View Full Version : Help me choose-Canada, USA or Australia.
Hello. I tried to look if someone already asked this question but did not find the info. So, if you could help me choose a country and maybe a school to become a professional pilot - I would appreciate that.
I'm leaning towards Canada as I am from a cold european country with four seasons and I would like to train in similar weather conditions. But then is it possible to get JAA license in Canada?
Thanks for your time and answers.
Lat3ralus
5th Aug 2009, 04:03
I would recommend TVSA at Melbourne, Australia, mainly because one of the courses they offer provides a Australian CPL licence, and the JAA licence. So you sort of get two licenses in one course, and by the time you finish, you can decide of you want to stay here in Australia and work for a while, or go back to Europe to pursue a career there.
TopGunGB
6th Aug 2009, 21:01
Unfortunately, there are no schools in Canada offering JAA instruction at the moment (not that I know of). I recommend doing the training in the UK. The airspace is quite challenging and you'd be spoiled for choice with many excellent FTOs available. However, the cost of training is fairly steep.
Hope you find what you're looking for! :ok:
I am from a cold european country with four seasons
Your profile says Dubai..which one is it now?
Why not go FAA and eventually (if you need it) convert to JAA/EASA?
I'm from Lithuania, currently living in Dubai and working as a cabin crew but planning to leave and become a pilot :)
Found the school in Florida called 'Naples Air Center' , that is authorized to FAA-JAA conversion. Anyone studied there? Any experience you could share? Thanks.
Found some previous threads about Naples...must say opinions are not very good :(
USav8or
7th Aug 2009, 10:28
AUSMA - I did what you're trying to do some 16 years ago, picked the US and have never regretted it... Having said that, things have changed greatly since 9/11 so it will be more difficult for you now...
The most important thing won't necessarily be the flight school but rather the kind of visa your flight school can sponsor you with as you'll need to build some flight time before you return home...
PM me if you want and I'll be glad to give you my take on things... I have no connections to any current flight schools out there but will be glad to share the 'steps' you'll have to take to start your training here...
Be careful - lots of greedy folks out there who’ll try to take an advantage of you... Do your homework before you spend one penny (or centas ;)) whether in the US, Canada, UK or anywhere else...
ReverseFlight
7th Aug 2009, 11:34
... one of the courses they offer provides a Australian CPL licence, and the JAA licence.
Ausma never mentioned CASA - he just wants JAA.
... you can decide of you want to stay here in Australia ...
He is from a cold european country and would like to train in similar weather conditions. Melbourne isn't exactly cold by global standards - it gets the occasional frost but hardly ever any snow.
Ausma is not a 'HE', Ausma is a 'SHE' :O Somebody suggested to me 'The Flying Academy of Czech Republic' www.euro-pilot.com (http://www.euro-pilot.com) . What do you guys think about that school? JAA, no visa required, close to my home country, cheaper than UK and the weather wise- it would be just perfect for me :ok:
ReverseFlight
7th Aug 2009, 23:23
Ausma, my apologies if you are offended :\ I used "he" as a generic expression.
I fully agree you should stay in Czech, such a beautiful country. I miss Praha - strolling down the hill from the catherdral, over the bridge and wandering around the square beyond.:ok:
ReverseFlight, no apologies, it's all good :ok:
USav8or
9th Aug 2009, 05:12
Personally I think it's not so much about a specific flight school as it is about the job opportunities AFTER your flight training that matters the most...
So whichever country and flight school offers you the best work visa and employment opportunities to build up your flight time is probably the best choice for you... Since both Lithuania (I assume you're using an LTU passport?) and the Czech Republic are now in the EU at least you shouldn't have to worry about a work visa...
nastyevil110
17th Aug 2009, 16:02
Do not ever think about to do any kind of training in AUSTRALIA if you want career and value for money dont go to AUSTRALIA noooooooooo you would be regreting here so many good places for training round the world i would rather prefer going to phillipines instead of AUSTRALIA dont do it rest is up to you....
scottiel8
16th Sep 2009, 10:59
ello there matey!
sorry late with post. In order to work out where you would train you need to know where you want to live and what type of work you seek!!!
i currently live in brisbane but have FCL (Flight crew licences) from USA,AUSTRALIA and have quite a bit of flight time from Canada. (europe too)
if you plan to eventually gain JAA and go airline, Australia is definately not the place for you.
The syllabus here is designed specifically for the australian environment! i.e. remote navigation, day / night "VFR", unlicenced landing strips and basic country flying. The instrument rating too, is set up mostly for non towered airports and Class G / Class D (UNCONTROLLED AIRSPACE) flight. (unless in SYD or MEL). Perfect for australia but no good for an international student, not affiliated with an airline that will take care of differences training.
FAA system however in MY opinion is perfect. from the start you are in amongst Airline , IFR and regular public transport aircraft giving the student a brilliant idea of what is required to reach dizzy heights. Navigation via established airways and almost always operating in controlled irspace. (this depends on your location in USA. I recommend california)
The cost is a quarter of that of Australian training.
I always tell friends, "i got my licences in Australia but i learnt to fly in California"
Just my opinion...
good luck:ok:
FougaMagister
16th Sep 2009, 13:16
Ausma - I was in your shoes a few years ago. I had a permanent Cabin Crew contract with a BA franchise airline in the UK, and left it to start flight training. I evaluated different options, took some advice from pilot colleagues, and finally headed to Florida (PPL, night Q, MEP[L], hour building). The main reasons for going Stateside were (and still are) time and money. However, I didn't want to face the extra work and expense of converting from FAA to JAA, so chose a JAA-approved FTO, so all licences/ratings were JAA from the outset.
I chose an ATPL groundschool in Britain (having no technical or scientific background and not being a native English speaker, I preferred to do full-time, residential groundschool). CPL then took place in a JAA-approved FTO in... South Africa (there was one at the time), since the US FTO had stopped offering JAA courses. IR and MCC followed in the UK.
The reason for going as far as Florida or South Africa had to do with limited finances, but it's important to choose the FTO offering the best value for money (not necessarily the cheapest quote) and the FTO and conditions that suit you best. That means getting a lot of info on several FTOs, then doing a selection based on a number of factors; as you mentioned, location is one, flying weather another. Also, choosing between the modular or integrated route. However, by going far one can sometimes save money; in that respect, it's hard to beat the flight training costs offered in the US or Canada.
Training under JAA rules (provided you want to eventually work in the old continent) simplifies things as no conversion is required. However, there are some JAA-approved FTOs in the US and even one in Canada I believe. There are also some good FTOs in Spain for instance. The Flying Academy in Brno seems OK, but some of their quotes (PPL, night qualification, hour building rates, MCC course) look a bit steep! Others (CPL, IR) look quite reasonable...
Always remember that any quote provided by an FTO is based on the minimum legal hours; in reality, you have to plan for unforeseen circumstances (some extra training, weather or licensing delays, etc.), so a realistic budget should be 20-25% higher than the FTO's "minimum hours" quote.
PM me if you need more specific info - I don't want to "advertise" for any particular flying school on the forum.
Cheers :cool:
ReverseFlight
16th Sep 2009, 14:34
FAA system however in MY opinion is perfect.
Don't know if I can go as far as that, but you'll appreciate from another recent post of mine in a separate thread that I agree there's a lot going for the FAA system in the USA (see post #25):
http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/388491-all-good-pilots-good-instructors-2.html
scottiel8
19th Sep 2009, 08:39
I SUPPOSE MY "PERFECT" STATEMENT WAS RELATIVE. HAVING INITALLY TRAINED IN AUSTRALIA, PERFECT WAS THE MOST SUITABLE WORD...
SCOTT:ok:
SweetChariotXV
19th Sep 2009, 11:10
Found the school in Florida called 'Naples Air Center' , that is authorized to FAA-JAA conversion. Anyone studied there? Any experience you could share?
Hi Ausma,
I was in the same position as you 3 yrs ago, was out in DXB working for EK, wasn't sure where to go, ended up doing PPL at Naples Air Centre. So from my personal experience there, and all the other guys I have subsequently kept in contact with, DON'T go there!!! There are so many reasons, all bad. The owners, the aircraft, their practices of screwing you over. :mad:
Anyway did get PPL, but would not recommend NAC to anyone. Now currently half way through ATPL's in the UK. And to be honest, working out the sums, for me I think it has worked out cheaper doing training here rather than going to the States to do it. Once you take out the costs of airfares, car rental, hotels whilst looking for accomodation, the FAA IR you must do which is incorpirated with course, and the extra hours you will do back in Europe to familiarize yourself for IR, it all adds up.
There are so many opions, which you can tailor yourself to make work best for you. For example, just one route which is feasable if you are looking to budget your training but retain quality;
* FAA PPL in the states (FAA school - far cheaper)
* ATPL ground school in the UK (definately cheaper than NAC costs)
* hour building in the States (not Florida, go Cali and test yourself) and Europe (gives you experience in both and reduces costs)
* CPL in the UK
* IR in the UK, at same school - airlines like you to do CPL and IR at same place
* MCC where you choose. Plenty of options and places in UK to do it.
The above route is the way I have done it / doing it. With exception of FAA PPL, I got JAA PPL, although in hindsight, didn't need to, just ended being an added expense.
Don't get sold the FTO sales pitch. They are doing anything to rope you in for the whole lot (0 hours - fATPL), and charge you an arm and a leg for it too.
But definately take route that works best for you both financially, and personally. The option I suggested may not be right for you. All I am saying is, everyone's circumstances are different. But just research properly and choose wisely!
Best of luck.