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Concerns over long-term financial sustainability will see the closure after 30 years of the Avondale College School of Aviation.

The aviation program has made a significant contribution to the college, the regional community and Seventh-day Adventist mission work. The teaching program of the School of Aviation has been recognised as one of the best in New South Wales.

However, the School of Aviation has experienced a pattern of financial losses over many years. It is an expensive program to operate, and the college's governing body has had to ask whether continuing losses can be sustained.

The decision to close the School of Aviation during 2008 took into account not only financial considerations, but also the current strategic significance of the aviation program to the college and to the church, as well as the human cost of closing the operation.

"It has not been an easy decision," says president Dr John Cox. "I am acutely aware of the human cost, and I know the aviation staff members, who have given so much of themselves to the program, are experiencing bereavement at this time."

During the past 10 years, a number of plans have been developed to improve the financial performance of the School of Aviation. An advertising campaign this past summer contributed to a record enrolment of 20 students in the full-time program. This reduced the loss. However, significant overheads such as rising insurance costs continue to make a substantial impact.
The college will ensure students enrolled in the vocational education courses offered by the School of Aviation will be able to complete their studies.

Chief pilot Garry Fraser acknowledges the challenges of operating the School of Aviation but says meeting them with "integrity and dignity" ranks as one of his proudest achievements. "I am so pleased to be part of the passion and professionalism that is aviation at Avondale," says Garry. "It has been a super team of people associating together to produce super outcomes."

Avondale established the School of Aviation in 1977. "Our students used the skills they acquired to bring glad tidings to remote fields in the South Pacific," says Pastor Colin Winch, the first chief pilot. "The school really did serve a greater purpose." It continues to do so. All of the four pilots working for Adventist Aviation Services in Papua New Guinea studied at Avondale. Two have also worked for the School of Aviation.

Sandrak Nawipa, a former science student at Cendrawasih University in Jayapura, Indonesia, and one of the 44 boat people who came to Australia in 2006, wanted an aviation qualification from Avondale "because the college is the only tertiary institution offering aviation studies with a Christian focus." Mathew Bawden shares similar sentiments. "The course is well structured and the instructors highly qualified."

The School of Aviation has earned the respect of those within the industry, with peak bodies, government regulators and even other tertiary institutions seeking advice when developing syllabuses. Pass rates in theory examinations are two to three times above national averages. More than 100 former staff members and students are currently employed in airline and other flying positions--the list includes the first female Qantas captain.

Former students Belinda Thompson (2002) and Hayley Wilson (2004) both received the Sir Donald Anderson Trophy for being Australia's best performing female pilots in professional air transport licencing exams. Current student Cameron Powell achieved a perfect score in his professional theory exam this past month (September).

The School of Aviation moved from its original base at Cooranbong when the local airport closed on December 31, 2006. It has operated at Cessnock Airport since this date.

 

(photo by Ann Stafford)

 

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