizing pilots' contributions to connecting people globally. Although its roots are tied to commercial aviation, the day is now widely recognized as a tribute to anyone who commands an aircraft.” That includes us, the dedicated instructors who can take some credit for getting all of those pilots trained in the first place.

Harrison Hadden - first solo!!! One of our younger trainees, we suspect this one may have the gene 🧬 We sometimes have Uncle Allen swing by for a hire & fly.
Congratulations Harrison, we hope there were big celebrations with the family last night. We look forward to many more milestones.

Now that our C182 MBE was back on the flight line, it was time for a quick engine run-in flight. Not too far, just an overnight trip to William Creek! We really enjoyed spending some time with Trevor Wright, and finding out more about his amazing operation Wrightsair, as well as taking in the local scenery (including the stars!) and catching up with a few other friends who just happened to be passing through.
Need a reason to learn to fly? This!

Memorable day for this lad at our Port Lincoln Operation. Joel-Mark Goatley flew his first solo flight this morning in the Port Lincoln Flying Club's PA-28 Archer, and then promptly flew another hour of solo circuits while the conditions were good. Then it was straight back to work for him!

Nice work Joel-Mark, congratulations to you 👏

Today was a very good day for this young fellow. Thomas Kenward, at age 15 and in Year 10, is one of our very youngest trainees. But that did not stop him achieving his first solo flight today! 👏🎉 Congratulations! Also a very proud moment for his parents, who were waiting for him on his return, ready to stage a spontaneous extended family gathering in the car-park. Lovely day for it!
Thomas is pictured below with YYX, slightly fuzzy photo credit to Thomas' instructor Angus, who for a photographer makes a really good flying instructor! 😆

Well here he is, all grown up! Robert Kammermann, who we started teaching at our Port Lincoln operation back in 2021 when he was an adorable little 14 year old! He achieved his RPL, completed all of the requirements for the RPL Nav endorsement apart from the online exam, then disappeared into some parallel universe involving Uni and engineering and the million other things he's always doing.
Robert recently returned to us to complete his PPL at Parafield, and today was the day! Congratulations! 👏