Flying Days and Bookings for Groups, Districts and Regions

Programs are offered for Joey Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venturer Scouts and Rovers. While most events are held on Saturday or Sunday morning at Moorabbin Airport, afternoon events have been very popular. Activities generally start with a discussion, presentation and workshop with slides illustrating airfield safety, identification of the principal parts of an aircraft, theory of flight, control surfaces and aircraft recognition. The day concludes with all participants and leaders being given the opportunity to enjoy a short joy flight.

All bookings are subject to the availability of aircraft, pilots, presenters, and ground crew. Under normal circumstances events close 8 weeks prior to an event and will be confirmed at last 4 weeks prior to the proposed date. Final numbers as a passenger registers must provided no later than two weeks prior to the event. Events at Moorabbin Airport are normally limited to a maximum of 18 youth participants per session due to venue limitations. An option is available for an additional 12 youth participants in a separate group or an additional group of 18 as a later session. If part of the activity includes Scout Award Scheme presentations, separate sessions are required for each Level. Leaders, parents and carers may also fly or attend as observers.

Section Specific Program Options

In Our Program there are no specific Air Activities badges rather our activities can form part of either a youth member's Growth & Development or STEM & Innovation Special Interest Area. The Award Scheme Days for individual Cubs and Scouts (see link to the left).

In addition to the general Flying Day there are some section specific options:

• We currently don't have a formal Joey Scout program. While we will fly Joeys, we don't actively promote it as an activity. First there is an additional cost as there must be an adult in addition to the pilot on each flight of up to two Joeys. Also it can be a overwhelming experience for some. In order to ensure proper fitting of the alignment of the upper seatbelt, most Joeys will require the use of a booster seat. There are some ground based opportunities - a walkaround and sitting in a small aircraft, and airfield walk seeing many different types of aircraft as well as facilities including the windsock, runways and taxiways, and also there is the nearby Australian National Aviation Museum which has a range of historical civilian and military aircraft and engines on display.
• For the Cub Scout section - while the Level 2 program is intended for older Cubs, other Levels are available as part of a Flying Day
• For the Scout Section - the Levels 2 to 4 programs are intended for Scouts with an increasing level of interest in Air Activities. It is possible to cover one or possibly two levels as part of a Flying Day
• For the Venturer Scouts there is the Level 6 (Venturer Award) program which is covered in three parts a) basic aviation concepts and some basic flight planning, think of it as a hike in the sky, b) an individual flight planning activity, and c) a complete flying lesson

An overview of the different levels can be found at Our Program Options

What is the cost and how do we pay 

• The cost for a general Flying Activity Day at Moorabbin is $60 per participant plus $0.50 booking fees including a flight in a light aircraft.
• There is an additional charge of $6.50 for Scout Award Scheme Days participants to cover the cost of badges, certificates and other expenses. and Target badge (if achieved).
• For events at locations other than Moorabbin and additional fee of approximately $10 per participant for each 100 km from Melbourne to cover the cost of ferrying the aircraft.

All registrations including payment are made online using TryBooking, our recommendation is that these are made by the parent / guardian. By arrangement we are able to accept a single event payment either on the day or by EFT immediately after the event.

Bookings may be cancelled at anytime, however refunds will only be provided after bookings close if another participant from the waitlist is able to attend.

As SAAV's Level 6 (Venturer Award) program consists of an hour of a flight instructor and 40 minutes of flying time, the total cost will be approximately $220 to $250 per participant.

Making a booking

1. Start by follow the BOOKING link below to the TryBooking website to see the list of available dates, it will open in a new window so you can keep following these instructions
2. SELECT a suitable date
3. SELECT your first Section / Ticket Type and then enter the estimated number of participants, there is a six (6) participant minimum for the first Section / Ticket Type.
4. NEXT then answer some event specific questions
5. If you need to add more bookings click on BUY MORE TICKETS then SELECT your event date again, and repeat until all Section / Ticket Types completed
6. If you are finished complete the BOOKING DETAILS and then PURCHASE. You do not make a payment at this time.
7. Once your Booking Request has been received, we will create an event based on your request. A Booking Confirmation will be forwarded to the requestor including a TryBooking link to enable the participants to register and pay.

2024 Available Dates & Bookings Requests

2024 Formation Booking Requests Waitlist

Can Adults Fly?

Please note that whilst adults (i.e. leaders and parents) are able to fly, due to weight and balance issues in the aircraft, leaders and parents might not be permitted to fly during the first few flights of the day for each aircraft until the SAAV Co-Ordinator approves flights with adults. When adults are permitted to fly, only one adult will be permitted in each flight (together with two child participants). As you can appreciate, if the weather is an issue on the day and there is limited time for flights, then priority will be provided to youth Scouting participants.

Can friends or family fly together?

Whilst we endeavour to allow friends and family to fly together (subject to the requirements above in relation to adults) due to operational reasons, this may not always be possible. It is important that participants are informed of this prior to the day. Operational reasons may include the weight of participants, scheduling of flights and the need to fill empty seats on flights.

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