About Us

Chief Flying Instructor

Larry Jones

Larry Jones is a passionate aviator and teacher. He created the family-owned business Adelaide Airsports in 1985 and continues to lead the business today. He kept the business small, for a personal touch to ensure customers enjoy their experience. He and his staff have given several thousand people a taste of flight, with many hundreds going on to learn to fly, purchase equipment and enjoy regular flying activity. Larry has trained over twenty flying instructors, who have gone on to work under him, establish their own flying school, or both.

Hang glider beginnings

Adelaide Airsports commenced operations in 1985 under the name South Coast Hang Gliding Centre in South Australia. Initially we serviced the hang gliding community. In the year after establishment, we expanded our services to include microlight aircraft. We were pioneers in early hang gliders and microlights, and gained students and customers from across Australia and overses.

Hang gliding and microlight lessons were conducted from a variety of sites in and around the Fleurieu Peninsula. In 1991 we established a permanent facility for our microlight school at Strathalbyn Airfield. In 1997 we changed our name to Adelaide Airsports, to better pinpoint our location and the diversity of products and services on offer.

Hang gliders to microlights

Early 2003 was a time for considerable soul searching with both reflections on the past and a desire to plan our future direction. The hang gliding school had been where it all started. The microlight school was now well established and well respected worldwide, and was demanding more time and energy.

In 2003 we celebrated the end of 18 years of successful hang gliding instruction in South Australia, with a decision to concentrate all our teaching skills on the microlight school. We continued to offer advice and sales for hang gliders.

Preparing to fly a hang glider with others

Microlight boom

In 2003 Adelaide Airsports is Australia’s foremost microlight aircraft specialist. Our flight training facility at Strathalbyn Airfield offered lessons from beginner to instructor level, and a sales and service centre for a full range of new and used microlight aircraft and all associated equipment. Adelaide Airsports was one of the few microlight flying schools in Australia approved to teach instructors and help them set up their own flight training facilities.

In 2008 we introduced lightweight single seat microlights, called nanolight trikes, with soaring capabilities into Australia. Nanolight trikes gained popularity with continued interest in Australia today. In 2013 we introduced to the Australian market a quality amphibian microlight that is capable of oeprating with ease from either land or water. We offered trial flights, lessons and waterborne endorsements in our amphibian microlight.

Flying a microlight to the Murray Mouth with a passenger

Taking a passenger in a microlight across the vinyards

Taking a passenger in an amphibious microlight on Lake Alexandrina

Expanding to gyros

In 2016 it was time to once again look ahead and expand into yet another unique area of fun flying. The gyroplane has come of age with some magnificent aircraft now available, fully certified and quality assured. We are pleased to become the South Australian dealer for the Magni range of gyroplanes.

The gyroplanes became a big part of our school as we see increasing interest in this unique style of flying. With a continued stream of microlight students and with an ever-growing enthusiasm for our little single seat nanolight trikes, our instructors are busy.

Flying a Magni M16 gyro low across the airstrip

COVID-19

COVID was growing in 2020 at an alarming rate. The world shuts down. Our plans to visit and find new products overseas and bring them into Australia come to a grinding halt. We find ourselves instead becoming COVID marshals, asking customers to check in with QR codes. Signs go up in the briefing office and hangars, bottles of hand sanitiser, disposable covers for the headsets and wiping down aircraft in between students becomes the norm.

Forced shutdowns and restrictions follow us into 2021. Adelaide Airsports plods along and we keep our heads above water, but it has become difficult to supply many of our products and services to our loyal customers. Difficult too to keep staff, and by the end of 2021 we need to restrict the number of students we take on.

Microlight and gyroplane at Strathalbyn Airfield

Focus on gyros

We found ourselves struggling to look after both our microlight and gyro students. We needed to concentrate all our efforts on just one flight discipline. Gyro flying is less weather dependent, less physically demanding, more comfortable and quite simply suits the Chief Flying Instructor better at this stage of his career. A concious decision is made to wind bank, take on fewer students and have more fun! So by the end of 2022, Adelaide Airsports finishes 37 years of teaching hang gliding, nanolights and microlighting, with all our focus now on gyroplanes.

Flying an open gyrocopter low along the coast

Today

We have our hangar full of gyroplanes and are happy with our place within the Australian flying community. We love giving people a taste of flying the gyro, and take on a small number of keen students. We invite them to become part of our growing group of gyroplane pilots and encourage them to join our flying adventures.