AUZZ ATPL FLT Test requirement..

[outboundjetsetter]

hi everyone, have noticed the new requirement of a CASA flight test to be in place by Dec 4th, if i'm to convert my foreign icao ATPL. ( I have a auzzi cpl/ IREX) and am just weighing up my options.

Would anyone have any idea if there is to be a weight/spec requirement for the aircraft/sim ATPL flight test?
I had a look at the draft CARS on Casa's website but didn't find anything.
e.g some countries require the flight test to be in a 'complex' multi crew aircraft above 5700kg etc etc..or might one expect to do the test in anything with two conventional props e.g the faa atp can be down in a duchess/seminole type machine...? this extra cost and hassle would be the deciding factor for me to return home and upgrade my cpl.

[LexAir]

(5) For paragraph (3) (c), the flight test for the air transport pilot licence with the aeroplane category rating must be conducted under the IFR in:
(a) a multi‑engine turbine‑powered aeroplane that is configured for flight, and operated, with a co‑pilot; or
(b) an approved flight simulator for the flight test.

[Turkeyslapper]

Gday

Does anyone know if there will be some kind of transition period ie I live overseas at the moment, am half way through my ATPL exams and will be unlikely to get them all done by December 4. Is there likely to be provision for people who commenced training "under the old system"...basically, will I have to do the new flight test? Don't really want to spend the extra money :}

I am sure there is similiar questions regarding the 3 years to complete vs 2 years and other flight training requirement changes (the helicopter CPL will change a little for example). Or is it a case of come Dec 4, just suck it up?

Cheers

[outboundjetsetter]

Thanks Lexair, i must have missed that part... bummer

[pointyendforward]

Will this also apply to those who wish to transfer their NZATPL via the TTMRA?

[Lasiorhinus]

slam_click, where is this 'guidance from CASA'? Genuinely interested as Ive been trying to find out about this transition period since they first released CASR 61.

And on the TTMRA, if you are converting an existing ATPL, then the TTMRA allows direct conversion. No additional flight test needed.

[Grogmonster]

Readng the posts above it appears that to do the flight test you must have a co-pilot, aircraft over 5700 KG, therefore multi crew!!!! Where oh where will applicants for the ATPL find an operation like that??? It looks like you will not be able to gain an ATPL unless you are working for an RPT airline. Am I reading that correctly?

[KoolKaptain]

I personally think its a great idea to do a flight test in a multi crew, >5700kg aircraft for the issue of an Air Transport Pilots Licence. The fact that somebody can hold an ATPL having never flown anything remotely close to an Air Transport category type of aircraft defies me (i.e. a year or 2 of doing ccts in a Jabiru, then progressing to a 172, followed by sitting in the R/H seat of a seminole watching a foreign student log ICUS whilst you log command time... with the current system this is considered appropriate aeronautical experience). Kind of like somebody riding a trusty Honda CT110 motor cycle for 2-3 years, and then filling in a couple of papers and being granted their B Double licence! Hardly seems like they are suitably experienced or qualified to me...

[kingRB]

Kool Kaptain, a licence is hardly an indicator of experience or "qualification".

One could say the same of the aeronautical experience required to achieve a CPL. Flight test or not.

I know people that hold a CPL that make you wonder how they ever got it.

[Oktas8]

It looks like you will not be able to gain an ATPL unless you are working for an RPT airline. Am I reading that correctly?

Yes, you are (or charter operator with relevant aircraft - the RPT vs. charter is an anachronistic distinction best ignored here). That's the way it works in NZ and Euro-land, and the sky has not yet fallen on them. Remember, you don't need an ATPL to be a first officer!

Overseas, typically an ATPL issue flight test is done almost transparently as part of a cyclic program in the simulator. Some operators do it fairly early on (so most FOs have ATPLs), others do it only as required prior to Captaincy upgrade. The main difference for the check captain, is some extra paperwork to complete in the debrief. Oh, and of course the extra fees. :}

[smiling monkey]

And overseas, particularly in Asia, being issued an ATPL means that the F/O goes from junior F/O to senior F/O, he/she gets an extra bar (from 2 bars to 3 bars) and consequently a slight increase in pay. ATPLs are earned and are usually only given after being recommended by the chief pilot to those who have command potential.