Casa To Jaa??

[duggie1979]

Hi all , I have a question for anyone who is interested!
Ok , first ill explain my current situation .
I am a 30 year old Irish guy in the middle of a CASA PPL here in oz. I am seriously considering carrying on and getting CASA CPL . I believe that the oppertunitys for newly qualified commercial pilots here in oz are much better than in JAA land at the minute.
Idealy when qualified, what i would plan on doing is (fingers crossed) get work flying in the outback, doing charter, agricultural, or whatever sort of flying i could get. I would imagine that if things work out i would be returning home in a 2 or 3 years with at least 1000 hours under my belt. I am obviously aware of the conversion process back to JAA , which is a hassle, but i personally think that 1000 or more hours in my log book with a CASA license would be a much greater benifit than completing a JAA CPL in JAA land with no work at the end of it given the current market, even though i have to convert the CASA license.
So my question , :
How would this path to ATPL look to prospective airline interview panels in in the UK or Ireland in the future?
Would the time logged in oz be as valuable as being logged somewhere in JAA land?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
Duggie.

[ab33t]

The only thing that may set you back slightly could be your lack of experience in EU airspace other than that a plane is a plane

[whiskey1]

Duggie,
Are you allowed to work in Australia with the Visa you have?
Might make working in Australia academic.
Although there are some JAA Schools in Australia now.

[duggie1979]

Whiskey, i am counting on getting a skilled working visa as i am a motor mechanic by trade.This will cover me for flight training and for working here.
JAA training here is an option, but im guessing its a lot more expensive than CASA training?I havent really researched it to be honest. What JAA schools do you know of here?
Duggie.

[Hot High Heavy]

Duggie, sorry no answers from me but glad you posted this as i am weighing up a similar situation in the near future. Just completing a CPL in Moorabbin but also have a Brit Passport so heading over there is an option too (although some way down the track once the market picks up).

Where about's are you flying in Aust?

Whiskey1 - where are the JAA schools in Aust?

Cheers

[duggie1979]

77, I am training in Parafield north Adelaide. Are you confident of getting work here when your done?How long to get through your CPL?

[whiskey1]

Western Australian Aviation College does Integrated and Modular Distance Learning Ground school.
WA Aviation College (http://www.waaviationcollege.com.au/)
Think there is a school at Baccus Marsh that does Integrated throught Sweeden. TVSA IIRC

W1

[Hot High Heavy]

dugie1979 - Haven't been to Parafield but heard its a pretty busy GAAP.. actually arent they all?
I should be done in the next 2 weeks, have taken this week off work to do as much as i can as flying weekends only takes ages, especially in Melb where it seems to be IMC every other weekend! Got a nav to Albury tomorrow and some more CTA work and some more solo time then should be good to go.
Its not looking too good for work, instructor rating is an option but i have been told that i have to source students and wont be given students until i've proved myself. MECIR is also an option but will prob be wasted if i cant use it straight away.
I might go north and see what i can find. Ill do (almost) anything!!
How far are you off PPL?

[Hot High Heavy]

W1 - thanks for the info, i have heard of TVSA now that you mention them!

[duggie1979]

77, Im still doing circuits but i only started training 3 weeks ago.i am flying 3 - 4 times a week so i hope to have it knocked off by the end of jan.
Yeah Parafield can get pretty busy, circuits can get busy and on a couple of occasions we had to delay start because they were full.
Got a price for a JAA CPL in Perth with RACWAAC £ 68,000 0-ATPL!!And you have to take a trip to UK for a medical!!It looks ok if money wasnt a factor!!Well out of my range though..there are plenty other ways of getting to ATPL for less money!!What i might do is stay here in oz and build hours for CPL, then head back to JAA land and do the rest!How was you nav to Albury?

[whiskey1]

Once you have your PPL you could do the JAA Theory via Distance Learning with WAAC. Go down the Modular route. Hours build then CPL in Europe (on holiday) then easy to convert to a CASA CPL just the Air Law exam and the CASA Flight test.

[duggie1979]

W1, Yeah thats a possibility. Do you have any experience of WAAC? I have contaced them again to see what they can offer as far as distance atpls! Cheers.

[Hot High Heavy]

Dugie - sounds as though you are hammering through the flying, doing it 3-4 times per week although dont envy you sweating it out in that Adelaide heat in a C152 or PA28!!
You idea of getting a CPL here first then heading over sounds like a good idea although do you reckon there's more chance of you getting a job here rather than over there?
Albury nav was great although pretty long (3.9 all up!). It was CPL pre licence flight so had all the tricks of forced landings, diversions, instrument flying, NDB/VOR stuff, low level, CTA work and heaps of general questions about things. Feeling pretty good for the flight test next now though!
JT77

[duggie1979]

77, I do think there is better chance of employment here for a freshly qualified CPL, and the flying here for such a person would be heaps more exciting as what could be offered in Europe!
In Europe we dont have the same market for small charter operations as here in oz, so the opertuninitys are not the same in that sense, and sorry if it offends anyone , but i think that bush flying or charter work experience here would be heaps more educational and fulfilling (for me anyway) than sitting in the right hand seat of an airliner !!
I think id prefer to get some experience with smaller charter operations before i go down that road.
Sounds like you were kept busy on the nav!Im looking forward to getting into that!When i get the PPL im going to take a few hour building trips round the country!Any pointers or ideas on cheap hire?
Good luck for the next test.
Take it easy! Duggie.

[Hot High Heavy]

Duggie - apols for late reply!
There are some great trips for hour building that will take in some great scenery too. I did one up to Broken Hill / Leigh Creek / Wilpena Pound / Renmark / Robe / Melbourne that was great and pulled in a few hours. Otherwise head north for Bourke then on into Northern QLD. Its a long way and you'll prob be sick of flying by the time you get up there but the scenery is amazing! In terms of cheap hire, from what i can tell most schools / clubs (at least in Melb) are very similar. I'd try and go for something that gets you a better TAS at a good rate such as an Archer which you can get for Warrior rates but is a bit faster. A C182 is good also.
I got the CPL on friday so its decision time now!
Merry Xmas!:ok:

[Dreamshiner]

Read with interest however I'm a little more advanced in my career than Duggie.

My Mrs has been offered a visa in Oz as she is on the SOL and in high demand (Intensive Care Paediatric Nurse). I hold a JAA CPL/ME/IR with passes on all 14 ATPL's, 1230TT and a JAA 757/767 TR.

Obviously I'd have to convert, am I looking at sitting all 14 exams again under CASA or is there a way out as I understand its much the same.

Secondly I know this works in the US under the FAA but can I combine my CPL/IR/ME checkride with the LST if I need a new jet Type Rating at the same time (a 2 for 1)?

[redsnail]

For starters, it's not 14 ATPL exams in Australia, thank goodness.
What are the chances of you obtaining your UK ATPL before transferring? Reason I ask is that licences are transferrable, not exams.

I would research the CASA requirements on their website, it's pretty straight forward but there are things you need to do before heading out.

Amazingly, there is some recruitment happening at the moment.

[Dreamshiner]

Hi Readsnail,

I have seen that recently, one of the many things that is making this more of a 'when' opposed to an 'if'. Problem is I am rated on an a/c that since the downturn, every single airline that has constricted or folded has been on my type (Oasis Hong Kong apart).

Ideally I'd get something tomorrow that would allow me to convert my JAA ATPL but it doesn't look too rosy at present.

I sent an email to CASA licencing department looking for clarification 2 weeks ago, no reply, is this normal?

Thanks again

DS

[redsnail]

I doubt they'd be "lenient" as such... They are also well known for being s l o w in replying.

However, there are only (hahaha... :ooh:) 4 ATPL exams to do in Oz. But they aren't a walkover, but with your 767 time it should be a bit more straight forward.

You'll more than likely need to do a CPL bridging exam (you'll laugh, it'll be mainly on pistons...) and the IR theory paper. (Not so easy...)

The IR flight test is no joke. You'll be expected to present the examiner up to date charts (either Jepps or DAPS) and you'll be expected to know your legal requirements WRT to the IR. NDB approaches are tested, a fail on that item = a fail on the IR. (That was the case 10 years ago)

Enjoy

[Dreamshiner]

14 to 4, guessing they are longer papers combining a 3/4 JAA topics.

How did you find they compare, much of a muchness?

Trying hard to unfreeze my ATPL but trying to break in to something here is proving sole destroying in the current market.

[redsnail]

What you'll find is that the Australian ATPL papers concentrate on turboprops and bigger. No piston stuff and only a little bit on props.

Remember how much stuff you had to learn for the JAA? Well, instead of it being "spread out" per se, it's a lot deeper. The toughest paper for me was flight planning. You having flown a "heavy" should be able to make a lot more sense of it all which is useful.

They don't take 6 months to do either! There are a few theory guys around that can get you through them fairly quickly.

I would do the CPL bridging paper and the IREX. That'll "get you working" as such. Then knock off the 4 ATPL papers. As you have a JAA licence, it may not apply but I know Virgin Blue were not accepting CASA ATPLs based on an ATPL bridging exam. (Folks would head to the US and get the FAA ATPL theory done and then head back to Australia with it, thus avoiding the dreaded CASA ATPL theory)