UK or Australia

[Nathan1986]

Hi guys, im looking for some advice, i have recently been offered a job in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. I work as a Vehicle Engineer and have been offered better pay and many benifits, im currently working towards a PPL here in england. Im sure we all agree that cost is an issue here.

Im only part way through my PPL, and i guess my main question is, is it beneficial for me to learn to fly in australia, i will originally be contracted to 2 years with the company i will be working for, What id love to do is my PPL, CPL and maybe come home when im at this stage to do the ATPL exams. Im worried about conversion costs and how involved it could be? what is required to convert a Australian PPL, CPL or ATPL into a JAA licences respectively? and would an airline in the UK be "put off" with the fact that my original qualifications came from AUS.

Its early stages at the moment so if anybody could point me towards a good club or school in the Mackay area and advise me of costs and hourly rates id be made up,

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and thanks in advance for any comment/advice you may have.

Kind Regards

Nathan

[daria-ox]

You could look for work in Australian airlines?

I don't think that the fact you have trained in Australia would affect getting a job at any airline in the world if you have conversed your licence to JAA/FAA :ok:

[Shunter]

Conversion costs aren't too bad. The same rules apply for all ICAO licenses when converting to JAA.

PPL with <100hrs - all the exams and skills test (training as required).
PPL with >100hrs - Air Law, Radio, skills test (training as required).
CPL - CPL or ATPL exams, skills test (training as required).
IR - IR or ATPL exams, minimum 15hrs training, skills test.
ATPL - exams, skills test.

If you're going airline, just do the ATPL exams; they cover you for both the CPL and IR. There's a lot of bollocks thrown around on here about what airlines do and don't want. I don't work for an airline, but I know a lot of people who do; someone who acquired their JAA CPL/IR or ATPL by converting from another ICAO license is not regarded as being a problem.

[ReverseFlight]

Don't bother with Aussie ATPLs if you're going to work for an airline in the UK. You wouldn't want to be dragged through the Oz frying pan and then land yourself in the UK fire - no ATPL subject exemptions there, and besides, the CAA ones are renown toughies.

If you settle down in Oz and love it here (and you will), you might want to continue as a pilot here and that's the point when you decide to do the Oz ATPLs. If you are lucky enough to get married to an Oz citizen, then all the better for your job prospects here.

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

Get your PPL and build up your hours. By the time you have got a good 175 hours in your logbook, you can decide whether you are going to stay in Aus in which case do the Aus CPL, or if you are going back to the UK in which case do the JAR training and exams when you get back there.

There is absolutely no point in doing the Aus CPL unless you have residency and then "converting" it, trust me the two ways of doing things are very different and you will have to do so much of it again you may as well do it all there rather than try and unlearn stuff.

Trust me I've done both CPLs and instructed in both countries. Good luck!

[whiskey1]

You could alway get your Aussie PPL and then commence JAA ATPL Theory in Australia with Western Australian Aviation College. Get the theory out of the way then do your JAA CPL.
If you then want to convert to Aussie CPL it is just Air Law and A flight test. Much easier than the other way.

W1