Plotting my own path – from farm boy to fly boy

In nearly 4 decades of involvement in the aviation industry, I have worked with some wonderful people, had the privilege of going to some out of the way places and doing things that most people don’t get to do, and had plenty of opportunities to build my character.

So I’ve decided to write some stories about my experiences, to put them on record for those who are interested, share some learnings and contribute to the knowledge base of the aviation industry.

I hope you don’t mind the indulgence.

Mum said to get a degree

I grew up on a modest wheat and sheep farm, to the north of Perth in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia.

I knew I was going to be a pilot, but I had to get a degree first.

My grandfather had been a Flight Engineer on Catalinas in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, and then worked in ground handling with Ansett at Perth Airport. He didn’t talk much about his experiences, but I worshipped him.

Every time we drove to Perth, we would drive past RAAF Base Pearce where advanced pilot training was conducted. Seeing the military aircraft flying in the airspace above was a highlight of these trips.

I was a teenager driving a tractor round and round a paddock one day when an A4 Skyhawk flew low and fast right over the top of me. I stopped the tractor and just watched in awe, thinking how good it would be to do that.

Dad left school at the age of 15 and returned to work on the family farm. Mum was a school teacher. She told my brother, my sister and I that we could be farmers as well if we wanted to, but only if we went to university and got a degree first.

We didn’t have a lot of money, so the only way I was going to become a pilot was in the Australian Defence Force, and since my grandfather had been in the Air Force, that was the natural path to follow. The only way to be a pilot in the Air Force and do a degree back then was to join the Australian Defence Force Academy, so that’s what I decided I would do.

In today’s terms, I manifested becoming a pilot – I just knew that was what I wanted to be.

Recruitment

I managed to get through the recruitment process without any problems. Lots of others didn’t.

I was lucky enough to be healthy, have good vision, not be colour blind, have good lung function, have good hand-eye coordination (keep the little ball inside the circle on the aptitude test) and be confident enough to speak in front of an interview panel, at the age of 16.

In those days we didn’t have the internet, online forums, chat groups or even AI to ask what the tests were about or how to prepare for and respond to them. I managed to get through them to the Air Force’s satisfaction and was offered a position as an Officer Cadet General Duties (Pilot) subject to satisfactory results in year 12 exams.

During year 12, for some reason, I attended a Western Australia School of Mines camp, to experience what it was like working in the mining industry. We visited a coal mine in Collie, a Nickel mine in Kambalda, did some prospecting in the hot and dusty scrub near Kalgoorlie and took a look at a big gold mine. At the end of that camp, I can remember being asked if I liked the idea of being a mining engineer, and I said yes, but I still wanted to be a pilot.

My year 12 exam results were satisfactory, and so I took another step closer to becoming a pilot when I received confirmation that I would commence my degree in Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy, a new institution established to combine officer training for Navy, Army and Air Force junior officers.

Australian Defence Force Academy

I was one of the first intake at the Australia Defence Force Academy, the youngest male and second youngest overall. I only just qualified for the 17-year minimum age to join as a pilot, by 12 days.

We spent a lot of time marching, doing drill and learning about the military in amongst a full academic workload.

I used every opportunity to participate in adventure training, work experience at operational squadrons (including at No 5 Squadron flying helicopters) and other extra curricular activities.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the academic side of my time there, and regrettably, did the minimum required to pass – I distinctly remember a maths tutor in third year telling me and my mate that we would never become pilots (because we weren’t participating in the tutorial to his liking). My mate went on to be awarded RAAF fighter pilot of the year during his time flying Hornets, and I managed to do OK too.

We did a bit of motivational flying in light aircraft, and completed the first solo part of the No 1 Flying Training School basic pilots course at the beginning of 3rd year. This only served to make the final academic year tortuous to someone who just wanted to go flying.

After three years in Canberra, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, and finally got a posting to pilots course (after a RAAF-specific junior officer course). I’ll have more to say about learning methods in another article – suffice to say, I could have done a lot better than I did, but didn’t really know how to learn.

This photo is me at the end of second year in 1987, working on the farm during the end of year break.

No 1 Flying Training School

After a short junior office course – aimed at teaching us essentially tri-service officer cadets the ‘real’ Air Force, we started 151 Pilots Course at No 1 Flying Training School at RAAF Base Point Cook, on the CT4-A trainer.

The Air Force was introducing the PC9 trainer to replace the venerable MB326H Macchi for advanced pilot training. Our course was split into two groups – the main group would train on the Macchi and a select few would be the first group to be trained on the PC9. I was in the Macchi group. We called the trainee pilots in the PC9 group the Cotton Wool Club, because we figured they would be given more support to ensure they completed the course and commence the PC9 training at No 2FTS. Because of this, we decided our course badge would have the motto ‘Under Experiment’.

After 6 months at Point Cook, those of us who graduated went to No 2 Flying Training School at RAAF Base Pearce, located north of Perth in Western Australia.

This is me flying the CT-4A Plastic Parrot.

No 2 Flying Training School

This was kind of a homecoming for me, a full circle moment, from having watched the aircraft longingly as we drove past on the way to/from Perth, to now being lucky enough to actually fly one while others drove past watching.

Only ever being two failed flights away from being ‘scrubbed’ as we called it, certainly focused our attention on learning what we needed to pass each flight, ground school exam and other activities along the way. Still being on course was vigorously celebrated at the end of each week, first in the Cadet’s Mess, and then at one of our favourite haunts in Perth.

Saturdays were usually spent water skiing on the Swan River, then Sundays we were back at our desks, getting ready for the week ahead.

I received an award for being the most improved pilot on my course – a reflection that I probably didn’t start very well but made good progress towards the end.

Postings night started with what was probably unfounded optimism about which aircraft I would fly – I wanted to fly F-111s, but as it turned out, I was posted to fly the DHC-4 Caribou, at No 38 SQN, RAAF Base Richmond near Sydney. If I was being honest with myself, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that I wasn’t going to fly fast jets (yet).

After some soul searching, I came around to the idea that Caribou operations would provide an aspiring fast jet pilot an opportunity to learn the flying skills and mindset required to achieve that goal, and so I made my way to Sydney in July 1990 with a world of opportunities in front of me.

This is me as a proud, brand new 21 year old Air Force pilot, about to embark on the next phase of my aviation career.

Have you plotted your own path? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear your story, and I’m sure others would too!

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From an early age, Keith felt the calling to be a pilot, to experience the thrill of taking an aeroplane off the ground and having the freedom to move at speed in three dimensions.

After decades of military and airline flying, Keith now leads respected aviation consultancy Aviation Projects and shares his expert opinion on all things aviation.

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