Perhaps another reason why STATA offers the CASA licenses is that CAAS requires all CPL/ATPL holders to gain employment with a 9V- operator. So I have a question here, can a private candidate choose to train with SFC and not be bonded(i.e. not gain employment with a local operator) and hold the CAAS CPL?
I've emailed STATA and they quoted me US$80k for the whole thing, room and board included, which is not bad considering other flight schools ask ~US$50k for training only. Being ST Aerospace make it seem more reputable and trust-worthy as well.
Yantz, SYFC is wholely sponsored by RSAF and have very strong connections with them. SYFC's current management is lead by an active RSAF COL. Local universities are tertiary institutions. As for the NS part, I think he/she meant not going to serve NS. SYFC will take up at least 3 mornings/afternoons and the whole saturday if you take it seriously so its quite impossible to do it serving NS. As I mentioned earlier, I've met NUS students there. Their recruitment staff are quite friendly and flexible.
Macarto, I'm an Infantry OCT in NS commissioning this december. I went through the entire RSAF selection process but choose not to sign on for some personal reasons. I was with SYFC from Jan JC1 to Apr JC2 for the 'wierd' license. I'll be doing a MEng in Aeronautics at Cambridge University after ORD. I'll make up the cross-country flights in UK for the JAA PPL. I've also started preparing for the JAA ATP papers and plan to take them some time during junior year. I think they are valid for 5yrs. After graduation I'm going to the US to finish up the CPL/IR as I have relatives there to stay with. Select flight schools in the US are JAA-complient. But I'll find out more about the SFC/STATA ab-initio instructor contracts as well. Of course during the process I'm hoping to get into SQ cadet. If not I'll go back to SYFC and get my papers converted to CAAS and try for TR/3K in a few yrs time.