Originally Posted by
Horatio Leafblower
If you go the RAAus route you will save a few dollars on the hourly rate, to be sure. However.....
.....to validate your RPL you need to do a flight review with an instructor who needs to see you perform all the same manouvers but to PPL standard. If you have changed types to validate your PPL, typically you will not be able to do this on your first flight on the new type.
RAAus instructors will tell you it will be "just one flight" or "just a flight review" but when you're starting out you don't really know what that means. Unless you are Chuck Yaeger, you will take 3-5 hours minimum to get used to the VH-registered aircraft. at $300/hour that adds about $1500, which is what you thought you "saved" by going RAAus in the first place.
By all means learn to fly RAAus... but go in with your eyes open.
So my current options are:
- Convert RPL to RPC, do training, then convert back to a bigger GA aircraft so I can do my PPL flight test
- Continue to plot along the GA route and head straight for PPL (bypassing all the endorsements), then do a conversion to RPC + endorsements
The reason for this is so I can hire 4 seaters for longer routes every year or so, and cheaper RA-Aus aircraft more frequently if I don't need the seating capacity. This is for recreation only of course.