Hello all,
Heading off on holiday to Sri Lanka at the end of the month. Perhaps someone has some experience flying out there? Have a little bit of info which I picked up on
http://www.hang-out.co.uk/light%20aircraft/srilanka.html
Other that that, I'm in the dark...!
Any comments would be appreciated!
:)
t'aint natural
1st Jul 2003, 06:26
I've got a Sri Lankan PPL (not many people can say that, I'm sure). I haven't flown there since 1987, but for what it's worth, getting the ticket was very little hassle. Here's how it worked back then. You take your UK licence along to an office full of clerks in Colombo and you fill in about nine forms, each of which is studied closely by each clerk before you end up at the desk of an old chap who asks you three or four questions about basic navigation, then signs off your Sri Lankan licence, good for 30 days, I think.
Then you go along to Ratmalana, south of Colombo, where there is (was) a flying club with a couple of 152s. Chap there checks you out with a local flight and a couple of touch and gos, and you're loaded for bear.
All this was arranged for me by a friend, a German lady who worked for Grindlay's Bank, but I think if you started at Ratmalana and worked back you'd be okay. Security in 1987 was very tight because of the war in the north and east, you couldn't fly far north or east of Kandy and there were always a bunch of goons hanging around Ratmalana with machine guns.
Ratmalana is surrounded by tall trees and a 152 in the heat of the day is at the limit of its capabilities, two up.
Fabulous country, do go for it.