Hi everyone,
I知 hoping to get some advice regarding the conversion of my Chinese CAAC ATPL to an Australian CASA ATPL, and whether my prior flight experience can be recognised.
Let me first briefly introduce my background:
I hold a valid CAAC ATPL with an A320 type rating. I have 4000 hours of A320 PIC time and a total of 8000 hours. I also have Australian permanent residency (
PR). My goal is to continue my flying career in Australia.
I have two main questions:
1. Licence conversion issue:
From what I understand, one of the key barriers to converting my CAAC ATPL is that the CAAC does not provide licence verification to CASA. This seems to be a critical part of the conversion process, and I知 stuck because I cannot obtain the verification letter.
Has anyone encountered this problem? Are there any possible workarounds or experiences you could share? I致e tried contacting CASA directly but haven稚 received any response so far.
2. Starting over with a CPL:
If licence conversion proves impossible, I知 willing to start over and complete a full CASA CPL training course in Australia. If I successfully obtain a CASA CPL, will my previous experience as an A320 captain be recognised by Australian airlines when applying for a job?
I understand the hours may not count for the licence itself, but will my background help me gain a competitive edge in the job market? This is a very important question for me.
I致e contacted several flight schools, but none of them have been able to give a clear answer on this, which has left me quite confused. To add to the urgency, my wife is currently living in Australia while I知 still in China. I知 doing everything I can to reunite with her and resume my aviation career there.
If anyone has been through something similar, or has any advice or suggestions, I would deeply appreciate your help.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best regards,
Brian