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Aviation school flying to Warren

Western Plains App

Lily Plass

25 September 2024, 9:30 PM

Aviation school flying to Warren The flying school's Warren hangar. Photo: supplied

Warren is getting its own aviation school in a few weeks, as a local brings his successful training formula back home. 

 

Straight n Level, a branch of the Bankstown Flying School based in Sydney, will offer flying lessons from the newly renovated Warren airport starting on 19 October. 

 

The Director of the Bankstown Flying School, Nigel Clark, is originally from Warren and lived there for around 25 years before moving to Sydney. 


 

"I've been in Sydney pretty much since I started flying in 2001," he said.

 

"But I've still got a family and property in Warren." 

 

Nigel Clark, Director of the Bankstown Flying School


Mr Clark has been teaching aviation classes since 2009 and has been operating his own flying school out of the Bankstown Aerodrome in Sydney since 2016. 

 

He decided to start a flying school in Warren after an upgrade to the terminal building was completed earlier this year. 


Warren Airport. Photo: supplied


"There's airports everywhere but they're so underutilized," Mr Clark said. 

 

"With my 20-odd years' experience, I decided I had to head back to where I came from to see if we can rejuvenate aviation." 


Mr Clark said he has already had aviation enthusiasts from Cobar, Walgett, Narromine, Dubbo and Tilpa show contact him about the flight courses. 

 

"There's already been a bit of interest around from people that either have an airplane and want some skills upgrading or people that have an interest in learning to fly, with an ambition to buy a plane and be able to fly around. 

 

"You can get places three times quicker than with a car." 


 

Straight n Level will offer training for recreational, private and commercial flight licences. 

 

"We will do everything from a trial introductory flight course to multi-engine instrument rating," Mr Clark said.


 

They are starting off using a Cessna 172 (above) for their training. It is a four-seat, single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft that is commonly used for flight training purposes. 

 

The flying school will also offer training using a Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess, a twin-engine monoplane, ideal for multi-engine classes. 

 

"There's room to expand from there. It just depends on demand," Mr Clark said.