ICAO license conversions

[pilotezulu]

Just wondering if anyone knew whether it is required and what it would take to convert an ICAO CPL and ATPL obtained in Australia to the South African equivalent? I don't even know if it needs to be converted or not?

If so, does one have to resit all the exams through the SA CAA?? Just looking for oppurtunities out there and what it would take to get all the paperwork done.

Thanks in advance...:ok:

pz

[SIC]

You poor Aussies - the only thing you breed better than sheep is pilots!!:}
And you export them even faster than you can export your mutton.

To answer your Q - the CAA will give you a validation for a year or two - you only have to write airlaw. But after that they will require that you sit all the SA exams and get th SA ATP/COM.

[pilotezulu]

thanks for the heads up SIC.

Not sure if a validation be good enough to go work for some operator in SA. I'm sure they would much rather prefer the conversions, don't you think?

I really don't understand why it has to be so difficult and why they don't just make all the CPL/ATPL exams the same everywhere....well apart from Airlaw..
that is usually different.

I mean all you end up doing is writing exams half the time for stuff you already 'think' you know. Ugh... just gonna have to re-sit all the exams at somepoint eh. great. :cool: :ok:

[SIC]

Couldnt agree with you more - the whole bloody world should issue the same licence!!
Your problem however will not be one of licence but one of work permit. You will not be able to work in SA as a foreigner. However since most contract companies work outside the borders of South Africa some of them will be happy to employ you elsewhere on the dark continent with your validation flyin ZS ( south african) registered aircraft - untill the SA CAA decides to not renew it in a year or three - at which time you will have to sit the exams or leave the job.
Some contract co's register their machines elsewhere - Ghana, Swaziland and a few others come to mind - and should you get employed on those you will need the validations from those countries. Not to be confused with the work permit which will be for the country you actually fly in.
So its entirely possible to work for a South African operator and fly a Ghanain regsistered a/c on a Ghana validation of your Aussie licence in Sudan with a work permit issued by some Sudanese official!!

[pilotezulu]

So its entirely possible to work for a South African operator and fly a Ghanain regsistered a/c on a Ghana validation of your Aussie licence in Sudan with a work permit issued by some Sudanese official!!

... that could surely make life quite interesting! :E

[Foo-Fighter]

Work permit for Sudan? :eek: I need a work permit? I dont even have a stamp in my passport saying i've arrived here, and i'm almost going home!:ok:

[Tom_Kitty]

Hey pilotezulu

Don't know if this will help, a couple of years back a pilot with a SA ATPL wanted to move to Australia. He obtained your airlaw and maybe a couple of other subjects, sat an exam or two and did a flight test. Obtained his Australian ATPL, not a validation, the real thing.

If could be done that way around surely the process could be reversed, i.e. you write airlaw, do a flight test and get SA licence.

Unfortunately I do not know what flight school it was.

On the other hand we are dealing with f...g bureaucrats here and each one of them wants to be king of they own s...t pile.

Have you tried the CAA (SA) website for some answers?