Staff
The Royal Aero Club of Western Australia is the oldest flying training club in the state. We’ve been flying since 1929.
We pride ourselves on hiring and training the best instructors in the industry. Meet some of the members of our team that will help you realise your dream of flying.
Jarod Rowe
Jarod Rowe is the Club’s Head of Operations and flying operations, chief flying instructor of IFR and a flight examiner. He’s been flying since 2003, having learned with us here at Jandakot and at the Bunbury Aero Club. He’s flown with STAR Aviation and Complete Aviation Services.
John Douglas
John Douglas is the Royal Aero Club of WA’s head of instructor training and our examiner of airmen. He’s a legend of the club, having worked here since 1973 and being our general manager and chief instructor from then until 2005. John has been flying since 1965, learning at Ardmore Airport in New Zealand before spending five years as the chief flying instructor at Narrogin Flying Club. John says he loves the freedom of being up in the air and the excitement of teaching. “The club is, and has been, like a family to my wife and I,” John says. “We have made so many friends over the years. If I had my time again, I would not change a thing.”
Jenny Schmidt
Jenny Schmidt is the Royal Aero Club’s grade 1 flight instructor and examiner. She’s been with us since 2019, but she has a long history with the club, learning to fly here nearly 40 years ago, then working here in the late 80s and mid 2000s. Jenny has owned her own flying school (Great Southern Aviation) and worked in fire suppression aviation in the Albany area for about six years. She has also worked at flying schools in Fiji and New Zealand. “Aviation is a wonderful industry and RACWA is a fabulous place to begin your journey,” she says.
Harry King
Harry King is VFR training manager at the Royal Aero Club of WA and has been flying for 15 years. He learned to fly here at the club and joined the team in 2015. Harry says every aircraft and every day in the air is a different challenge, and that challenge is a big part of what he loves about flying.
Herman Tsang
Herman Tsang is the deputy chief ground instructor at the Western Australian Aviation College and our Grade 2 flight instructor. Herman first began flying in 2007, learning about aviation at Edith Cowan University and here at the Royal Aero Club of WA. Herman says he loves seeing the world from a different angle and sharing his joy of aviation. He’s been a member of our team since 2018 and says safe flying is a combination of theory knowledge and practical skills.
Daniel Gardner
Daniel Gardner has been flying since 2018, learning with us here at the Royal Aero Club of WA. He joined the team in 2019 and now works as a Grade 2 Flight instructor and Survey Pilot and, as he puts it, “a glorified taxi driver”. Daniel says he loves the feeling of being up in the air and enjoying the awesome views from “the office”.
