PPL in South Africa

[clearthedecks]

I was considering doing a PPL course in South Africa, and wondered if there is anyone out there who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt etc. and have any comments on flying in South Africa.

[Ivchenko]

Don't have the t-shirt as I did mine in the UK, but I did do some flying out of Wonderboom last year and if I were doing a licence from scratch I would definitely do it there.

It's unbelievably cheap (both to fly and to live), and there's an enthusiasm lacking in many UK schools. Please do a search because many of your questions will have already been answered on these forums. The guys on the African forum are extremely helpful and will not only answer any new questions but might even open some doors for you.

Of course there would be work to do once you got back, but as a head start, an hours cruncher and a confidence builder SA would be great.

If you do go, and feel the need for a break from flying, a trip to Robben Island from Cape Town is a remarkable experience and will definitely give you something to think about.

Have fun
:)

[Charlie172]

......Been there, done that, and got several T shirts !!

I did mine at: http://www.algoafc.co.za/ - I can thoroughly recommend them. The whole thing cost me less than half UK prices and that included Accom, car hire and return flights !!
The climate will help and yes, your money will go a long way even when away from the airfield ! - I now also know of one or two others who now fly in the UK on SA licences. Get over there to Port Elizabeth ASAP. & good Luck.

[jumbojohn]

As an ex FI in SA I would suggest you to lok at FTC at Grand central. Brand new a/c good instructing speak to Jay who is JAR flight manager not to peter who does not always give full picture. Cost is about half UK but check for hidden charges such as tech lectures which may not be included in quote.

Generally they are good and you should come back as a competent pilot on time and cost. Also look at 43 air school who might have started a JAR PPL, have not been there but heared good reports

[contraxdog]

try this www.43airschool.com mail Steve G.
It worked for me.

ye olde contraxdog

[Irv]

I've been impressed by SA traning in general - first alerted to it when someone came to me for a rental checkout and seemed to have been very well trained (At Algoa but was not Charlie172). I suspect SA took the same syllabus as the UK about 50 years ago and have stuck religiously to 'standards' ever since. I've had excellent social experiences (don't get excited, just aviator-friendly hospitality!) at a few clubs in different cities there. Personally I've only rented and taken lessons/tests myself at Algoa (just after Charlie172 had gone home) - had a great time.

[NickGreen]

I concur - I did my licence at Algoa last year in just under five weeks - had an absolute scream and returned to the UK to do a checkride with Irv and since then I've not really looked back. Cost wise its possible to halve the probable UK costs and still get a great deal more out of it - eg: conversions onto other types, instrument training etc, indepth training in controlled airspace.

I attended one of Irv's seminar's too and he challenged us all to have an ambition for the year - well - mine presented itself rather sooner than anticipated and I thought I'd get my own back on Irv - so we competed in the Bloemfonten Air Rally in March as Pilot and Navigator. And for freshmen we did pretty well.

Port Elizabeth is a superb backdrop for flight training - the terrain and weather especially. The club is quite unique - they are a non-profit organisation so everything goes back into the pot.

As an aside, my SA PPL is valid for use in the UK, the additional benefits of a JAR licence are not enough to persuade me to convert. I'd rather hang on to my SA one and fly an SA (Z) registered aircraft in the UK - or Europe for that matter. So the project now is to set up a UK based SA registered syndicate! Even so the types of G registered aircraft I can fly at the moment has potentially expanded to over 10 because I can get type ratings on my SA licence here in the UK thanks to Algoa and Mr. Lee.

Good luck.

[Clogmaster]

Big thumbs up for 43 Air School in Port Alfred!!
Contraxdog which exotic parts of the continent do you reside in?
Cheers
CM
(FNLU)