Glen Solly (tell us bit about yourself)
I have been involved in the business end of aircraft since starting to learn to fly in 1985 and have logged over 11 000 hours flight time. I was 27 when I began flying for a “crust” in 1988. At 27 I was considered “old”. My first ever charter flight was from Alice Springs (Northern Territory) to Weipa (Queensland) in a Cessna 210.
My first full time employment was flying tourists around Ayers Rock and The Olgas. Aircraft endorsements include Beechcraft Baron, Cessna 401/411 series, Piper Chieftain (PA31), Cessna 421, Beechcraft King air (B200), Metro 3/23, SAAB 340, F100 as well as the usual handful of Cessna and Piper single engine aircraft. During my career I have lived and worked in Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales and held Chief Pilot, Training Captain (Metro 23) and Operations Manager positions. I have flown charter, mine commute and Aerial Medical operations and was fortunate enough in 1996 to have completed a crossing of the “pond” in a Metro 23, over the following route; San Francisco-Hilo (Hawaii)-Tarawa (Kiribati)-Brisbane. In doing so I completed a long held goal of mine to pilot an aircraft across the Pacific Ocean, which was crossed for the first time in an aircraft by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew (Charles Ulm, and Americans Captain Harry Lyons and James Warner) in 1928.**
Along the way I have been interviewed by, and was successful in either being employed by or placed on a hold file for the following companies; Skyport (Now Air North), Mining and Executive Air Charter (no longer operating), Island Link (Now Inland Pacific), Air Cairns, SkyWest Aviation (Now Pearl Aviation), Hazelton Airlines (Now Regional Express) and Eastern Australia Airlines. In between these I managed to fit in a three-day interview with Air Niugini for the position of F/O on the Fokker Jet (F-28). A position for which I was successful and placed on the hold file for the next twelve months before deciding that Regional Flying was where I wanted to be.
I hold a current Australian ATPL and PNG ATPL. I owned and operated PACES Auto Gear from 1980 to 1982. From 1979 through to 1988 I was involved in civil
construction works building bridges throughout NSW and Queensland. Between 1984 and 1986 I took a couple of years off and went to Groote Eylandt (a mining community in the Gulf of Carpentaria which is on Aboriginal land) as Site Manager for a tyre company, (Klinge & Co) which serviced the mine site. Groote Eylandt is where I took my first flying lesson and soloed in VH-RWQ a C-172 operated by the Gove Aero Club.
* * *
** Smithy’s route was San Francisco-Hawaii-Suva-Ballina NSW. Total flight time was 88 hours. He had to fly at low altitudes (200 feet) often through tropical thunderstorms with only basic instruments, no autopilot and except when within radio range they used a compass and sextant for navigation
In stark contrast I flew at 20,000 feet for each of the three sectors and carried two GPS receivers as well as ADF and VOR and except for a layer of scattered cumulus at 5000 feet I never saw a cloud. As well as this I had a complete emergency kit in the event of a ditching, HF communication throughout the entire flight and was often in contact with overflying commercial airliners. My flight time was 26 hours
My USP’s
Writing is one of my favourite USP’s’. I enjoy it because of where it takes me, who it introduces me to and because it forces me to confront and challenge my own beliefs.
Dealing with the day-to-day stuff is my favourite work USP.
Why do I rate this as my favourite work USP? Because each day is different and because it makes the day fly! (Excuse the pun)
Being a successful member of a great team of people is a close second.
Why do I think I am a successful member of a team? Because something that feels as good as shooting an approach to the minima and landing from it, or receiving praise from the passengers for a good landing or simply offering encouragement to other crew members on the last sector of a long hard day is a
Jo Solly
Born in Dumfries, Scotland. Started a career in Hospitality (Perth, Scotland).
Moved to London and worked in the Real estate, Advertising, Recruitment and Hospitality industries (the obligatory evening bar job in Earl’s Court) before (on the advice of the Aussie patrons) shifting to Australia to escape the cold. Within two years she was living in the Northern Territory where it often gets above thirty-five degrees Celsius (she definitely succeeded in escaping the cold).
Her work in Australia, essentially, has been the development and delivery of professional development training in areas such as Effective Communication, Customer Service, Time Management, Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, Dealing with Negative Attitudes in the Workplace, Dealing with Difficult People, Supervisory Skills, Business - Frontline Management and Cert IV in Training and Assessment. Jo is an accredited Senior First Aid trainer and also teaches in IT - MYOB, MS Office, desktop publishing and graphic design. Over the years, Jo has held a variety of senior administration, management and HR positions.
Each move to a different town and State (a necessity in aviation career progression) brought a new role –
• Ayers Rock Executive Assistant to the Resort Manager
• Townsville Established and managed Disability Access Support Unit
• Katherine Established and managed Job Skills Centre
Co-ordinated Young Australian Student Access Program
• Alice Springs Co-ordinated IT training support unit for NT Health Services
• Ballina Established and managed an Adult Community Education facility
• Lismore Executive Manager for a peak industry body
Contracted to rewrite position competencies for Local Council
General Administrative Officer, Richmond LAC, NSW Police Force
Jo puts up with all my paper, manuals and notebooks being strewn around our house while I write. As well as editing and pointing out the obvious, she has serious input into the concepts of what makes a person employable.
Appendix 1
Use the following sample resume as a template to write your own
Name Charles K Smith Personal Details
Address: 25 Cobblestone Parade, Old Sydney Town, NSW 8000 Contact details: P-08333000 M-02153642
e-mail [email protected]
Pilot Qualifications and Flight Time
ATPL Australian
Total Hours 1650
Pilot in Command 1520
Multi Engine 500
ME IFR Procedures 400
Instrument 185
1999 Trades certificate NSW Tafe - (Mechanic) 1996 Higher School Certificate (HSC)
Kings State High School Up-Skilling
2002 OH&S Course
2002 Dangerous Goods Course 2000 Senior First Aid
1999 Certificate IV Business (Frontline Management)
Objective
To secure a position with a major/regional airline which has opportunity for growth and a Training and Checking department with access to a simulator so that I can continue to develop my skills.
What I have to offer
Dedication, enthusiasm and a desire to be part of a professional team.
Availability Immediately
Aviation Experience
Line Pilot/OH&S coordinator and DG trainer 2005-Present
Fly-Me Airways Bankstown
Fly-Me Airways is a RPT and charter operator at Bankstown Airport in Sydney with a fleet of four Piper Chieftain and a Cessna Caravan. It has an extensive route network throughout NSW as well as mine commute contracts. It has two bases in Western NSW, one at Coonabarabran and one at Dubbo.
Position
As the coordinator and trainer for OH&S and DG I report directly to the General Manager.
I oversee all the training and implementation of these requirements including;
• Ensuring compliance with CASA regulations
• Following up on incidents
• Effectively managing the renewal of each pilots DG
• Liaising with company clients for contractual purposes
• Maintaining the company’s DG and OH&S library Achievements
• Introduced on-line self paced learning and exams for DG (Cost saving as pilots at remote bases no longer need to brought to Sydney for training)
• Designed wrote and Introduced OH&S documentation for company computer network then conducted roll out at all bases.
Charter Pilot 2003-2005
Crackerjack Airways Darwin NT
Crackerjack Airways is a charter company based in Darwin and operates general charter flights throughout the Northern Territory and the top of Western Australia.
It also operates a mail service from Darwin to Alice Springs five nights a week.
Position
Reporting to the Chief Pilot. Responsibilities included;
• On time delivery of the mail
• Assisting the Chief Pilot with crew rosters
• Aircraft cleaning
• Answering telephones and assisting the operations manager with quotes Achievements
Flight training – Blue Sky Aviation Academy 2001-2002
Maroochydore QLD
Completed Blue Sky’s CPL Aviation degree, including 50 hours charter on the Academy’s BeechCraft Baron.
Career Summary
At present I am a line pilot with Fly-Me Airways which employs eight full time and four casual pilots. I have extensive experience in DG training and OH&S within the aviation industry and have proven strengths in the following areas:
• Technical Skills
I have gained a comprehensive knowledge of my present aircraft systems by involving myself in maintenance of company aircraft in my spare time. I also have a trade background as a mechanic.
• Communication
My experience with delivering DG training and OH&S policy has meant I have had to develop effective communication skills (particularly necessary for multi-crew operations). I am required to liaise with our customers through my DG & OH&S duties in order to meet contractual requirements, and I enjoy the interaction with both internal and external clients.
• Planning and Time Management
My strong organisational, planning and time management skills ensure I successfully manage my time to enable me to complete my often very full complement of work duties.
IT
Computer skills in MS Word, Excel and Web Development Awards
Lions youth community award 1998 Interests
Surfing, Baseball and Basketball
References
Bill Crackerjack- Crackerjack Airways 06 333 253 Sam Knight- Blue Sky Aviation Academy 07 555 2