Australian Flying - July 2018

G

eneral aviation in intertwined

in the fabric of the Northern

Territory more than it is in

any other state. The reason is

simple: there is often no other

practical way to connect the

remote communities to the

major populations centres of

Darwin and Alice Springs. The

planes and pilots that criss-

cross the likes of Arnhem Land,

Bathurst Island and the Gulf

of Carpentaria region sustain

the communities in those areas.

Without GA, it is unlikely they

could continue to exist.

So it was not surprising to me

to see the GA tarmac at Darwin

loaded to capacity with Cessna

210s, C402s, 404s, 414s, Piper

Saratogas, Metroliners and C208

Grand Caravans. The tie-downs

looked like a parade of some of

GA charter's most loyal soldiers.

It was, however, very surprising

to see too many of those

aeroplanes still tied down exactly

where they were at the end of the

day, having turned not so much as

a prop blade. I made the mistake

of presuming they were there

because demand for their services

was on the wane.

"No," a local pilot told me.

"We could have every one of

those planes out there working

Facing the

North

Charter Pilot Training STEVE HITCHEN

With lying academies across

the country turning out

new CPLs at a rate never before

seen, how it is that there’s a

shortage in the cradle of general

aviation: Darwin? Steve Hitchen

ventured north to nd out why

and meet one group determined

to do something about it.

44

AUSTRALIAN FLYING July – August 2018

Our overnight stay at Elcho Island

was also an introduction to the

culture of remote communities.