How to convert UK PPL to South African

[Winston]

I'm trying to find out how easy it is to convert a UK PPL to a South African one. I understand that there is a lot of red tape and it can take a while to get the paper work to and from Pretoria. I will be staying in the Cape and won't be able to personally take it in. Is it possible to do the theory stuff anywhere in the UK to save time out there and can anyone recommend a good school within an hour drive from Cape Town?
Is it just air law and a straight forward flight test?
Any idea how much it is to hire a non complex single (C152/172 PA28)?

[sudden Winds]

Hi !

I suggest you post this message in the questions forum or in the African Regional Forum.

I don´t know, but my educated guess would be that if you have an ICAO license it can´t be very hard as most of the regs stay the same.
I know South African airways hired pilots from another country on a contract basis once.

Best Regards.

DB.

[Base leg]

You'll need to sit SA Air Law,a RT exam, a combined GFT/Navex and about R250 for a Validation- you'll then have to wait 2-3 months for the paperwork to be returned fron Pretoria.
The validation will only be valid until the expiry of your UK/JAR Medical- get a SA Medical to get the full year !

I found 'the system' alot easier in Florida. :)

[wheels up]

Essentially correct, we do validations for UK pilots frequently up here in Jhb. You need to have a current UK licence and medical, pass an air law exam (open book), validate your radio licence (a matter of presenting your UK radio licence and the appropriate fee.)

You will need to pass a nav / GF test, although the requirement for the validation test is at the discretion of the testing instructor. Generally he/she wants to see that you are able to navigate, communicate and generally aviate safely.

I would suggest a dual familiarisation flight before attempting the test - radio procedures and local navigation need some familiarisation.

I disagree that the issue of the licence takes 3 months. It generally takes 1-2 hours for the licence to be issued if you take it in personally. If this is not possible I would advise using an overnight courier service and speak to Mrs Oosthuysen at the CAA. I have generally found the CAA licencing dept. to be helpful and friendly - a vast improvement on the situation a couple of years back.

I don't know what the rates are down in CT but our Turbo Arrow (PA28R-201T) goes for R695 p/hr wet. That works out at about 50 pounds/hr. Our C172s hire at R500 p/h wet which is about 36 pounds / hr at current exchange. Go figure.

Look at aeropages.co.za for some flying school links in the CT area. For some real fun head out to the Cape Gliding Club at Worcester (about 100km from CT) and try ridge/wave/thermal soaring in one of their gliders or motor gliders. Awesome.

Woof

[ 01 December 2001: Message edited by: woof etc ]

[ 01 December 2001: Message edited by: woof etc ]

[foghorn]

I can vouch for what woof has said.

The alternative is to get an SA medical, write all the PPL exams, apply for an SA student pilot's licence, and get a friendly SA class 2 instructor to examine you on a PPL skills test - hey presto - a full South African PPL. The actual PPL skills test is usually about the same length as the validation test.

At Cape Town try the Good Hope Flying Club at Cape Town International - www.ghfc.org.za (http://www.ghfc.org.za)
There is another club at FACT and also a club or two at Stellenbosch.

While you there make sure you do fly down the Worcester valley whether it's in a glider as woof suggests or in a powered A/C - the views are stunning, and the up/down draughts make it a fun ride!

[ 01 December 2001: Message edited by: foghorn ]

[Winston]

Thanks a lot for the info guys. If I do it the way that base leg and woof recommend does that mean that once my JAR medical expires I'll need to redo everything the next time I want to fly in SA. I go to Cape Town at least once a year and would like to keep the licence valid so I can fly everytime I go. Is it safe to assume that I am unable to do any groundschool or study before I go out there.
the way foghorn suggests looks like an option, which way is the easiest?? Thanks again for all the gen.

[foghorn]

Winston

I was down there last December.

At first I got a validation and I flew on that. Then the instructor who did my validation had a brainwave, he realised that he was a grade two instructor (therefore could examine PPLs), and had basically just given me a PPL skills test for my validation. he backed this up by checking with the relevant SA CARs and the CFI of the club.

So I wrote all the remaining PPL ground exams, got a PPL medical and applied to the SA CAA for a licence. The only problem that the CAA had was that I had never had a student licence so I sent the paperwork off for one of those. A few weeks later I got an SA PPL through.

Because of this longish wait you might want to get the validation first as if you use a courier it takes about 5 days to process the paperwork.

[Winston]

foghorn you are a star!! I'm back in the Cape in Feb so I'll try that. Thanks a lot!!

[wheels up]

Validation would definitely be the easier option - as far as I know your validated licence remains valid as long as your UK licence and medical are current - I will check on this.

It used to be the case that you could not add a new type to a validated licence but this is no longer the case. A validated licence is only valid for VFR flight by day.

If you decide to do go for the full SA licence the main difference will be that you will have to write the PPL exams, since I presume your UK licence will cover most of the flying requirements (besides the test of course). The PPL exams are:

Air law
Met
Tech and general
Principles of flight
Nav

The exams are set by the individual flying schools but generally the Trevor Thom books cover most areas (except law which can be studied from books sold at most SA pilot supply shops and flying schools).

Before being issued with a PPL you will have to have a Student Pilots Licence issued which requires a medical, a relatively simple written test on local procedures and the notams and a certificate of competency signed by a grd2 flying instructor.

Stellenbosh airfield is in a stunning location and has a really great flying club with frequently used bar/clubhouse.

[AeroBatfink]

I've just come back to the UK from doing my PPL and Night Rating in Port Elizabeth, so I'll tell you about what I experienced and found out, in the hope that it may be of some use. On the subject of the SA CAA, I'm told that there can be a lot of waiting around involved. However, the one time I have visited was while staying with a friend in Jo'burg when he got a rating put on his licence. He was very surprised at how quickly he got dealt with after his previous experience, but suspected it was because he had spoken to the staff in Afrikaans on this occasion (the CAA is in Pretoria). How's your Afrikaans?

However, all my details were sorted out by my school, who used Leons Aviation Service in Pretoria - who always couriered things back and had them sorted within a couple of days. Contact them on (012) 362 1708 / 1709, or on Pierre's cellphone (he sorted out all my stuff, including some from the UK) 083 483 1420.

I've also heard good things about Stellenbosch Club - someone at my school had studied there previously, and I borrowed his subject files to study from, which were very well put together. You may want to be careful about flying from FACT as I've rumours about a R500 landing fee being levied on GA at peak airline traffic times. As I said, just a rumour, but if there's something in it, it'll certainly restrict the hours open to you.

As for the exams/tests, my flight test lasted about 2hrs 45m and involved a cross-country, with an inflight diversion, followed by a session in the General Flying Area doing all the usual - spins may be sprung on you though. My examiner asked me to do one, but luckily I'd had quite abit of practice (quite enjoy spinning!). You already know from previous posts that you have to validate your RT licence and do the SA Air Law exam (mine wasn't open book - I'd offer to send you my Air Law text, but I haven't the foggiest what I've done with it...). However, I'm not if you'll need to do anything else; UK PPL ground studies actually involve an extra subject - Human Performance - which isn't covered in SA, so if anything, you'll be overqualified ;) The medical is pretty standard, and costs about R600. We did most of our ground school work from the Trevor Thom series, so if get hold of them you could do some groundschool or study before you go. There really doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference between what's taught in SA and the UK. However, let me know if you want some photocopied notes sending.

Rates: I paid R490 p/h for a Piper Tomahawk and a C150 Aerobat, and about R550 to 600 (I think..!) for a C172 and a Piper Warrior. The school also had an Arrow which was about R650 (also unsure as these prices are from memory).

Hope this helps a bit! Have a great time - I've got until May to wait before I go back - I'll be doing the AOPA Certificate in Aerobatics this time though :D , so I'm looking forward to getting into a Pitts at last, after years of watching them at airshows!

Have fun.
Cheers!
Jimmy-J, AeroBatfink

WOOF ETC - By the way, which school are you from in Jo'burg? I did my 172 rating at Lanseria Flight Centre (I think thats what the place was called..)

[wheels up]

Correction on the validation - validated licence is valid for one year or until your UK medical expires, whichever comes first. If you will be flying out here on a regular basis it might be worth getting the full licence as suggested above which will not need too much extra effort.

Fly with LFC Aerobatfink. Who did your C172 conversion? Where are you doing the aerobatics course - now thats REAL fun!

[ 09 December 2001: Message edited by: woof etc ]

[+7-5G]

I did the validation from a UK PPL some 8 years ago and it wrote off 3 days of my stay.Do any of you happen to know whether it is any easier getting an SA PPL from a UK ATPL?

[AeroBatfink]

Woof - I did my 172 with you lot - C.N.(with one 'R'!!) was the instructor who signed me off. I was hoping to do the APOA Cert with your place if you can sort still sort a Pitts. I'm also trying to sort out a C182RG and a Pilatus PC-6 - any ideas?? I hear M VDM passed his PPL a few weeks ago... he was the one who told me about your place.