Hire and validation of JAR PPL in SA

[Mikehotel152]

I found a well-written and helpful post about licence validation in SA the other day, but despite trying every search wording I can think of, I can't find that post!

Can anyone help, please!?:confused:

The reason is that I have now been told by an SA FI that to get my UK PPL validated in order to fly and hire in SA I'll have to take the air law exam and then do a practical flying test and navigation flight, with the whole thing taking up to 3 weeks.

All the info I've seen (especially the adverts for flying safaris) suggest the whole process takes 3 or 4 days and just involves a check flight and air law exam.

Can anyone help, please?

[172driver]

Mike, while I do not know the exact ins and outs of SA, the CAA here in the UK quote 10 working days after having received your forms and payment, so your SA FI is probably not far off the mark. AFAIK the 3 or 4 days refer to the process within SA.

[Brooklands]

Mike, could the post have been in The Other Place (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=1)? Irv Lee is a frequent contributor there and knows a bit about SA licences.

Brooklands

[Shunter]

Irv Lee has written a book on the subject:
http://www.uksa.flyer.co.uk/saonappl.htm

I bought a copy recently. Trust me when I say it's all in there; everything you need to know, plus quite a lot you never realised you'd need to know! The basics are passing the local air law exam, getting the paperwork done, and getting a check ride at your chosen flying establishment. Get the timing right, make use of a courier (SA CAA is in Joburg), and you can do it extremely quickly - a couple of days.

I'd highly recommend getting a copy of the book though, a tenner well spent.

Practical? Nav? Bollocks. It's an ICAO license. Do the airlaw, fill in the form, take a check ride. That's all you require.

[Mikehotel152]

Ah, thanks chaps/chapettes.

My view was the same as Shunter's before I contacted the flying club in SA. Perhaps the SA FI misunderstood my intentions. I'll check.

172driver - I know the whole process could take a long time from start to finish, but my understanding was that most of the prep work could be done from the UK, with only the final 3-4 days of actual check flight and air law exam in SA. The prospect of nav flights etc etc and then a long period of paperwork chasing came as a shock.

I'll look into Irv Lee's book. I'm a regular visitor to SA having grown up in Cape Town, so it may come in handy.

If anyone knows more, please pm me. Thanks

[Mark 1]

I'm sure Irv will be the source of all you need to know, but you might be interested in this that I stumbled on a while back.
http://www.hang-out.co.uk/light%20aircraft/johannesburg.html

If you're near Pretoria, I think you can do the air law multiple choice on a computer at a nearby flying club and get your licence over the counter at the CAA.