JAR PPL renewal in Australasia

[RedKnight]

Hi folks - I currently own a JAR PPL (awarded in Q1 2010 via the UK CAA upon passing my flight test and ground exams in the UK) that is due for renewal in Q1 2012. Given that I am currently based in the Far East, I am considering ways and means in which I will be able to renew this license without having to travel back to the UK (or Europe). Does anyone have any ideas? Happy to travel around the region to get this done. I haven't flown for about a year now but I am very keen to spend a couple of hours (or more - whatever's necessary to get me back to the required level of proficiency) in the air. Also happy to pursue either of the two renewal paths depending on the instructor's preference or examiner's assessment of my abilities. In short - I want to keep the license valid, and I'm looking to do this in the Australasia region. Will need to do this over a fairly short and intense period of time (couple of days?) since I'll be taking time off work and in all likelihood, will have to travel overseas to accomplish this task. Not sure how feasible this but it I'd ideally like to train under a JAR-certified instructor at a regional FBO over X number of weekends to get myself back up to par.... but there seems to be a dire dearth of such professionals who are based in the region for an extended period.

Any ideas/leads please?

[BackPacker]

First, your license consists of several components (PPL, SEP class rating, medical) which each have different expiry times. But three years is not a default expiry period so if you got your license in Q1 2010 the first renewal (of your SEP class rating) would be in Q1 2012, not 2013. (Edited: I see you have corrected your post now. Forget about this.)

Furthermore, you haven't flown for a year now. How likely is it that you're going to fly regularly in the upcoming year, assuming you'll still be based in Australasia? Is getting your SEP C/R renewed *now* not going to be a waste of money?

Why not let your SEP C/R lapse for now, wait until you get back in a location/position where you are able to fly regularly again, and then do a license renewal with a JAA examiner? If this happens within five years of expiry, it's actually a rather simple process.

Full details are of course in LASORS (sections F1.5 and F1.6, from memory).

As much as I'd like to encourage people to fly regularly, I realise that some people end up in situations (either location or financially) where flying regularly is simply not an option for a while. In that case, why waste money trying to keep a piece of paper valid which you're not going to put to good use anyway?

[RedKnight]

First, your license consists of several components (PPL, SEP class rating, medical) which each have different expiry times. But three years is not a default expiry period so if you got your license in Q1 2010 the first renewal (of your SEP class rating) would be in Q1 2012, not 2013. (Edited: I see you have corrected your post now. Forget about this.)Indeed I was referring to my SEP rating which expires in Q1 2012.

Furthermore, you haven't flown for a year now. How likely is it that you're going to fly regularly in the upcoming year, assuming you'll still be based in Australasia? Is getting your SEP C/R renewed *now* not going to be a waste of money?I imagine it to be fairly likely that I will be able to resume regular flying next year as I intend to move to the UK (or the US) in H2 2012. Hence I think it would be prudent and valuable for me to clock up some time in the logbook between now and then just to keep myself plugged into the scene.

Why not let your SEP C/R lapse for now, wait until you get back in a location/position where you are able to fly regularly again, and then do a license renewal with a JAA examiner? If this happens within five years of expiry, it's actually a rather simple process.This is certainly an option that I may be forced to exercise, but for now I am exploring options that do not entail me having to allow my rating to lapse.

As much as I'd like to encourage people to fly regularly, I realise that some people end up in situations (either location or financially) where flying regularly is simply not an option for a while. In that case, why waste money trying to keep a piece of paper valid which you're not going to put to good use anyway?Flying is a passion of mine and I'd like to do it in any case. Keeping the "piece of paper" valid is a concurrent goal that I would ideally like to accomplish. I fully acknowledge that my current circumstances inhibit me from regular flying, but I don't think that I should be forced to renounce it all-together. That said, if there really isn't a viable alternative, then I will likely have to place this on the back burner for the near future.

Thanks for your feedback.

[BackPacker]

Well, in that case I'd let my C/R just lapse until back in the UK. Then take a few refresher lessons, do the LST with the examiner and you're good to go.

At the moment you can't revalidate by experience anyway, and the difference between a License Proficiency Check and License Skill Test is relatively small. (I think the LST has a nav portion in it, which the LPC doesn't, but surely somebody will be around shortly with the details.) But the difference will be smaller than the expense of doing an LPC now, considering your current situation, anyway.

[XLC]

Funny, I am more or less in the same case as you as my rating's renewal is for March next year. The difference though is that I fly quite intensively when in Northern Thailand. In the Far East there are several countries where the GA is available to keep up with the flying (Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong). Sometimes you could meet there some JAA's rated instructors that can help you. If I recall there are also visiting JAA instructors (Malaysia I believe).

If you have the time and the finances I would suggest you to keep flying, not only for the practice but also for the climatic and cultural differences with other countries. It is a great learning school and at times the landscape is simply superb.

[RedKnight]

Funny, I am more or less in the same case as you as my rating's renewal is for March next year. The difference though is that I fly quite intensively when in Northern Thailand.Could you please share more about your experience flying in Northern Thailand? How does that fit into the JAR regime? I looked into this some time ago and it seems that one needs to obtain a local license to pursue flying in Thailand even on a remotely regular basis?

In the Far East there are several countries where the GA is available to keep up with the flying (Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong). Sometimes you could meet there some JAA's rated instructors that can help you. If I recall there are also visiting JAA instructors (Malaysia I believe).I've looked at all of these options... the GA scene is dire (to say the least) in Hong Kong and Singapore. It's reasonably active in Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. (Not entirely sure about Japan, though I imagine it to be fairly active too.) But whilst FBOs at all of these countries offer vanilla PPL training packages, I've yet to come across any that offer JAR validation/training.

[XLC]

Hi RedKnight,

1. Thailand:
yes, you need to obtain a Thai licence; two options here: (1) starting from zero again, or (2) applying for a 'dependent' licence. For this you need to have a valid overseas licence + medical; you will also need to pass two exams (Air Law and HR). That is all. Oh yes, be ready for some paperwork.

2. JAA/FAA instructors in Asia
Yes, you might need a JAA instructor for the rating, but I do not think you need to do that in a plane registered in the JAA-region. There are FAA and JAA instructors that are visiting the region at times (or living here). Provided you are allowed to fly as P1 and the instructor too the job can be done. There might a legal issue though for him/her in terms of work permit/visum but that is another topic. If you google you will find some threads about some offering this service (often airline pilots); alternatively you could also start a thread about this.

[RedKnight]

Hi all - a quick update.

With the deadline looming not far ahead (as mentioned, my rating is due to expire in Q1 2012), I have been digging into this further and I might have caught a lucky break.

I have been in talks with Omni Aviation in the Philippines and it seems like I will be able to undergo flight and currency training for a couple of days there next month, with the intention of training to obtain an instrument rating (though not actually acquiring it given that I do not possess a Philippines license) and perhaps more importantly, to renew my JAA PPL SEP rating. I understand that these ratings can be either renewed via experience (12 hrs of flying including 6 hrs as PIC, 12 take-offs and landings, as well as 1 hr dual instruction with a JAA instructor) or via a proficiency checkride with a flight examiner. Clearly I intend to go down the first path due to the lack of JAA flight examiners in the region.

Assuming I accumulate the necessary experience in the Philippines (12 hrs of flying with 12 take-offs and landings), there are two issues that need to be addressed:

1- Regulations require that I receive 1 hour of dual instruction from a JAA instructor. Will the CAA recognise any time logged as P/UT outside Europe? In other words, can I even log any hours as P/UT outside Europe despite not possessing a local license, even if I am indeed undergoing immediate instruction from a JAR instructor (who is authorised to fly and instruct locally)?

2- Regulations require that I operate as PIC for 6 of the 12 hours flown in the 12 months preceding the expiry of the rating. Will the CAA will recognise my hours logged in the Philippines as PIC despite not actually possessing a Philippines license? I imagine that I will be logging a few hours at P/UT whilst undergoing training, and I will be logging my remaining hours as P1. Although an instructor will be on board the aircraft at any given time, he/she won't exercise any form of positive control over the aircraft whilst I operate as P1.

Many thanks in advance for your kind thoughts.