Flying in OZ

[robinpiper]

I'm about to visit Australia staying in Perth, Melbourne & Sydney. Has anybody got any experience in obtaining a Australian certificate of validation based on a UK PPL & views on suitable/unsuitable companies that offer familisation/check out & hire.
Would be most interested in hiring either a Robin DR400 or a Diamond DA40 if anyone knows of any available down under.

[DX Wombat]

Send a PM to Charlie Foxtrot India, she has PA28s & 38s at her Flight School (http://www.minovation.com/)and is getting a brand new aircraft - The Boomerang (http://www.dwaviation.com.au/). I'm hoping to have a flight in this the next time I'm out in West Australia. She will probably be able to point you in the right direction with the paperwork. There is a school at Jandakot, West Australia which has DA40s but they are the ones with conventional engines not the Diesel ones with FADEC.

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

I tried to go through the Certificate of Validation process a few years ago, but gave up with the bureaucracy. Part of the problem for me was that I was there over New Year, so the CASA office was not fully staffed.
I flew with Basair at Bankstown (Sydney), but would not recommend them. They were disorganised and the aircraft (a TB10) was poorly maintained.

More info from CASA here (http://www.casa.gov.au/fcl/overbr.htm#validation), including how to obtain the required 'Aviation Reference Number' (ARN).

[ozzieausterdriver]

I am a ''pommie'' who lives in oz and who fly's an Auster on a special pilots licence. CASA make the UK CAA seem like a push over from my experiences with them. The SPL is a nightmare to obtain due to the fact you have to have passport pictures signed by a ''delegate'' or simliar to prove who you are. Not easy when your 10,000 plus miles away in the North Island...so to speak! The latest cost is around $500 AUD.

A validation is not that easy to get due to the time invloved in getting the authorities to release the info required.

Best to come and have a fly with me when your in Melbourne!!

OAD

[oby]

i took out a 172 from with http://www.racwa.asn.au/ out of Perth.

very professional outfit and very reasonable rates...i didnt have a problem as I am still training, so I went out with an instructor. They operate from 2 fields one tarmac, the other gravel so I got some pretty good T&G and full stop practice.

Gr8 ATC @ Perth who cleared me for 2 orbits around the city "follow the river and turn left the WACCA" and its gr8 to get some low level flying in over the sea to check for sharks.

[Phil Space]

Nothing compares to the remote flying experience of Western OZ.

You can trundle up the coast for a few hours to Geraldton or Shark Bay or go south to the old whaling station at Albany. But for me the best bit is the remote flying to beyond the Gold Fields and the desert to Ayers Rock. Not much chance in a PA 28 or 172 over that range though:hmm:

[Islander Jock]

G'day all,
For all those who have faced the frustration with applying for an ASIC so you can exercise the privileges of a C of V in Australia I certainly sympathise with you. It is difficult but not impossible to get your ASIC organised so it will be ready by the time you arrive in Australia.
My first piece of advice is: DO NOT APPLY THROUGH CASA FOR YOUR ASIC. They are incredibly slow in the proccess and have some fairly anal interpretations regarding the ID checking requirements.
You have a myriad of other options for your ASIC as just about every security controlled airport in Australia (including the small one which I am manager of) is an Approved Issuing Authority for the ASIC.

I strongly recommend you contact and organisation called Aviation ID Australia who are located at a place called Merimbula on the NSW south coast. Very friendly and helpful staff there who cater specifically for pilots as an alternative to CASA. Go to their website at www.aviationidaustralia.net.au (http://www.aviationidaustralia.net.au) and see if they can process your application any quicker.
The problem with CASA appears to be the question of who can verify foreign documents such as drivers licence, birth certificate etc. I don't believe CASA's ruling on the certification of these documents is correct.
PM me if anyone would like some specific advice.

One of the most significant delays experienced has been the security checks carried out by Australian Federal Police. The system is due to change over to an online application which can also be made directly by the applicant themselves. This should greatly increase the speed of the ASIC program. The new body responsble for this is the Attorney Generals Dept under a scheme called AUSCHECK. They are experiencing some problems with the rollout of the new system but once online, I think it will prove to be a faster process to what we currently have to put up with.

[ozzieausterdriver]

Good reply from Island Jock.....CASA are a nightmare! If you want a real ozzie experience once out of Perth can I suggest you try a trip to Forrest via Kalgoorlie....right in the Nullabor and quite something.

http://www.forrestairport.com.au/


OAD

[Islander Jock]

A good article by an overseas pilot who has flown in WA appears here http://www.wingsoverasia.com/article.php?story=2007011506004892

As Aussieausterdriver said. If you get the chance, stay at Forrest Airport for the night. Not quite in the middle of outback Australia but you certainly get that feeling when you fly in and out of there. The hosts are very friendly and helpful to the travelling GA community. Avgas is on the pricey side but when you consider how they have to get it delivered, it's understandable.