Clamback & Hennessy

Clamback and Hennessy are different from other flight training schools. They put knowledge and safety above making a buck; the integrity of their training standard is such that they would rather lose a student to another school, than to give out a licence on a lower standard - just because they're a paying customer.The training aircraft is maintained to a higher standard as well. I've seen other schools at Bankstown Airport with dodgy and unserviceable instruments (voiding them for anything but VFR) whereas all Clamback & Hennessy aircraft are approved for IFR.

Did my cpl with clamback and Hennessy had a wonderful time. They took me in as family and made me comfortable with every phase of my training . I'm flying Atr 72-600 for indigo airlines now and lot has to do with the support and training at clamback . Would highly recommend it for anyone looking for quality training towards ur cpl out of bankstown

this place is so dodgy

I graduated with an aeronautical engineering degree at Sydney University and work as an engineer at a major Australian airline. I take flying very seriously. Flight training is very expensive and the last line of defence against abnormal events or emergencies is quality flight training. This becomes even more critical the less frequently you fly. My flight training to date has been part time of low frequency and I have moved around looking for that perfect flying school. Changing flying schools is frustrating and very expensive! It makes it easier if you get it right the first time, hence my post and recommendation. Unfortunately, there are not many flying schools left to choose from at Bankstown and Clamback & Hennessy has the highest standard and best reputation for safety and quality flight instruction by far. They have the cheapest hire rates and best maintained aircraft with common avionics across the board. Their aircraft are all IFR certified and GPS equipped, which is a rarity these days. They have their own hanger, engineer and fuel truck and they don't cut corners when it comes to maintenance. The instructors are knowledgeable and closely monitored by Aminta Hennessy, the CFI, who is well known in the industry and she has very high standards.I have experienced, witnessed and heard plenty of stories of dodgy acts. It amazes me how some reputable schools have kept their AOC for as long as they have. I’m hearing that there are plenty of organisations that will fast track your flight training and accredit you with the licences and ratings, however standards are poor. This may eventually come back to bite you when you're trying to get that first job and your skills and knowledge are put to the test. The industry is screaming out loud about poor standards. My understanding is that Airlines have to re-train pilots which increases their costs. GA is also reluctant to hire pilots purely on qualification and word of mouth. Some GA operators are putting potential candidates in the sim or aircraft for check rides before they offer employment.I was fortunate to have been instructed by Aminta, who did half of my MECIR training. This provided me with more than a rating. I walked away with having completed a short course on life skills and personal development. We flew in real IFR weather when no other schools were flying. I now have a MECIR that has provided a solid foundation for me to gain experience and use in real IFR conditions, not just a paper licence that never gets used.The best of luck and safe flying!

Experienced a flight lesson with Eli who provided a memorable and exhilarating time up in the sky allowing me to firsthand control a Piper Cherokee plane and liveout the flyboy dream!

I am part way through my flight training with Clamback and Hennessy and can highly recommend this flight school for safety, depth of knowledge, quality of tuition and results. Aminta and Ray are legends in Australian aviation with thousands of flight hours and a great depth of teaching experience between them. They are both very hands-on with the business and care deeply about the quality of the tuition and the student experience. This means they hire good talent in their flight instructors and monitor performance well. Sadly this quality of instruction is not true everywhere. Most flight instructors are commercial pilots-in-waiting and therefore treat their teaching duties with varied levels of commitment. I have been very pleased with the patience and considered approach both Elie Abi and Sam Barnett have shown with my training. The fleet is made up mainly of PA28 trainers, which are ageing but good for the task, and meticulously maintained, which give confidence in safety, of course, but also means you will never be short of a plane for a booking. Recommended.

Clamback and Hennessy provided me with excellent flying training for my PPL, which I completed last week. A huge thanks to the team at Clamback and Hennessey for their support which enabled me to achieve my goal. / Jonny

Clamback and Hennessy provide quality flying training, with very high standards of training.All training is closely supervised by the CFI, and she (Aminta) is always available to ask questions of or have a discussion on your training- something other schools lack!Their aircraft are all maintained to the highest standard- not once have I had a flight canceled due to aircraft issues.Over all an excellent school, with a pleasant small school feeling where individuals are considered. Would highly recommend anyone looking at flying training around Bankstown to give them a look.

It would be improper to not provide a balanced view, but for those who may not necessarily have the time to read what otherwise may be seen as verbose commentary, know this:I cannot recommend this school for your flight training needs. I found that the CFI lacked values like humility and respect, and I did not experience her to be encouraging of her students.Now for those with more time:I am the current holder of a PPL, my primary purpose of visiting this school was to be ‘checked-out’ on a C182T that is cross-hired to the school.I have close to 300 flying hours, most of which have been in C172s, other C182s and some time in a C206. As a private hirer, most schools and clubs will require you to complete 1 check-flight, typically consisting of aircraft handling, circuits and aircraft knowledge (total cost c$400). This school required me to undertake 1-hour of circuit training; a second flight – consisting of a short nav to demonstrate my ability to operate the CSU at varying heights (c1.5hrs); and a third flight consisting of x-wind landings of between 15-18kts at Bankstown (a C182 has a maximum demonstrated x-wind landing component of 15kts!).Having competed the first two requirements with an instructor successfully, waiting for a 15-18kt x-wind at Bankstown (on a weekend when I can fly) is akin to waiting for Christmas. It does happen, but about once a year.By this time, I had already paid $1,100 for the previous two check-flights, was now waiting for a day with sufficient x-wind. Put simply, I feel this school was blatantly gouging a hirer’s hard earnt money and would end up costing me almost 4-times the typical amount to be authorised to fly this particular plane.Some of my other observations from my experience included:1. I had to constantly remind the CFI of my name, particularly when I tried to make a booking or call to discuss anything. The initially pleasant and friendly tone when answering the phone rapidly descended into a condescending when she established you were an ‘existing customer/student’.2. Beware of the ancillary charges - especially credit and debit card fees – which weren’t clear upfront. Also consider the fact the school did not provide a GST exemption for students building hours toward their commercial licence.3. The CFI (probably in her mid 70s) has no appreciation for modern technology including iPads, iPhones, Apple watches, or indeed any electronic device is completely foreign to her. She openly berated me (in front of others) for having a fully annotated and highlighted version of the POH on my iPad and for not having printed the 420-pages of my own personal copy;4. Speaking of treatment toward people - you needn’t hang about the school for too long to fully appreciate I wasn’t the only person singled out for a lashing from the CFI. Indeed, she spoke to her instructors, staff and other students like they were unruly kids at a kindergarten on the first day of school.Some of the things I liked about the place was:1. It’s location and proximity to the runways. Little time (and money) was spent on the ground doing pre-take off checks and that helped. Often the school was provided dedicated access to the Centre runway, which also helped get you off the ground quicker;2. The instructor (who has unsurprisingly since left), was fantastic. He was patient, calm and encouraging. I lament the fact I won’t be able to fly with him again for the rest of my flight training; and3. The planes were clean, and always prepared for my arrival, full of fuel and ready to go. Again, a small, but important point of difference.In the end, I was fortunate to have been in touch with the owner of the plane on previous occasions, and I have spoken directly to him about the plane. He clearly understood the opportunity cost of his plane sitting in the hangar and offered to have me checked-out by another instructor and to hire the plane from him directly. I have since done that and was signed-off in a single flight.Strongly recommend you do your due diligence!

I have been a regular student at this school since January 2017 and have achieved all my ratings while enjoying my flying. I initially came from one of the biggest flying schools in Adelaide but have found Clamback and Hennessy to have the most managerial experience, most knowledge and high quality aircraft.I had made my rounds the entire airport and stuck with Clamback and Hennessy because of the above and I have no regrets.