By Ken Gray

For every newly licensed pilot, the next exciting step is the Cross-country Endorsement. Midcoast Microlights, situated at Telegraph Point near Port Macquarie, recently ran its first ever group training course. I was one of six pilots who participated in this program, which was offered over two weekends. Each of us brought various levels of skill and areas of challenge to this course. Together we were able to support one another, combining theory and practical skill development with a fantastic social experience.

We began with theory classes, conducted outside under a canopy of gum trees, shaded by a microlight wing. Our instructor, Pilot Examiner Mark White, covered meteorology, map reading, fuel calculations, route planning, the effects of wind, safety, radio procedures, aviation rules and regulations, use of a dead reckoning computer, practical flying and airmanship. Some of the theory was revision, with a particular emphasis on safety and planning. The group approach worked really well for everybody, as no one person had all the answers and everybody needed helped at one stage or another. Each of us had our own questions, and we all benefited from discussing and learning the answers to questions we may never have thought of on our own. One feature of the course that everyone appreciated was the HGFA approved syllabuses that Mark White has written for all stages of pilot training from beginner all the way through to Instructor.

Just the fact that people asked questions and solved problems in different ways, helped all of us to get a better understanding. It was obvious that Mark enjoyed seeing such a diverse group of pilots achieve their aim. We had people from 30 to 70 years of age. We also had a range of microlights, including Outbacks, Wizard and Streak wing trikes.

After we had worked together to master the various planning phases, Mark set us the task of independently calculating our flight plans for our cross-country flights. Port Macquarie offers a fantastic base for cross-country training, with coastal plains, mountains and ocean nearby. The ground we fly over can be beautiful flat dairy farms, through to rolling hills and even rugged mountain national parks - true "tiger country"!

Our first flight was north over Kempsey to Rose's Knob, then east to Eungai Rail, back to Kempsey Airport and return to Midcoast Base. It was a hazy day and each of us found that reading a VTC and flying over a turning mark was not as easy as we thought. It was a great learning experience and everybody was able to safely complete this phase. The debriefing afterwards gave us all plenty of homework for the upcoming longer flights!

Our next task was to fly to Gloucester via the Comboyne Plateau. This presented quite a challenge to each of us, not so much because the flight was particularly difficult, but because the weather (wind) would not let up. Twenty knot south-westerly winds made for a slow and bumpy flight, but the view was fantastic! Faced with these challenging conditions, each of us had to make our own decision how to proceed. Some of us completed the course as planned, making it to Gloucester and back. I flew to Taree, landed in a strong crosswind, and decided to fly back via the coast. Others turned back mid-flight.

Eventually everybody completed their flights over the next couple of days, resorting to 6am starts to get favourable winds. Mark made it very clear to us that "safety first" was paramount, emphasising to us that flight plans are just exactly that - "plans" - and that if at any point conditions changed and you as a pilot feel uncomfortable, then the right thing to do is change plans as necessary. This may mean you return to base, or land immediately, or deviate to an alternate plan. It was made clear that this was in no way a failure, but was in fact sensible airmanship. Everyone found this emphasis very reassuring.

The routes that we were asked to plan and fly offered different challenges that brought home the theory particularly well. I liked the fact that although we learned and planned as a group, because of the different aircraft setups we each flew our routes independently. I found this useful as it allowed us to learn from one another's mistakes while still giving us the chance to solve problems as individuals.

Each of us found the course very challenging and rewarding. At the end of the course, we were asked to give feedback about our experiences. Each of us gave very positive evaluations, both about the content of the course, and also about completing the course as a group. Without exception, each pilot found the group approach to planning theory very positive. Even the flying was, in a sense, a group experience, as the same weather was affecting us all. It was very valuable to be able to debrief with one another upon landing, sharing our experiences, problems we encountered, and decisions we made. As one pilot said, "For me I would have found doing the course alone a much more daunting prospect. I found it helpful having people learning the theory at a different pace because it meant that the instructor needed to come up with different ways to explain concepts. The more often things are explained the more ingrained they become." Another pilot wrote, "The group was very supportive of each other and this was tremendous. I certainly feel that doing the cross-country course in a group is the best way to approach the final and difficult phase of flight training. Knowing that you are being constantly monitored by your instructor from start to finish is a great comfort."

Having flown in the Port Macquarie area for the past couple of years and now being able to explore the mid north coast further, I and the other pilots realise how fortunate we are to have such a fantastic area to fly in. If anybody is interested in learning to fly or doing their cross-country course, Port Macquarie offers an incredible range of choices and challenges. Thanks again to Mark White at Midcoast Microlights for choosing such a great area and offering such an excellent program.