where now?

[PA-28 CLOUD SURFER]

I currently hold a ppl and aspire to become an airline pilot. I wish to undertake my atpl groundschool in the uk and then head abroad to fly but seek employment in an airline in the UK. I am undecided as to train in America or Australia, i have family in both so accomodation is not a problem. I don't really know how many hours i need for a frozen atpl and whether i need to do certain parts of the license in the uk to make sure it is JAA valid. I am heading abroad to keep costs down, to hour build and i understand that i need to pass a cpl/ir to attain the fatpl but can anyone please explain to me what i can do abroad and what i have to do at home.

I understand that some schools abroad have a JAA license and therefore can i do all my training abroad and then return to the uk to seek employment?

Any advice will be welcomed, i just don't really know where to go next.

PA-28 Cloud Surfer

[FlyingForFun]

PA28,

If you want to fly in the UK, you'll almost certainly need a JAR license. That means training in Europe, or at least at a school approved by a JAR Authority.

As far as I know, the only JAR Authority to approve any school outside Europe is the UK CAA. The complete list of approved schools is here (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/175/srg_fcl_ApprovedFTOs.pdf). Unless it's changed since I last looked, there are no approved schools in Australia, so out of your choice of Australia/America, that restricts you to America.

The other alternative is to get an ICAO license anywhere in the world, then convert it to JAR - but that's a very long/expensive process, and probably not the best way for you to go.

If you particularly want to fly in Australia then bear in mind that you will need to do some hour-building at some point, and you can do this anywhere you like - there's no need to stick to an approved school. So you may be able to hour-build in Australia, then do your CPL and IR (or at least most of the IR - you'll need to finish it in the UK) in the US.

FFF
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[PA-28 CLOUD SURFER]

Therefore FFF you are saying that to get a JAR license i have to complete it in the UK. You do state that i can hour build in Australia so how many hours do i need to do before i can get a CPL/IR or fatpl. Can i hour build abroad come back to the UK with say, 200 hours and then take the CPL/IR tests here therefore making it much cheaper for me as an individual and become a fully qualified airline applicant?

[Send Clowns]

You cannot do that, PA-28.

Unless you have a CPL and IR from ICAO authorities you must complete an approved course of instruction before the test.

To start an approved CPL course you need 150 hours, to be issued the licence you need 100 hours PIC. I do not know the requirement to convert a CASA or FAA CPL to UK, ask the CAA or an approved flight school (my head of training would know, he seems to know everything, but I work in groundschool).

Not entirely sure of the start requirements for an IR course (see above advice!) but when you have a JAA CPL you will comply. To convert from any ICAO IR there is a minimum 15-hour course and a flight test.

Also be wary of not flying in the UK. I am not sure how the small UK-based airlines (your most likely first job) view people who have rarely taken to our skies.

Best of luck!

[FlyingForFun]

I agree with Send Clowns, but I think his post is uncharacteristically unclear - sorry mate!

Hour-building - as SC says, you need 150 hours total time before you can start a CPL course. You can build these 150 hours any way you like, anywhere in the world you like.

JAR CPL - you need to follow an approved course, the CAA document provides details of everyone who is approved by the CAA.

JAR IR - you need to follow an approved course, the CAA document provides details of everyone who is approved by the CAA. The test itself needs to be done in the UK, so you'll need to do at least part of the training in the UK so that you're familiar with the local airspace.

The best thing to do is to invest in a copy of LASORS, which costs £10 (I think), order direct from the CAA. It's also available free, on-line. That contains all of the requirements for every UK-issued license and rating. Unfortunately, with open-ended questions like yours, it's too complicated to be able to get everything into a short post.

FFF
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[Send Clowns]

:O Yes, sorry, I was in a hurry with having to work for a living at the moment but only having 'net access at work.

Agree with your advice, but would also say that after choosing a path check with one of the commercial flight schools to make sure you have correctly understood the requirements. LASORS are mostly good, but in parts as obscure as my post above :\