How they began
Bob Tait began his career in aviation after eight years with the Queensland Department of Education. He set up his own flying school and charter company in Ingham in North Queensland.
When he realised that many flying students simply gave up the struggle with theory examinations, it was only natural for him to call upon his teaching background to provide properly structured classroom lessons to help them through.
Initially these lessons were provided free to anyone who needed help,
but as students began arriving from all over the country, the theory component quickly became the core of the company's activities. According to Bob, "I just woke up one morning and found that I had become a theory specialist!"
Our company policy
We have always believed that a sound understanding of 'the basics' is absolutely essential for a student to reach his/her full potential in aviation. We also believe that there is a lot more to aviation education than absorbing the raw material of the syllabus to pass an examination.
It is hard to imagine any other sphere of training that is more reliant on students acquiring an attitude, or philosophy, that will ensure the 'commonsense approach' by identifying those elements of theoretical training which are operationally significant and those that are not.
We make every effort to keep up with the latest developments in electronic equipment and computer based education, however we choose and use that equipment only as an aid to teaching. When it comes to effective aviation education, nothing beats a good old fashioned yarn!
The classrooms
Our fully airconditioned classrooms provide a quiet, comfortable learning environment for classes which are kept small to ensure adequate personal attention is available when required. The rooms feature state-of-the-art wide screen digital monitors that are used to provide PowerPoint presentations, animated graphics, video material, live internet access and normal TV programs.
All of the animated graphics and videos are produced 'in house' to ensure that they remain relevant to the subject matter of the courses. In spite of all of this equipment, another vital component is the 'chalk and talk' capability which is always at hand to cope with the unexpected question.
The structure of the courses
Courses are run on a scheduled basis throughout the year. The day begins at 8.30 am and finishes around 4.00 pm. The courses run Monday to Friday with Cyber Exam sittings arranged as the course progresses.
When should I do a course?
It would be possible for a bright well-prepared student to pass the CASA theory examinations having done no flying at all, however, students who attempt to do all or most of the theory with very little corresponding flying experience are missing out on much of what a good theory course can offer. There really is more to it than just passing the CASA exam.
A pilot with a solid understanding of the relevant theoretical knowledge has a valuable asset which will continue to serve him/her well throughout a lifetime of flying.
We recommend that PPL theory should be done after the student has completed the flying training and passed the RPL flight test. The CPL theory training should be done after the PPL licence has been completed, and the CIR theory should be done after the CIR flying training has begun and preferably after a Night VFR rating has been completed.
Not withstanding this, we realise that it is not easy for most people to attend a scheduled full-time theory class due to time and work commitments. If such commitments dictate that you must do a full-time theory class at a particular time or not at all, doing the course is still by far the best option.
What courses are available?
PPL Courses
The PPL courses are conducted over a period of two weeks. The course is designed to prepare you for the CASA PPLA Examination. The subject matter is contained in Bob Tait’s RPL/PPL VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 2 study guides. It is highly recommended that you pre-study those study guides as much as possible before attending a course. The syllabus is quite extensive and opening the books for the first time on the first day of the course would add a great deal to your workload.
CPL Courses
This course runs for eight weeks. It covers the seven subjects required for the CASA Cyber examinations. The Cyber examinations may be sat on scheduled days during the course - or, if you prefer, at a time and place of your choosing.
You may enroll for the full course covering all seven subjects or you may select any combination of individual subjects.
IREX
This is a two week full time course designed to prepare students for the CASA Cyber Instrument Rating Examination. Further information such as pricing and schedule information can be found in the sections for each of the courses via the links on the right hand side of this page.
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
The full IREX course is available as a series of video lectures of actual classes in progress.The PPL and CPL topics of Aerodynamics, General Knowledge, Performance, Meteorology and Navigation are also available as video lectures of actual classes in progress.
The Videos are intended to be used ‘as well as’ and not ‘instead of’ the study guides.
