2 months..hour building plus cpl?

[jonjam]

I have recently gained my ppl and now have two months leave from work which i initially planned on hour building state side..im wondering within those two months would it be benefical to start the CPL over there or even ME, im guessing the IR would be much better to complete within the uk saving the conversion hassle..?


Thanks any advise would be appreciated

[Phenom100]

i'm planning trip in a week or so to build up my hours if your interested in a bit of formation flying. Planning to go to LA, as weather in FL is ****e at mo. I assume you have finished your ATPL'S? Let me know if interested in coming along.


Cheers
Dan

[speedrestriction]

Hi,

Did something similar two years ago. Had two months to build 100hrs do the night rating and do a JAR ME CPL. I found there wasn't a whole lot of time to spare at the end. If you find a school where you can buy the block of time you need and be guaranteed sole use(or joint use with no more than two others) of the aircraft it'll make your life a lot easier. The biggest hassle is getting the visa (type M visa?). You'll need paperwork from the place where you are going to train in order to get the visa. Then there is more paperwork for the TSA. Finally there's the paperwork you send to the FAA to get your licence validated. In fairness the people at the FSDO were brilliant. Quick validation (they had the paperwork ready to go from the prior application), friendly, funny and had lots of good advice. Once you've got all the paperwork sorted you're ready to go.

If you can get your hands on a handheld GPS it will take some of the pressure off while you get to know the area you'll be operating in, however keep your eyes PEELED for other traffic. There is a lot more high speed open FIR traffic whizzing around over there than there is here.

Get your hands on a copy of the skills test form and draw up a plan of your hour building to get as much practice of these assesed manoeuvers/skills as is possible. If you find yourself getting a little bit bored don't resort to doing anything stupid in the aircraft. No really, don't. At some airports you can spend fifteen or twenty minutes holding short whilst they get the IFR departures away. It can get hot very quickly, bring a bottle of water and, depending on the a/c type, a baseball cap. A simple A4 kneeboard is really handy with some blank plogs (strap on kneeboards become a nuisance rather quickly). The best of luck with it all.

sr

[BigGrecian]

No mention of your ATPL theory which must be completed prior to starting the CPL or IR.

I strongly discourage the use of GPS especially if your about to start your CPL - spend the money wisely and practise your dead reckoning skills. Far too many fellow students used GPS then really struggled with the VFR nav section.

Remember if you start the CPL or IR (only one school approved to do JAA IR training in the US, with some training completed in UK) and wish to change schools the CAA has to get involved, with your training records etc and simply isn't worth the hassle. Only start the course if you intend to finish it.

[Sparks Will Fly!!]

Help!

Hi all. I have recently gained my PPL, and am looking at my options and finances to take the commercial route. I am well aware this is going to cost the earth, but having looked at a couple of JAA websites in the states I am now VERY CONFUSED!

Could anybody tell me what is needed and give arough idea of cost to get from my stage, upto frozen ATPL. I am thinking of doing the bulk of the training in the states due to cost, again can anybody give me any pointers?

I have just short of 120 hours total time, so I need to get a few more hours under my belt here in the UK, and plan to get the night rating this winter.
I have been told I need to complete all ATPL exams before starting the CPL course, any advice on getting the books - used/new?

I am in the process of getting my class 1 medical sorted, so that no waste comes to any of the money I have not Got!!
Thanks in advance for your time.

[speedrestriction]

Perhaps I should clarify what I am suggesting regarding GPS: by having it onboard it gives you the facility of quickly orientating yourself as to where you are should you become uncertain of your position. That in and of itself takes some pressure off. I agree that using it for VFR nav teaches you little but as an inexperienced pilot operating for the first few hours in a new environment it has its uses.

[OneIn60rule]

You might as well do the CPL while you are there.

GPS wise I never bought a GPS nor did the plane I used have one.
When I did my hour building I had a chart with lines, times, headings and to keep clear just in case: Flight Following.


IF you do proper planning, get FF and use your PPL knowledge then it can hardly ever go wrong.

I do suggest getting a GPS but don't make it the only thing that gets you A-B. You'd be surprised how many tell you how great a trip they had going to So so land, you ask them wasn't it hard? "no no it was dead easy with my gps 296".

1/60

[nich-av]

Flying with your GPS is not going to teach you much.

The U.S. is full of VORs.

Even a dog can navigate from VOR to VOR , so if you want to make something out of your hour building, draw a straight line between A and B and use land features (US sectionals are 1/500k), VOR radials to navigate.