Affordability is a key that people must overcome if they are eager to learn to fly.
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For 18-year-old Jordan Curran, that barrier has been shrunk thanks to the Anthony Gobel Flying Scholarship from the Bendigo Flying Club.
A family holiday to the Gold Coast was Jordan's first experience on a plane.
"I just thought it was so cool," he said. "After that Dad got a trial flight in a Piper Warrior in Mildura. The instructor had a spare seat, so I said I would go up.
"It was amazing. That made me know it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to fly and be in command."
Bendigo Flying Club chief flying instructor Linda Beilharz said the scholarship was introduced five years ago as a way to get more youth into the club.
"As with many institutions around Bendigo we have an ageing community," she said. "The club is aware that we have a lot of older pilots and we were asking what can we do to get young people flying?
"Finance is a key issue that prevents people flying and learning. So we did a scholarship.
"Since then we have managed to recruit and train people since. It is highly contested and (we only) have one scholarship but it has raised interest from other young people about flying.
"The main membership really happy and excited to have the young ones there."
As well as helping funding his pilot training, the scholarship will allow Jordan to get enough hours in the cockpit to fly solo.
"I haven't flown solo yet because I haven't had funds to secure the training, this (scholarship) is my opportunity to do that," Jordan said.
"I want to try every discipline - commercial, charter and aerobatics - I want to see what everything is like and find the niche that suits me.
"When take control for first time, it's amazing. The instructor turns and says 'do you want to take control?' then you start flying. It feels right.
"My first flight was with Linda, which was nice, so to be able fly with her again and get the scholarship was great."
The expansion of services at Bendigo airport means potential pilot have the chance to learn the to fly in Bendigo from young cadets right up to commercial pilots.
"The RMIT flight school will really enhance the opportunity to train (commercial pilots) in Bendigo. That's where the demand for jobs are," Linda said.
Jordan said the extra pathways into aviation in regional areas was exciting.
"The more places we have doing training, the better. The more people come to Bendigo to fly, then more opportunities will arise."
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