6 Wing high fliers part 3 – The prestigious Hoinville Award

Three staff members of No 6 Wing, Australian Air Force Cadets have gained some national recognition lately for their contributions and achievements.

CAPTION: PLTOFF (AAFC) Dennis Medlow (centre) with two cadets who achieved solo status in the DG-1000S glider during a 6 Wing Gliding Camp at Balaklava on 6 October – CCPL Tomasz Kocimski (left) and CCPL Benjamin Dunk. Image supplied by No 600 Aviation Training Squadron.

A significant announcement was made at the end of August, that three members had been jointly awarded the prestigious Hoinville Award for Services to Operations by the Gliding Federation of Australia (GFA) at its Annual General Meeting in Melbourne.

Pilot Officer (AAFC) Dennis Medlow is the Chief Flying Instructor-Gliding for No 6 Wing. He also serves as an aviation instructor (theory and practical) with No 604 Squadron at Hampstead Barracks.

John Whittington is the Chief Flying Instructor, and Richard Geytenbeek is a Level 2 Instructor, with the Adelaide Soaring Club, Both are also AAFC civilian volunteer instructors.

Dennis, Richard and John are members of No 600 Aviation Training Squadron, which conducts all aviation instruction and training activities for 6 Wing including Air Experience and Pilot Experience (PEX) flights, and aviation-related electives (aero-engines, drones/UAV, aero-modelling and remotely-controlled aircraft courses). The squadron also operates a Link Trainer and a range of other flight simulators.

Under a recent re-organisation, No 600 Aviation Training Squadron is now a subordinate unit of Aviation Operations Wing, operating in direct support of No 6 Wing, AAFC (SA and Mildura).

The Hoinville Award was presented to this “team of three people who have made a major contribution to the improvement of operations and gliding training”. It was made in recognition of their services to operations in gliding through developing a national training record and guide book for glider-pilot students.

This training booklet places Australian gliding at the forefront of glider-pilot training not only within Australia, but on the international gliding stage.

Pilot Officer (AAFC) Medlow said, “It is nice to be recognised for the work we have done to date, but we must also recognise that this is only one step towards a standardised, competency-based national training outcome for gliding. I welcome the new GFA ‘Soaring into the Future’ initiative as a means of continuing the journey”.

 

The trio’s citation reads:

“Over several years they have worked together to develop both the draft Blue Book and the GFA Glider Pilot Training Record which has now been issued for use by Gliding Clubs throughout Australia. The finished product … provides a standardised document for recording pilot progression through the GFA Glider Pilot Certificate syllabus”.

“The document also provides a checklist plus excellent diagrams and illustrations to assist instructors in providing flight-line briefings as well as assisting students in studying and preparing for future training sequences”.

 

Congratulations to these high-flying members of No 600 Aviation Training Squadron, AAFC for their collective initiative, professionalism and enthusiasm!

.

.

.

.

.


.


.