Mike Fowler
 

I took my 20-years of private flying up a step to Commercial Pilots License through South Canterbury Aero Club, and couldn’t recommend it more. The Club’s freshly refurbished base at Timaru airport provides a fantastic facility with a good mix of busy and quiet periods, great training grounds in any direction, the Alps at the back door for proper mountain flying training, and a huge variety of flying options for cross country experience, whether for training or pleasure. All the instructors throughout my CPL process were patient with my often-interrupted timetable and long list of habits that needed to be unlearned or improved, and not only guided me through but made it both fun and challenging the whole way.

But it’s the Club’s people, instructors and membership, that make it special – relaxed but safe, professional but flexible to everyone’s personal situation, and a great who all come together to enjoy flying, competitions, fly-aways, or just “hangar flying” on the Club’s sun-drenched porch. Since achieving my CPL Timaru remains a favourite airfield to visit, grab a cup of tea, and catch up with Ben, Mustafa, and anyone else who is nearby.