The year nine St Patrick’s College student has his sights set on becoming a commercial airline pilot and he’s proving you’re never to young to start working toward your goals, having started his pilot licence at Ballarat Aero Club.

The club last week regained its approval to offer general aviation flying training and Xavier is excited at the opportunities that affords him.

“Ever since I was young I’ve had an interest in flying. A friend of my grandfather, who was involved with Ballarat Aero Club, knew I was interested in flying so he signed me up for membership and we started going out there for some of the Sunday lunches and it just went from there. I started doing lessons as soon as I could.”

Although he has not yet flown solo,  Xavier hopes his career will take off.

Ballarat Aero Club gave up its general aviation training approval in March and has been working through regulatory processes to regain it over the past 16 weeks.

The club has been offering RA-Aus flight training, a different and more restrictive category that general aviation, for the past six to eight weeks and Xavier has taken advantage of this, getting his first taste of flight in the club’s Jabiru aircraft.

“I’m mainly flying circuits and around the area with my instructor, learning about the aircraft,” Xavier said.

Under RA-Aus rules, a student pilot can fly solo at age 15. The minimum age for solo flight in a general aviation aircraft is 16.

The club regaining its general aviation training approval means Xavier can take his training as far as he wants.

“Hopefully I’ll transition on to one of the general aviation aircraft as soon as I can,” Xavier said.

Aero club vice president Justin Brown said the general aviation training approval was a welcome return for club pilots.

“General aviation is an entree in to a career in aviation. We’ve got young private students who have gone on to get their restricted pilots licence or private pilots licence and that is their first step toward a career in commercial aviation or even the air force,” Mr Brown said.

Since the club’s full training approval, chief flying instructor Reg Phillips has been busy performing proficiency checks and flight tests and reviews for pilots whose currency requirements lapsed between March and July.

The club will continue to offer both forms of pilot training in to the future.

As news of the club’s training approval spreads, its phones have been ringing with two or three inquiries a day from local pilots and students and from aviators as far away as Melbourne.