Where to do MECIR in NSW

[zoolander777]

I'm planning on doing the MECIR and wondering if you guys/gals can recommend a place where I won't get ripped off.:ugh:

I'm currently considering Whitworth aviation, but was told it's cheaper if I go to Camden as the approaches are based there and I would be able to save some cash.

Please Help!!!!!

[help me jebus]

11111111111

[heywatchthis]

Agree with Jebus,

If Billy Whitworth is still going, thats the place to go..

[das Uber Soldat]

unless you do it with bill himself, no, no it isn't.

[The Hill]

RNAC, im sure AM can source a duchy from somewhere, cost me $3300 for MECIR (NDB/VOR)

[AnyGivenSunday99]

John Newby at Inverell Aviation is the master.

All completed in the aircraft - no sim - for about the same price as what you would expect to pay at the larger schools. Being only a small operation, you have his complete and undivided attention. You'll get great training, and have it done quickly as well.

Accomodation readily availiable. Navaids all close by. Will also do ILS and RNAV for the same price.

Best advice I was given - you get what you pay for.:ok::ok:

[kalavo]

Does the question even need to be asked? Kev and Jamie at Johnston Aviation!

[40Deg STH]

Go to Whitworth!!
Bill gave the Wright brothers their MEIR. His experience, patients and good humour you cannot beat. He must have done 1/2 the guys in major carriers who came out of NSW.
When I renew my Aus IR I go to know one else but Bill and I have a house in Camden and learned to fly there over 27 years ago.
He is the new Ken Andrews!!:ok:

Bill is like a good red, improves with time. You can sit on a flight deck with 3 or 4 Aussies on a long haul flight and we all know and admire Bill Whitworth. You will get 20,000+ hours experience and knowledge at no extra cost.:ok:

[TwoTango]

it's cheaper if I go to Camden as the approaches are based there and I would be able to save some cash.

To paraphrase an old advert for Dassault Falcons, "Cheaper isn't better. Better is better." Yes, instrument ratings are expensive, but the corollary of that is that saving a small amount on something that costs a large amount isn't necessarily good value. You have to ask yourself, when you are in the sh*t, with an engine out, cloud down to the minima and several thousand feet of mountains around you, do you want your training to have been carried out by the lowest bidder?

That's not to say that the best schools will be the most expensive, but I would honestly suggest that your key criteria for choosing where to do the rating should be the quality of training you receive, not the sticker price.

In addition to the suggestion of Bill Whitworth, who I have only heard good things about, you may want to consider some places further afield. Peter Bini Flight Training in Melbourne seems to keep coming up as a recommendation here (can't vouch for them myself, so someone else will have to fill in details). In the opposite direction from Sydney, Bob Harris up in Innisfail has a very good reputation, on-site accommodation which I can't imagine being more expensive than Sydney, and a plethora of contacts in north Queensland (which may not be terribly useful right at this point in time, but when things pick up again I'd wager you'd be more likely to find an IFR job for a low-time pilot in north Queensland than Sydney...). A number of people I know swear by him (no doubt having once been sworn at by him :ok:).

Wherever it is you chose, I'd suggest you take the time to find out what is and isn't involved, what the prices cover, what the instructor or instructors are like, etc. A little bit of legwork prior to starting might save you a lot of grief in the long run. Personally I'd steer clear of the mass production style of operations, though I am sure there will be others who will disagree with that sentiment.

Good luck with the rating!

TT

[Ted D Bear]

True, CN has an NDB and RNAV approach but you'll still need to climb to start the approach and you may as well do that on the way from Bankstown - which is only a few minutes (the time you'll need to climb) away. ILS will need to be done at Richmond anyway, plus you'll need to do SIDs and STARs (which are BK based, not CN).

Can't do better than Bill Whitworth for the MECIR. He's a legend for a reason! Sure, JWW desperately needs a new paint job - but it's always flying, so probably won't ever get it!

Ted

[snoop doggy dog]

Bill gets the thumbs up :ok:

He good to fly with, has some good stories and has a lot of good experience.

When I renew my Aussie licence/ rating I go to Bill and he gets the job done :)

I did my Instrument Rating years ago with AFTS at Bankstown. The CFI there Rob Marshall did it for me back then. I was also very good and I think he took over Steve Curtis's operation at Camden. Curtis Aviation may be worth a look at as well.

Good luck :cool: