WHEN ANTHONY COLEIRO COMBINED A SUNSHINE COAST ROAD TRIP WITH HIS MISSION TO MEET CFIS ACROSS THE EAST COAST, HE DIDN’T EXPECT SCONES, TAILDRAGGERS, AND 2,500 KM OF AVIATION CAMARADERIE.
It started as a request from my wife: “Darling, I would like to go to the Sunshine Coast to surprise my friend for her 70th birthday.”
“Sure!” I said. “I’ll put in for some leave and come with you.”
We discussed travel options from our home 30 km northeast of Goulburn, NSW, and eventually decided to make it a road trip. Having been in the role of Assistant Head of Flight Operations (AHFO) at RAAus for just 10 months at that point, I had a lightbulb moment — what a fantastic opportunity to visit some of our Flight Training Schools (FTS) and meet up with RAAus CFIs I had only spoken to on the phone or via email. What a great way to get out there, put faces to names, and show support for those at the coalface of flight training.
I broached the idea with my superiors at RAAus, and they agreed it was a good idea, so the planning began. Cross-referencing the RAAus website for school locations with our intended route, we began compiling a list. To maximise the number of FTS we could visit, we planned a coastal route northbound and an inland route for the return journey – 25 locations going north and 9 going south. I would have loved to visit them all — but much to my wife’s relief, compromises had to be made.
We planned to reach the Sunshine Coast in four days and take three days to return. My plan to visit 34 FTS was met with some scepticism at both home and work. After all, it was a tall order — we were meant to be on holiday, attending a birthday party, and spending time with the birthday girl. Having previously worked for a major Australian airline, I took a page from their playbook of overbooking, knowing some schools would be unavailable on the day. With that in mind, I sent out correspondence to all the FTS I hoped to visit, giving them an expected date and approximate time. The positive response was overwhelming — more than I expected.
The day of departure soon arrived. Our first stop was The Oaks (YOAS) airfield, visiting Greg Davies and Graham Johnston of the Sydney Recreational Flying Club, followed by David and Rhonda Rolfe of Dave’s Flight Training, who made us most welcome with scones, jam and cream. The visit brought back many memories — it was in the very building Dave’s school now occupies that I earned my RPC with the then Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF) school that operated there last century. It was also at the Sydney Recreational Flying Club that I converted my CASA Flight Instructor Rating to an RAAus one.
Our next planned stop was Warnervale (YWVA) on the Central Coast of NSW. Like YOAS, there are two flight schools here. One CFI from Skywise Microlights wouldn’t be at YWVA on the day of my visit, but he still wanted to meet — so I popped in to see him at his home. Luke Carmody runs a Group B flying school and gave me a firsthand briefing of the challenges these schools face due to the loss of support from the aircraft manufacturer. Our last visit for Day one was Aerofloat at YWVA, where I met James Stewart, who specialises in floating hull endorsements using those striking Super Petrels. That kind of training doesn’t keep him very busy — his clients are generally aircraft buyers, as these aircraft can’t be privately hired for love nor money. I earned a float endorsement at Kenmore Air Harbour in Seattle in the mid-1990s, but hadn’t really used it since. That night we stayed with a good friend and fellow pilot at Lake Macquarie — he owns a lovely Piper Archer that I helped ferry home from Moorabbin years ago.
Day two saw us head inland to Cessnock (YCNK) to drop in on Simon De Lorenzo at Aerohunter. I had recently interviewed him over a video call for his role as DCFI, so it was nice to catch up in person. We then headed back toward the coast, meeting up with my boss Marty Peters at Heatherbrae for lunch before continuing north. We continued to South Grafton (YSGN) to meet Peter Clement at Clement’s Flight School. We arrived just on dusk — Peter was patient and generous with his time. He runs a busy school with great facilities and gave me an introduction to the Jabiru simulator he’s building. That night we stayed near Iluka.
Day three was a big driving day — our goal was to reach the Gold Coast by late afternoon to stay with a good friend and former airline work colleague at the Flight Training department. Luckily, only one school visit was planned: Mark Hamilton at Eagle Air in Murwillumbah (YMUR). We met at his airfieldbased school, which has a terrific facility, and after a quick tour, we grabbed lunch at a great retro café he introduced us to.
Day four the day we need to be on the Sunshine Coast to surprise our friend. It was also the shortest travel day since we left home, so we had time to spare. Our first FTS visit was Redcliffe (YRED). I caught up with instructor David Karan at Fly Now Redcliffe. The school was busy, and we chatted about the upcoming new training syllabus. Then I visited Paul Reddish at Advanced Aviation Training, who runs a bustling school out of Bob Tait’s hangar. I was fortunate to also meet Bob himself and Francis Piens, whom we recently interviewed for the DCFI role.
Paul recommended a great spot for coffee — it didn’t disappoint. We dropped his name when ordering and were treated like regulars. The café owner even showed us wedding photos — she and her husband were married mid-flight on a Metroliner! You’ve got to love people with that level of aviation passion.
We made it to the Sunshine Coast by early afternoon and knocked on the birthday girl’s door. “Floored” is probably an understatement — she had to pick her jaw off the floor. Her house is an aerohead’s dream: the back fence borders Sunshine Coast Airport (YBSU). With time to spare, I left my wife and her friend to catch up and visited Michael Xeni and Teresa Pesic at the Sunshine Coast Aero Club. It’s a busy school with a strong social side and plans to expand into GA soon.
That evening we settled into a friend’s place in Coolum for our stay.
The next day took me to GoFly at Caloundra (YCAL), where I had a great chat with instructor Tomas Murray amidst the bustle of a busy school. From there, we headed to Caboolture (YCAB), home to the highest concentration of schools on the trip. I visited Strike Aviation, where Karen Strike shared their evolution from banner towing into RAAus training, then dropped in on Caboolture Recreational Aviation, Caboolture Flight School, and Aerolinq. The conversations ranged from Group G training to the challenges of maintaining two-stroke engines — plenty of insights and perspectives to take back to the office.
After a full day of visits and engaging conversations, it was time to celebrate the trip’s original purpose — the 70th birthday dinner. A great night was had by all.
Sunday came and it was time for our return home via the inland route. Our first stop was Clifton (YCFN), to visit Trevor Bange’s Lone Eagle operation — a great facility in a beautiful spot. He had questions for me to take back to the office, as did many others on the trip.
By the time we reached Moree, it was dark. After checking in, we drove to the airport to meet Fred Nolan of FN Aviation. He teaches in a Jabiru J170, but my eye was drawn to a pristine Cessna 185 in the hangar. Being a tailwheel tragic, I had to climb aboard — it was beautifully appointed with a great panel.
Monday was a public holiday in NSW, so Moree was quiet at departure time — we settled for a petrol station breakfast and headed to Dubbo. After a small location mix-up, I found Dan Compton of Wings Out West at his private airfield south of town. His hangar houses three immaculate Cubs and another under restoration. Then we visited Narromine and caught up with Grace Walker of Flying With Grace — so far the only person on the trip I had met previously. She teaches in a Cub and also operates a Tecnam P96, popular with her students. I used to teach in that very same aircraft when I was a CFI at Bankstown. I loved teaching in it over a four-year span — easy to fly, great climb performance, and short landing distance. Ah, memories!
After eight days on the road, we were on the final stretch, with a few final stops before reaching Goulburn by dinner. At Parkes (YPKS), I dropped into the old Aeroclub building — one of the few surviving buildings from when it was a wartime airstrip and the very place where I landed my first full-time job as a flight instructor. Sitting once again in that familiar office brought things full circle. I’ve been in aviation ever since: flight training, aircraft maintenance, and now administration. It all began right there.
Just across the car park, the HARS hangar caught my eye. I’ve been a long-term member of this organisation, and as they are our partners for the biennial Fly’n For Fun event — couldn’t resist popping in. My friend Mike was there, and we shared a cuppa and a yarn before heading off again.
Our final stop was Cowra (YCWR), where we met up with Rob Glenn in nearby Canowindra. Rob — my former CFI at Parkes — was the one who gave me my start in full-time aviation and helped launch the career I’ve been fortunate to follow ever since. Sharing that last visit over coffee with Rob and his wife Frances was a perfect way to end the journey.
After nine days on the road with almost 2500 kms behind us we were finally home. It was a wonderful experience connecting with so many passionate people in our RAAus family, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who made time to meet with us and made us feel so welcome. I must admit — when I first suggested to my wife that we combine our holiday with FTS visits, I thought she’d want to kill me! But in the end, she enjoyed the visits just as much as I did, thanks to the genuine hospitality we encountered along the way.
To those we weren’t able to catch up with this time due to scheduling conflicts — I truly hope to meet you in person down the track.
