Private License in UK vs Australia

[J101]

Hi there,

I'm planning on getting my PPL - I'll be living in London from next year and I'll be going to Australia later this year for a holiday (I'm from Oz; I have UK residence, so visas aren't a problem for either place).

I'm thinking I can do one of two things:

- Either do the whole lot in the UK

- Get as far as the GFPT in Australia which is about 40 hours, then do the remaining time in the UK to bring it up to PPL standard. The GFPT does not include the cross-country navigation part of the full PPL. I don't think I'll have enough time to do the full PPL in Australia.

I'm thinking the GFPT in Australia is a good idea. AFAIK at A$200/hr (about GBP100/hr) with instructor it's cheaper. Also I could do it full time for a month cf weekends only in the UK, so it will save a lot of time.

Any comments about UK flying schools near west London are welcome.

Also things like.... weather - if I train in the UK, will I get many lessons cancelled due to weather. I'd be starting in winter, if that makes any difference.

Costs in UK?

How easy/difficult is it to transfer the 40 hours of an Australian GFPT into the UK system?

:)

[julian_storey]

You can fly a 'G' reg aircraft (by day, VFR) with any ICAO licence.

Why not get the licence in Australia, then just spend a couple of hours here with an instructor familiarising yourself with any differences - primarily with respect to UK airspace and RT?

[BackPacker]

You might find this thread useful:

http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/384802-ppl-start-oz-continue-uk.html

Mods, maybe combine them?

[Tinstaafl]

The GFPT is 20 hours minimum, not 40 (if minimum is what you meant in your post). Five of the those twenty hours must be solo. PPL is 40 hours minimum, of which 10 must be solo. That 40 hours includes GFPT time.

Note that the GFPT is an optional test on the way to a PPL. Most people do it because it removes or reduces some of the limitations but it's not a requirement. Another advantage is that items tested during the GFPT don't have to be tested on the PPL flight test. Without a GFPT *everything* has to be done on the PPL test.

Of course I've quoted minimum allowable time & most people take something more than that. How much more depends on the student's aptitude, study amount, age, frequency of training & weather, amongst other things. Can't do much about your age, but being well prepared & flying more frequently - especially in the early stages - in weather that's appropriate for the stage of training will tend to reduce the overall time to reach a standard of skill.