Stephen,
What I write isn't in itself significant. However, I have worked with pilots from SA and Zim for many years. The one thing you can never claim about them is shyness - holding back with their opinions. Compared to Brits they are brutally frank.
Therefore what is significant since I stepped in on this thread is the silence from the professional aviators and, even more importantly, the complete lack of rebutal from the entire SA training industry.
Am I making myself clear? - they haven't stepped up and said I'm spouting bollocks.
I'm guessing that they are hoping I'll simply go away and won't get around to mentioning the issue of type ratings. A foreigner, let's say trained on a Cessna 152, being sent home with an SA licence and having absolutely no idea that they have to be examined by an SA trained and qualified instructor/examiner before they can fly a 150, a Cherokee, a 172 or any other simple light aircraft in their own country. Extremely difficult in the UK and downright impossible in the majority of JAA countries. Additionally, the fact, and it is a fact, that they are not allowed to fly a British aircraft outside the UK with an SA licence seems to have completely bypassed the oxygen of publicity - or your schools' websites and adverts.
Hourbuilding? Couldn't recommend SA highly enough - absolutely outstanding and makes flogging around the skies of Forida clearly abject, mind numbing nonsense. Formal training courses - major problems though. The schools that face up and tell the truth are going to be the winners.
Therefore, I really would appreciate anyone in SA answering the question I posed Stephen - I mean it. I have made a series of allegations and, at the moment, your whole training industry are whistling, shuffling and staring at their shoes. so here it is again:
"Would you go to another country and train with a school that can't or won't give you the simplest information about medical, licence validity, future renewals, licence and rating extension and any hindrances to a future professional licence?"
Regards to all,
rob