Need advice from JAA (or FAA) intructors!

[lloydsky]

Hi

I am a British guy with FAA SE/ ME CPL IR. Also just completed the JAA Groundschool. I only have 180 hrs (20 in multi).

I aint got much money left and with advice thin on the ground I'm not sure what to do.

I have £8000 left (plus could get into a little more debt, say £5000) but will start paying off a £26,000 loan in 1.5 years. I figure at some point I will want to do the JAA ME IR and try to get a job in UK. So really I am wondering how best to spend my money to get some hours built up and the quali's I need.

I have been thinking about going back to US to convert my CPL to JAA and getting a JAA nstructor license (lots cheaper than UK) then coming back and doing JAA ME-IR and try to get a job in UK as an instructor.

Is this a good Idea do you think? The BIG QUESTION is will I be able to find work as an instructor having not many contacts in UK and not doing much flying in UK.

(The other idea I have had is to basically go to Africa with my FAA license and look for a jog there for the next year!)

I would reall appreciate a little feedback from anyone who has been in this position or similar before

Many thanks

[porridge]

Hello Lloydsky
My suggestions, for what it is worth, are:
1. You are used to the US so do your JAA CPL in the US, preferably in a neighborhood you know. Weather is so much of a factor here in the UK it may not be a satisfactory route, but in the US you could have your CPL done within a week to 10 days quite feasibly.
2. Do your Instructors rating in the UK. This will help you get used to operating in UK airspace, RT procedures and navigating in a different topography than what you are used to.
3. Try and find an school that will offer you an instructors position/work at the end of it. Plusses would be a school that does IR's and has a sim you can use as well. Then after a year of instructing do your IR conversion with same school. Whilst you are instructing it will help you no end with the IR to get "back-seat" trips on IR training flights.
I haven't done this myself but I am training people along this route and they remark that it is a formula they would recommend to others.
Regards, Porridge
PS PM me if you need further advice.

[Whopity]

Try this for size:

You have a FAA CPL/IR. Get a JAA PPL, you only need a Skill test + RT Licence, with JAA exams you are exempt the 2 PPL written exams. Add your ME rating to the JAA licence, Skill Test + Ground Exam.
Now do a JAA IR, you will get credit for the FAA IR and in theory could do it in 15 hours, but allow for 25. A PPL with an IR is more use than a CPL without one.

With the IR you will get a 10 hour credit towards the CPL leaving only 15 hours to do.

Then do a FI Course in the UK.
Remember once all the exams are passed you only have 36 months to get CPL and IR issued.

[porridge]

With an ICAO CPL you only have to do "as required training" I believe, not the 25 hours for a someone with a PPL to get the JAA CPL.

[Whopity]

Quite right!

[lloydsky]

Thanks for the advice guys

I dont see the point of getting a JAA PPL when the CPL is only hours to requirement?

Now what I was thinking is doing my CPL and FI in oxford (that would be all my money gone) and worry about the ME IR later. Hopefully I would find it easier to get a job maybe even at oxford. What do you think?

Cheers

[B200Drvr]

With your total time finding a job in Africa would be a stretch. UN minimums are high and so are most companies, Not many jobs on offer for less than 1000 hrs and some TP time. I recommend the instructor route to start to get the TT up and then head to Africa, the money is alot better than some of these airlines are paying starters and you learn to actually fly and have a good time.

[Whopity]

The only reason for suggesting a PPL first was to be able to add the IR. You need 200 hours for the CPL, but not for the IR!

[lloydsky]

Still unsure what to do

I could go to the US and do JAACPL conversion and geta JAA FI for equiv of 5000 pounds.
I would have enough money to do the ME IR in UK when I got back.

Would I find it difficult to find work as an instructor with low UK hours???

If I did my CPL and FI in UK I wouldn't have enough money to do the ME IR. (but probably stand a better chance of getting a FI job)

p.s. I thought the 200 hours is not a requirement when you are doing a conversion from FAA CPL to JAA CPL! Is this right?

Thanks