MAAA Wingspan

22 23 Model aircraft fuelled Patrick Wenzel’s passion for aviation and kept him inspired during the academic parts of his pilot training. Patrick, aged 38, knew he wanted to become a pilot since he was just five years old after many trips to Adelaide airport. His love for aviation grew when he was 12 years old and was allowed to sit in the cockpit jumpseat of a National Jet BAE-146. He encourages all young, aspiring pilots to start their career journey at a MAAA Club, to teach them basic flying skills and to keep their interest going until they can take the next step into flight school. “For my personal development, flying has pushed me further than anything and not a day goes by that I don’t feel some sense of appreciation for the support many people have given me in my journey to get here,” said Patrick. Afterward, he successfully begged and pleaded with his parents for a Telemaster 40 balsa, then a Sanwa 4 Channel AM radio appeared, and then an ASP 40 engine. “Les at Model Mania covered the aircraft for me and not a moment too soon was I applying for membership at NMAS (Noarlunga Model Aerosports) when Trevor Tomsett took me under his wing. In the years that followed, I spent time working in Trevor’s cabinet making factory, saving up credit to spend at Model Mania on better equipment. We built a Trevor Tomsett self-designed training aircraft and a Kaos 60 which stayed with me for over 15 years,” recalled Patrick. “I owe the NMAS a debt of gratitude for their support and guidance in my early years.” As an aspiring pilot, Patrick picked the most difficult subjects in years 11 and 12, in hopes that he would be enlisted as a RAAF pilot. However, he learned the academic side of aviation was challenging and he failed his classes. “I still applied in 2001 and after a woeful general aptitude score, they offered me a role as either a Forklift Driver or Aircraft Maintenance Technician. That turned into six years of service, a Corporal rank and time spent on the P3 Orion (11 SQN and 92 Wing), the AEW&C Wedgetail program (2 SQN), and in a support role for the F/A18 Hornet (3 SQN).” Patrick then went on to work seven years with Jetstar in Newcastle where he became a LAME for their A320 fleet and a Heavy Maintenance shift supervisor. “I look back fondly on my time with Jetstar, the skills I learned, the friends I made, and the destinations it took me.” Still being determined to become a pilot, Patrick approached the Regional Express and was fortunately accepted in the Rex Pilot Cadetship where he spent eight months flying Piper Warriors and Seminoles, and graduated with a Multi-Engine Commercial Instrument Rating. “During graduation and very much to my surprise, I was to find out that I had achieved two meritorious awards - the “Highest Achievement Award” for Extraordinary Academic Performance and the “Chairman’s Award” for Highest Management Assessment. My average grade was 95%. In light of my high school results, this caught me completely off guard.” Patrick is currently a First Officer based in Perth and to date, has 3,200 hours of flying experience and all the prerequisites required to apply for a Captaincy in 2021. “I look back fondly on my time with Jetstar, the skills I learned, the friends I made, and the destinations it took me.” Member story: blast from the past