Pilots will meet in April at the Narromine Aerodrome, approximately 200 nm west of Sydney, the capital of Australia, to establish the first chapter of the IMC Club International on that continent.
IMC Club, through its worldwide chapters, provides organized “hangar flying” focused on building proficiency in instrument flying. The club brings IFR-rated pilots who fly in the real-world “actual IMC” together and provides them with an opportunity to share stories, network with the pilot community, and gain insights and tips for their IFR flying.
All stories and scenarios produced by the club for use during chapter meetings are real and based on submissions from members, club officials note.
Since its inception just four years ago, the club has grown from four pilots in Norwood, Mass., to more than 2,700 registered members globally.
Narromine is an historic aerodrome that is home to the oldest regional Aero Club in Australia, club officials said. It was an operational and training base during World War II, providing the bad weather alternative for international flights to Sydney prior to the installation of the ILS. It was also a training base for Qantas Constellations and HS748s and is now a major gliding and recreational aviation center.
Narromine has a significant place in Australia’s aviation history, visited by Chuck Yeager and Buzz Aldrin, who dedicated the Wright Flyer replica that was constructed locally and has been successfully flown and is now on display at the Narromine Aviation Museum.
With the new Australian chapter, the IMC Club has more than 120 chapters on five continents.
There are actually eight capital cities in Australia. Sydney is one of them and it is the Capital in New South Wales. But I definitely can understand that is not really clear. Nice catch! 😉 Will. Thank you!
Canberra is the capital of Australia. Otherwise a nice article.