Guide for a CPL and IR conversion from overseas

[Mach E Avelli]

I am sure some pilots hoping to crack the Aussie job market will appreciate your post. It’s a sad reflection on our bureaucracy that jumping through all the CASA hoops could take up to six months, but having done many a battle with them to obtain various approvals, it doesn’t surprise me.
If you have a co-operative potential employer, it is worth looking at the Certificate of Validation process. Potentially it can get you flying legally in a month , but the employer does need to specify that it is to fulfil a temporary requirement only. It is usually restricted to a particular operator and aircraft type and is typically for special purposes eg fire suppression, introduction of a new type , survey etc. If an operator has a crewing crisis they could apply to bring pilots in via the C of V route, but you’d have to ask yourself would you really want to…
Holding a C of V does not preclude a pilot from doing a full licence conversion via the normal pathways while using the C of V.
Whichever process a pilot chooses to use to convert, it is essential to arrive in Australia with at least six months’ validity on the qualifications you are seeking to have recognised. CASA will not validate something that is not valid in the country of issue.