My tip is that the fee cap is a direct result of lobbying from Virgin, Qantas and Rex who have convinced the Pollies that they can fend off the collapse of General Aviation by putting self-funded studes through their branded Pilot Training programs.
I am not sure if trainees at the QF or VA colleges will be sponsored "cadets" or merely "trainees".
Pilot training to CPL + MECIR in the USA seems to run to about USD $80,000 which is about AUD $120,000, plus sundries (headsets, books, multiple gold bars etc)
At my non-VET non-RTO Part 141 school in country NSW it will cost you about AUD $70,000 for a 200-hour CPL (with MECIR) and all our instructors are flying ME IFR charter when they're not instructing ie: they have done the job they are training you for (unlike my instructors when I trained 25 years ago).
...despite the lower cost and better training outcomes, for most people we are "too expensive" if they can't access VET Student loans.
Last edited by Horatio Leafblower; 26th Oct 2019 at 04:52.
Reason: Oh and another thing I meant to say...