PPL in USA, South Africa....or Australia?

[Neil Michael]

Great forum.

I'm looking to train for my PPL later this year and, having read the advice posted here, I think the best option for me is to train abroad. The first of my many questions is where?

To put you in the picture, I am 27 years old and have no flying experience to speak of other than a few hours AEF with the Air Training Corps many moons ago. I have been saving for quite some time to see this through and I am slightly anxious that I make the right choice.

I see that both South Africa and the USA are popular options given the cost and quality of training and, also, the time it would take to complete due to the favourable weather conditions. I would like to know if anyone has experience of training in Oz.......I ask as my parents live in Queensland so it would mean I would save some cash on accommodation and living costs. Cash that might very well be used to cover some extra hours if needs be.... :uhoh:

Also, would it be difficult to validate an Australian licence in the UK to make if a JAA licence? I understand that some of the US or SA schools actually issue a JAA licence which may be a more attractive proposition if the red tape to convert is timely and expensive.

Any advice, gratefully recieved.

[dom175b]

Hi,
I am in Florida at the moment taking my FAA licence, the only thing is the weather is rubbish and I have has three check-rides cancelled! Am now taking check ride hopefully on Wednesday!!! I can convert to JAR really easily when I return to the uk, but dont see any point as the restrictions are far less the on a JAR or JAA licence. Pick the right school, do loads of home work, make sure the school teach's you ground school as the school I have been to only gives you DVD's to learn from, it makes things alot harder!
I have been told that the African and austrialian licence's arent worth much in the uk, asia or europe so be careful.
Best of luck

[IO540]

Much depends on whether you want to be an airline pilot, a business jet / corporate pilot, or a private pilot.

Simply, and in general terms, the country of your license issue has to match the country of aircraft registration, if you want normal UK+foreign flying privileges.

The UK operates an exception in that any ICAO license is good for a G-reg plane, flown worldwide. But nobody can say how long this will last.

If you are going to buy a plane and play this game long and seriously, getting an IR (without an instrument qualification, a basic PPL is close to useless for going from A to B) then an FAA PPL leads you to the FAA IR and if you buy an N-reg plane you are sorted. That privilege may also not last for ever (for European residents) but there are ways forward...

If you just want to rent, it will usually be G-reg planes and you are best off getting a JAA (UK) PPL. (Most flying schools will refuse to believe that you can fly their G-reg on any ICAO PPL). You can do this in the USA too but only in Florida, or one school in S. California.

There is indeed a process for converting an ICAO PPL into a UK/JAA PPL - it is somewhere in a publication called LASORS. It gets a lot simpler if you have something like 100 hours when you do it.

For foreign training I would recommend Arizona. Great weather, virtually no cancelled lessons. But no CAA/JAA approved schools so you would come out with a straight FAA PPL.

I've sent you a PM.

[sooty615]

IO540:

The UK operates an exception in that any ICAO license is good for a G-reg plane, flown worldwideAre you absolutely SURE your assertion is correct? I am very reluctant to disagree with you, but may I suggest that you double check this with FCL at Gatwick?

…without an instrument qualification, a basic PPL is close to useless for going from A to B I’m sorry, but I must strongly disagree now, that is simply Tosh! I am sure there are many on these forums who have flown many many A to B trips around Europe in aircraft equipped with little more than a radio and compass, and perhaps many of those, like me, used such time to build hours before moving up the licence ladder – or otherwise did it for the sheer fun and experience. Any subscriber of “Pilot” or “Flyer” will have read countless tales of such flights undertaken in a variety of non IR equipped singles, so quite how you figure that an IR for these flights is essential baffles me.

Incidentally, some of my European trips were conducted under the power of the IO-540, the outstanding engine from which I presume your monica is derived, as well as the AEIO-540, a few Gypsy Majors and many hours under steam behind a P&W R-1340 Wasp - and not an ADF, VOR or even GPS to point them, or me, in the right direction.



Neil Michael:

To some extent, the answer to your question depends on the reason you wish to get the PPL in the first place, and where you wish to do your flying. For sure the weather in the US and Australia is likely to be better than here in the UK, and yes it is possible to convert from one ICAO licence to another. The CAA web site outlines the details, and requirements, so I would suggest that your first point of call be to them. I wish you luck, and I’m sure you will have fun when you get flying A to B!

sooty :)

[Shunter]

From a basic VFR-only perspective I believe he is correct. I know a few foreign license holders who fly G-reg when they're in the UK without issue. You'd be astonished at some of the regulations you find if you dig hard enough!

[sooty615]

Shunter,

You are indeed correct, the holder of an ICAO licence may fly within the airspace of another ICAO State in an aircraft registered in that State, but not outside the State of which registers the aircraft.

My club did, and still will rent aircraft to holders of (for example FAA licences), provided they do not fly outside the UK when in a G reg aircraft - that is perfectly legal.

That is my understanding of the legislation - but I stand to be corrected if someone is kind enough to point me at the specific legislation.

sooty