Southern Wings’ Southern Hospitality

By Rob Neil.

It is often said that the further south one travels in New Zealand, the friendlier the people become; Rob Neil could not agree more following a recent visit to Invercargill, New Zealand’s southernmost city and one of the southernmost significant settlements in the world. The reason for his visit was to meet the people behind the name of Southern Wings—a unique aviation company that may just have a few answers to the problems bedevilling general aviation in New Zealand’s smaller regions.

Southern Wings is an extremely well-conceived and executed amalgamation and re-branding of the Southland Aero Club and Southern Districts Aero Club into a single company. Like many places in New Zealand—particularly the smaller places—the aero club “scene” was gradually dying off in Southland. When the Southland Aero Club, under the banner of the Southern Aviation College, began running Diploma of Aviation courses in conjunction with the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), it was realised that—the sad decline of the social aspects of aero club activities aside—the aero club model was simply not an efficient future road to commercial viability.

Southern Wings, which was formed in 1999, is predominately owned by the Southland Aero Club, which holds 72.5% of the new company’s shares; Southern Districts Aero club holds the remaining 27.5%.

According to Southern Wings’ Chief Pilot, Bryan Jones, one of the biggest advantages of the new model was the shift away from rule-by-committee (a meeting of weekend warriors once a month to determine commercial prosperity is not a recipe for success) to an operation run by a board of directors as a “proper” business.

It was in early 2001 that the company underwent the major re-branding exercise that gave it its current name of Southern Wings. The re-branding exercise was not cheap but the company had the foresight to see that the money it would have to spend would be an investment rather than an expense—and so it has already proved to be. Unlike many “re-branding” exercises, which are frequently just money-spinners for self-promoting consultants, Southern Wings’ new image is, in fact, one of the “secrets” of its success in the re-birth of general aviation in Southland.

Aero club committees, club CFIs and clubs’ qualified pilots might well appreciate how much expertise, piloting skill and knowledge they have to offer commercial customers. However, the reality is that most non-aviators—who comprise the vast potential of the commercial market—simply do not perceive a “club” or a “college” scene as being professional enough to carry out “serious” commercial work. In a place like Southland, where some of the world’s most majestic and stunning scenery is in easy commercial reach, this is a terrible shame, as many potential customers may miss out on unrealised opportunities.

While Southern Wings does not promote itself as a major tourism operator (its core business remains the training of Diploma of Aviation students), it is perfectly placed to conduct flights to Fiordland, the Catlins and Stewart Island, and its re-branded image more accurately reflects its ability to fill this (albeit small) commercial niche. Although the senior pilots who would conduct commercial operations in either a flying school or a tourist operation may be equally well qualified, customers perceive a significant difference between a “flying school” and a scenic flight company; the Southern Wings brand allows the two distinct aspects of its operation to co-exist seamlessly.

Southern Wings’ Diploma of Aviation courses, which incorporate a separate Diploma of Management, are full-time courses lasting two and a half years (one year of which is taken up by the Diploma of Management course). Although students must obviously work hard to achieve their management diploma alongside their flying training, SIT’s “no fees” scheme means that it does not cost Southern Wings’ students anything more than the price of their flying training to achieve this extremely valuable additional qualification. The management diploma and efforts made by Southern Wings to provide students with “internships” with local operators during their training are examples of the way the company strives to give its students an “edge” over other students with perhaps nothing more than a basic commercial licence when it comes time to apply for that most difficult “first” job in the industry.

Course numbers are kept deliberately small—around 10 students (approximately two or three helicopter and the rest fixed-wing) per course—to ensure the highest quality of personalised training. The company is blessed with having three full-time career instructors in addition to another full-time and several part-time instructors. Southern Wings has an arrangement with South West Helicopters to provide helicopters and instructors for the helicopter students. The generally unavoidable industry “norm” of having very low-time instructors teaching new students to fly does not occur at Southern Wings. Jones is an A-category instructor, as will be the two next most senior instructors before long, which will make Southern Wings rather unique. The company is particular about choosing its C-category instructors and all are trained from Southern Wings’ own students’ ranks.

The company is in business to provide flying training and while it certainly welcomes students from anywhere, applicants must fit with Southern Wings’ culture and pass the same entry interview regardless of whether they are from Southland, Auckland, the UK or Indonesia.

Further indicative of the company’s integrity, Southern Wings does not run endless instructors’ courses pumping out throngs of barely employable, unemployed instructors. Instead, it selects and trains individual students to C-cat level as required, either when the company can guarantee work with Southern Wings upon qualification, or in special cases, such as where a student has been offered instructing work elsewhere conditional upon obtaining an instructor rating.

This approach to instructor training was one of several aspects that particularly impressed me about Southern Wings’ “different” approach to the way flying training should be conducted. Bryan Jones is fiercely opposed to the historical C-cat “slave labour” culture. Jones—one of the three career instructors at Southern Wings—is adamant that flying instructors should be treated no differently than any other specialist professional. “Nurses, teachers and doctors get paid while they’re training on the job,” he says, “and when they’re trained, they’re recognised for their professional skills—they don’t then work for nothing, so why should it be different for flying instructors?”

Jones insists that if instructing were to be made a financially rewarding profession, there would be more career instructors. There will always be a place for itinerant C-category instructors, but with more career instructors to supervise them, the standard of flying training overall would improve and everyone would benefit.

In line with the company’s policy to treat its instructors as professionals, it pays all its full-time instructors a liveable wage. Accordingly, dual hire rates for Southern Wings’ aircraft are $45 an hour higher than those for solo hires. When this policy was instituted, Jones expected some grumbles, but has been surprised at the response and has even received comment to the effect that such a practice is long overdue—certainly, Southern Wings’ students and other (private hire) customers have been more than happy with the new rates.

A beneficial offshoot of this practice for customers is that they have every right to demand the absolute highest standards from their instructors, who must—quite appropriately—be fully accountable for the standard of training they provide.

There are two diploma course intakes annually—one each in February and July to coincide with the SIT polytechnic courses. Southern Wings screens student applicants carefully to ensure as best as it can that only genuinely dedicated students are accepted. “We’re looking for enthusiasm,” says Jones. “We’re looking for aviators—people who’ve always wanted to be aviators.” He said the company’s questions and interview processes had been refined to help select only the genuine aviators. “When we began our first courses, we assumed that anyone prepared to front up with sixty or seventy thousand dollars would be serious about flying,” he continues. “However, after getting caught out a couple of times at the start, we haven’t made the mistake again. We’re not interested in students’ money if they aren’t going to succeed—we want to turn out well-trained pilots with a professional attitude and a determination to become professional aviators.”

In a conversation with Jones, instructor Tony Dawson and marketing manager Viv Grindlay, all of whom are involved in the student selection process, it was clear that the right attitude in an applicant takes preference over academic qualification. “An average student (academically) who really wants to succeed can be taught anything,” says Viv Grindlay. “Importantly for a college like ours, it also means they’re ‘nice” to have around the place and will fit in with the people here.” Bryan Jones echoed Grindlay’s sentiments, adding that he’d rather have a course of eight really good students than risk having one or two with a “bad apple” attitude and the potential to adversely affect other students.

Something else I particularly liked about Southern Wings was the way it does not even suggest that a graduate will leave his or her diploma course as a fledgling airline pilot ready to step straight into the right seat of a 737. The inescapable truth, of course—one that some other establishments prefer to gloss over or sugar-coat in order to secure business—is that no major airline is going to employ a newly qualified commercial pilot with the barest minimum time in his or her logbook. “We don’t claim to train airline pilots,” says Jones, “we train pilots to be qualified to train to become airline pilots!” He insists he is candid with all student applicants about the fact that a new commercial licence is simply the first step in a long and difficult road to an aviation career. What Southern Wings does promise its students is that it will endeavour to provide the very best first step for them to build on. This is not an idle boast—everyone at Southern Wings takes genuine pride in the achievements of students that the company has trained and regular newsletters feature articles about those who have gone on to find full-time flying jobs.

Jones readily concedes that students can secure “cheaper” flying training rates elsewhere—not by much—but cheaper, none the less. However, he makes no excuses and is adamant that because Southern Wings will never be able to compete for students’ business on price alone, it is not prepared to even try. Instead, he believes the company offers benefits that more than compensate for minor dollar differences and that cannot be had elsewhere…at any price.

So just what does Southern Wings offer students that is not available elsewhere? Apart from the opportunity to spend two-and-a-half years in the friendliest place in the world, students get the chance to experience some of the most beautiful, and at the same time, most challenging flying conditions in the world. Fiordland National Park and the Southern Alps are right on Invercargill’s doorstep; visitors to New Zealand pay a fortune for the opportunity to visit some of the places Southern Wings’ students get to see from the air. Even Invercargill’s southern weather—frequently the butt of more northerly residents’ jokes—offers a unique and valuable benefit to students, for in overcoming its challenges, budding professional pilots gain experience that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their flying careers. A bit of rain and wind that might halt flying for the day at many “fair-weather-flying-schools” elsewhere is just a bit of rain and wind to a Southern Wings student. Students quickly become acquainted with their and their aircraft’s limits as they come to recognise and appreciate genuinely hazardous conditions.

Invercargill’s cooler climate is offset by its extended daylight in summer where its southern latitude confers fine days with up to 16 flyable hours. Its airport has little traffic, so training flights are seldom delayed, yet because it is a controlled airfield, students learn in a professional air traffic control environment. At the same time, there are dozens of uncontrolled airfields in close proximity and in varying terrain to give students a comprehensive background in strip operations.

Southern Wings’ aircraft are a credit to both the company’s progressive business model (which provides for their continuing refurbishment and replacement) and to the students, who, from the beginning, are encouraged to take pride in their aircraft’s appearance.

A fleet rationalisation has resulted in a five-aircraft complement: a Seneca (used for multi IFR training), two Piper Archers (one of which is IFR-equipped) and two new Alpha 160s.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been given an extended flight in one of Southern Wings’ new Alphas; these (all-metal) aircraft are truly delightful to fly. Having cut my teeth on saggy, baggy, conservative, “safe”—but deadly dull—1970s American offerings (that still populate most training fleets), I was overjoyed at the responsiveness of the near-new, attractive little Alpha. Mike Karsten, who enjoys any excuse to turn an aeroplane upside down, was more than happy to provide me with some aerobatic instruction that rekindled my passion for light aircraft and left me longing for more—of everything: small aeroplanes, aerobatics and definitely the Alpha 160.

All the instructors like the Alphas. Southern Wings’ machines were early models from the Hamilton factory’s production line, and while the aircraft did experience minor teething problems—Jones stressed that they were very minor—all were easily resolved and the Alphas immediately became everyone’s firm favourites. The build quality of the New Zealand-built Alphas is excellent—probably far better than it ever was when the aircraft were French-built Robins, suggests Jones.

The standard instrumentation and equipment fit—while simple—is comprehensive (especially considering the Alpha’s intended role), and far exceeds that of similarly priced aircraft. Instructor Mike Karsten believes that the Alpha’s precise flying characteristics encourage a higher standard in students where any clumsy or ham-fisted flying (such as can easily go undetected in an American dinosaur) is immediately apparent. He believes that he can already see an improvement in students’ flying that he directly attributes to the Alphas.
The decision to replace its Tomahawks with new Alphas is another indication of the kind of thinking that is going on at Southern Wings. Considering the small size of the company’s fleet, it was a big move to buy two brand new aircraft in such apparently “difficult” times. In addition, there is a new simulator on the way to join the fleet.

The apparent decline of the aero club scene around the country has made many others cringe and retrench. However, as others tightened their purse strings and ducked for cover with a “pauper’s mentality”, the management team at Southern Wings took the bold step of embracing the “build it and they will come” philosophy—something that appears to be a growing Southland trait. Just as Southland’s polytechnic raised a few eyebrows with its “zero fees” scheme designed to increase its roll, and the Invercargill Licensing Trust financed the building of impressively grand sporting facilities far bigger than Invercargill’s population alone could justify, Southern Wings’ “gamble” in investing in its own future appears to be paying off handsomely. Many Southlanders proudly say of their quietly progressive province, these days, “Watch this space!” I suggest that for anyone seriously contemplating an aviation career, don’t stand back and watch—you’ll miss your chance at one of the limited spaces at Southern Wings.