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The Dream of Flying |
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Story and Photography : Robert Kimmins |
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I like to have a window seat overlooking the wing when I’m flying on a commercial airline. This way, I can not only marvel at an endless sea of puffy cloud - shining against the infinite freedom of a frosty blue sky - but also watch the flaps maintain the aircraft’s aerodynamics and the wind brakes open to stop us when we land. And while my eyes are transfixed on these moving mechanisms, I secretly pretend that I’m sitting up front in the cockpit controlling them. And when those jet airliners descend on Chiang Mai from the south, they glide over an aerodrome the size of an ink blot, where qualified instructors are waiting to teach me the intricate skills of flying an airplane. The Chiang Mai Flying Club is located on the Saha Group Industrial Park, just a few kilometres south of Lamphun. The apron of this small airfield provides adequate space for parking and maneuvers plus hangers for up to eight light aircraft. There is also a clubhouse, where pilots chill out, and trainees learn A tiny control tower sits 925 feet above sea level on the end of a well maintained laterite runway, which stretches 1.2 kilometres. This aerodrome was designed to meet ICAO recommendations and is approved by the DOA. The club employs one aircraft engineering director and three mechanics, four instructors, and a complement of ground staff to look after 4 aircraft and over 100 members. This is the place where Pimol, Nat, Ed, Veeraphon and Koi passed their DCA general flight test and picked up their private pilot’s licence in April this year, after Hong Kong’s Denise and John secured their PPL last December and February, respectively. And among the many other success stories, the club is proud of their former Nepalese students, Sunil and Sajil, who completed their CPL and Instrument Rating, and are now flying professionals in Nepal. Learning how to take off and handle the aircraft in climbs descents and landing techniques is only a part of becoming a qualified pilot. It is also essential to undergo thorough ground training first. Many pilots would say that ground training is one of the most challenging steps in learning to fly. The curriculum starts with rules of the air and moves on towards navigation - finding the place you took off from for instance. Apart from flight planning, knowledge must be acquired on aerodynamics, air traffic control, weather theory, airframes and engines, not to mention English, maths and science. Once the prospective airman’s brain has been picked, it’s time for a medical check up - head to toe. However, perfect vision is not necessary providing it’s correctable to near 20/20, and the only conditions to keep you from flying solo are serious ones such as heart disease, diabetes or epilepsy. It’s a fact that today, private pilots aged 17 to 70 are freely whizzing about in the skies. To get anyone started, Chiang Mai Flying Club offers a trial lesson, which includes a pre-flight briefing, temporary club membership, insurance and one hour in the air for a mere Bt5,500. If deciding to take matters further, a student’s licence can be obtained at the same time as the medical certificate, providing the applicant is over 16 years old.
When it’s time to take to the air, 40 hours flying time are needed for a PPL, of which 10 must be solo and 5 of those cross country. And the Intensive Training Course, scheduled to suit the trainees’ timetable, costs Bt240,000. Moreover, the club has initiated a virtual classroom free of charge, where technical queries can be answered on-line and a wealth of additional information acquired. But Chiang Mai Flying Club is not just a school. Last August, it celebrated its 10th anniversary as a non-profit concern out to promote general aviation as widely as possible in Thailand. The annual subscription for a full flying member is only Bt2,500, with lifetime membership Bt35,000, and other rate schemes can be acquired. While flying and tuition at Lamphun airfield can be arranged on any given day, Sundays are normally club days, when members get together and air traffic control is in full operation. But whatever, Chiang Mai Flying Club is a friendly and sociable organization where visitors and new members are made welcome, and its aircraft can be hired out to suitably qualified pilots. A two-seater Cessna 150/2 and DA20 Katana can be flown through the heavens for a cost of Bt4,000 per hour. Or in the four-seater class, hourly hire rates are Bt6,000 and Bt7,000 for the Cessna 172 TVS and 172 OOY, respectively. For visiting pilots landing their own craft, short to long term parking fees range from Bt200 per day to monthly rates of between Bt3,000 and Bt6,500 depending on the size of plane. From the moment you take off in a small airplane that bumps against the wind as it soars into the sky, you’ll discover whether flying is in your blood. And if it is, the Chiang Mai Flying Club is there to guide you towards building a career, becoming an instructor, just buzzing about in the clouds with your chums or like me, simply fulfilling a dream. Apart from the airfield, Chiang Mai Flying Club has an office at 26/7 Moo 3, Chiang Mai - Lamphun Road, Tambon Nong Hoi, Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai. For more information Tel: +66(0)53 285 218 or
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This would be followed by 90 hours of technical instruction and ground school in English or Thai at Bt42,000; inclusive of club membership, administration, all required books, manuals, charts, flight computer, etc. The course is carried out at weekends and is expected to take about 5 months to complete.|
Tropical Living: July 2007, Volume 7 Issue 2 |
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