05/04/2026
Crayfish, Cessnas, and 30 Years of Memories… Time to Close Jarden Aviation 🦀✈️
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After 30 incredible years, I’ve made the decision to close Jarden Aviation—yes, even pilots eventually have to land for good… although I’m still trying to work out where the brakes are on this thing!
My aviation journey started back in 1975 at the Canterbury Aero Club in Christchurch, New Zealand. After moving to Australia in 1980, I completed my flight training at Tooradin and soon landed my first job as a commercial pilot for Glen at Tooradin Flying School.
I spent 11 years at Tooradin learning the ropes, teaching students, and doing plenty of charter work—including carting crayfish up from Tassie (and yes… most of them made it 🦀).
From there, I headed to Phillip Island, where I spent nine years and, together with my wife at the time, Kim, started Jarden Aviation. It was a big step, a bit of a gamble—but one of the most rewarding chapters of my life.
Then in 2005, we moved to Yarrawonga and started all over again from scratch. New town, new start, same passion. Somewhere between circuits, coffee, BFRs, and the occasional “we’ll just quietly forget that landing ever happened”… 30 years flew by.
For most of that time, I’ve been a one-man operation—which means I’ve had the privilege of sitting beside every single student as they took the controls for the first time. Watching someone go from nervous beginner to confident pilot never gets old… even if I aged slightly during some of those early landings!
Over the years, I’ve met some incredible people—from future airline pilots to weekend flyers and bucket-list dreamers. I’ve been lucky enough to share countless first take-offs, solos, and landings (some smoother than others!).
To all my students: thank you for trusting me with your training, for surviving the numerous BFRs, and occasionally trusting me with your survival. You didn’t just learn to fly—you made this whole journey worthwhile.
And to everyone who supported Jarden Aviation along the way—thank you. This was never just a flying school. It was a community, a meeting place, and sometimes a therapy session at 3,000 feet.
This hasn’t been an easy decision, but after 51 years of driving aircraft, it feels like the right time to hang up the headset… and maybe finally admit that not every landing needs to be “firm for safety reasons.”
I’ll still be available for bi-annual flight reviews in your own aircraft and flight training until next year, so don’t worry—I’ll still be around to keep you honest in the circuit!
I’m incredibly proud of what we built together—and even prouder that most of you can now land better than when you started 😉
Blue skies always,
Jack
P.S. Jarden Aviation will possibly be closing at the end of May 2026… but the stories (and a few questionable landings) will live on forever.
