So why is flying in the states just so damn easy?
So,
Career to date has all been in the UK, Commercial and instructing, the last 5 weeks has been spent in Arizona doing the IR. What an eye opener, everything seems so sensible and straightforward over there.
You pass a test, in the US, temporary airmans certificate, you are good to go straight away, valid 120 days whilst the paperwork and license follows in the post (one fee, significantly cheaper as in $400 for an IR fee for examiner, test and paperwork fulfilment). Versus our blessed CAA, 2-3 weeks to process the payment, then same again to get the paperwork, before you are allowed to exercise the privilages of the test you have just passed (Commercial test fee about £600, plus £100 ish for the paperwork). Oh of course you can always go down there, if you live anywhere near Gatwick, arrive at 7am, queue, get it issued on the same day, but of course sacrificing a days work.
Duats.com, 1-800 wx brief, for those who don't know this is a combined, Notam, weather, plight plan service. Simplicity itself. Lets not mention the NATS site, I refer to the French equivalent, which unlike NATS is actually able to provide you accurate route briefings, without pages of irrelevent information. Oh and the completeness of the NOAA's weather service.
Fuelling, arrive Tucson 9pm at night, park under the control tower, greeted by a smiling face, fueller happily goes out to the aircraft, puts in the requisite amout, 20 minutes later we are on our way, after a comfortable coffee in the Pilots lounge. Try getting fuel in the UK at 9pm at all!
No use of QFE at all.
Cost, not the flying, but all the peripheral stuff, charts $10, AFD (Sort of equivalent of Pooleys) $4, oh and charts which have an actual expiry date printed on them.
I guess there is a bit of a downside too, I can't get a work visa, temperatures in Arizona which will raise the Density Altitude 5,000ft, lower salaries, I think. Losts and lots of younger pilots coming through the system.
Grass is greener syndrome, well not in Arizona as it's all desert! Still love it here, shorter distances, great for heli's except the fog and icing, but my god it feels cold after 5 weeks in AZ
I know the infrastructure is huge, government supported and has obvious economies of scale. But what an eye opener, the system over there seems to have been driven by pilots and common sense, we could learn a lot!