Which route from 0 to airline

[NYCSavage]

I have posted this on the Private Pilots forum but thought that you pros might not look in that forum and suggest a better idea....
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I am a newbie to all this stuff.

I want a career as a pilot and so I have been looking around for the best options.....

I figured it would cost me £3000(ish) to get my JAA PPL and from there I could go to get my CPL so that I could fly frieght whilst building hours to finally go for an airline pilots license.

But SilverKnapper decided to play with my head and explain to me that there is another, cheaper way....

ICAO PPL

what is this? is it cheaper? could I still go for an airline job eventually? if it is cheaper than what is different to the JAA? Can I use it in UK? Can I train for it in UK? Or is it cheaper to go to USA?

Could someone please answer this in laymens terms? (In basic english for me as I am a newbie remember)

[englishal]

Myself, I would go the conversion route. A lot of people poo-poo this route, but I think if people are clever you can go from 0 to ATPL for less than £30k.

In fact one European FTO (I won't publish their name here as I'd probably be in breach of Pprune advertising rules :D) are advertising for Interns if you are prepared to live and work in California (who wouldn't?) for a couple of years. Their website claims that the course from 0 to FAA CPL/IR CFI CFII MEI including JAA PPL in the UK is £29,900. After you have completed this you work for them, paid, while building your hours, they provide accomodation etc. At the same time you do the ATPL ground exams via distance learning, and take the writtens in the UK. Once you have 1500hrs they will provide a conversion course for the Intern in the UK.

So all being well, for £29,900 you walk away after 2 years with FAA ATP, JAA ATPL, and 1500 hrs, and probably a substantial amount of ME time. Can't be bad can it?

EA;)

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi NYCSavage,

Firstly I believe a quick explanation of the different flavours of the Private Pilots Licence, otherwise known as a PPL, is in order.

There is an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that has created International Standards for Flight Crew Licencing as well as other areas of aviation.

Now the ICAO do not issue licences themselves. Instead individual countries, or collection of countries, choose whether or not their own Flight Crew licencing will be based upon the ICAO standards or not.

Most, if not all, countries flight crew licences are based upon the ICAO standards.

So from this we can deduce that a JAA PPL is a European version of the ICAO PPL. Similarly the FAA PPL is the American version of the ICAO PPL. As is the South African, Canadian, Australian... I think you get the picture... as long as the country in which you have your licence issued has based it upon the ICAO PPL then that is what you'll have in its many disguises.

If. for example, you obtain an FAA PPL in the USA. This is an ICAO PPL. You'll be able to use the PPL in N Reg aircraft anywhere in the world and our own CAA in the UK also allows you to use your FAA (or any other ICAO) PPL in G Registerered aeroplanes... so yes you can use it back home.

So armed with your ICAO PPL (be it an FAA PPL, JAA PPL etc) then what do you need to do to be able to be paid to fly on UK registered aeroplanes?

You'll need a JAA CPL and if you want to do more than instructing, banner towing etc, then you'll also require an IR.

To obtain a JAA CPL/IR you'll need to complete a knowledge course. As you are aiming eventually for the airlines then you'll need to do the JAA ATPL Theoretical Course which has 14 exams associated with it. To start an JAA ATPL Theoretical Course you require an ICAO PPL. Any country PPL will do as long as it conforms to ICAO.

Once you have your ATPL exams all passed then you'll have to ensure you have at least 150 hours total time including 100 hours of pilot in command time. Once you have this you undertake the JAA CPL flight course and flight test. Once this is passed you'll have an JAA CPL.

To be able fly freight then an IR is an absolute must nowadays. You'll need to undergo flight training for the JAA IR and undertake the flight test.

Once this is passed you'll be a JAA CPL/IR.

This is also the basic licence you require to apply to the airlines. But the airlines also expect you to have a few more hours than the minimum and normally a Multi Crew Co-Operation Course completed (MCC).

Hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[Jinkster]

One book to buy to answer all your questions which I highly recommend.

The Guide to Getting a CPL by Clive Hughes

Well worth the cost and full of info.

Jinkster

[NYCSavage]

thanks everyone for your great help

charlie zulu, thank you for explaining everything to me in simple terms, it makes it so much easier to understand

jinkster, im looking on amazon for that book, thank you also

[BIG MISTER]

http://www.ppl-atpl.demon.co.uk/


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