Flight Training Australia Podcast

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Phil’s been flying since 1976. He’s competed in aerobatics since the 80s. He co-founded Action Aerobatics and helped produce around 40 state and national champions.
He formed the Skyaces formation aerobatics team, flown everything from Harvards to jets, served as Chief Pilot and CFI at the Royal Newcastle Aero Club, runs Phil Unicomb Aviation, and in 2025 was awarded the Col Pay Award for Lifetime Service to General Aviation at the CASA Wings Awards.
Phil Unicomb Aviation YouTube Channel
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Email: [email protected]
Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

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Podcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

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Imagine you’ve just lifted off.
You’re passing 200 feet. Everything feels normal.
Then the engine note changes.
Not silence…
not failure…
just a rough, struggling loss of power.
The aircraft is still climbing — but barely.
Do you keep going?
Turn back?
Land ahead?
In the next few seconds, the wrong decision can be fatal.
Today we’re talking about the emergency we train for the least…
yet one that catches pilots off guard more than almost any other.
ATSB avoidable accidents: Managing partial power loss after takeoff in single engine aircraft  
Support the show
Email: [email protected]
Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Affiliate Links:
Pilot Logbook
Digital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!!
Nav & Co
Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST
Social Media Links:
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Podcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

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You might already hold a night VFR rating, be working towards an instrument rating, or be planning to start one soon. And at some point in your training, someone will tell you that once you’re qualified, you’re “allowed” to fly at night.
But today I want to challenge that idea.
Because being allowed to fly at night, and being genuinely ready to fly at night — especially on instruments — are not the same thing.
Support the show
Email: [email protected]
Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Affiliate Links:
Pilot Logbook
Digital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!!
Nav & Co
Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST
Social Media Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustralia

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Podcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

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Every flight instructor has faced the same moment.
You see a student starting to unravel. Directional control is slipping, workload is climbing, and things are heading in the wrong direction. Instinct kicks in — you reach for the controls to “help”.
That moment — the decision to assist rather than decisively take over — sits at the centre of a recent Australian court case that ended in a training aircraft crash, the loss of a student’s flying career, and almost $800,000 in damages awarded against a flight training organisation.
This case should make every instructor and operator pause and reflect.
Support the show
Email: [email protected]
Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Affiliate Links:
Pilot Logbook
Digital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!!
Nav & Co
Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST
Social Media Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustralia

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustralia

Podcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

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I’ve been asking pilots a simple question: how well did your training actually prepare you for real-world flying?
The answers have been confronting. Not because they’re emotional — but because they’re consistent.
This episode isn’t about naming names. It’s about listening to what students are telling us, identifying the patterns, and asking whether we’re truly training pilots… or just getting them through tests.
Support the show
Email: [email protected]
Online Training http://courses.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au

Affiliate Links:
Pilot Logbook
Digital Excel spreadsheet logbook for a one off payment. Podcast listeners get 20% Off!!
Nav & Co
Pilot Nav Bags - Get $10 off using the code FTAPODCAST
Social Media Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com.au/trentrobinsonaviation
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trent_robinson_aviation
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flighttrainingaustralia

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@flighttrainingaustralia

Podcast Episodes: http://www.flighttrainingaustralia.com.au