Private Flying in New Zealand?

[vabsie]

Hi All ..

When I started my PPL my aim was to fly around in the UK with the occasional trip to France.

It seems that there is a big possibility of me ending up in New Zealand (windy Wellington) within the next year or so and I was wondering what the "flying scene" was like in NZ?

If anyone could point me into the direction of a good internet link or a previous PPRuNe thread where this was discussed then that would be much appreciated.

I am curious about things such as: most common types of light aeroplanes flown in NZ, cost of flying, hangarage, landing fees, training, aircraft availability etc.

I'm not expecting exact answers and it might be that the whole setup is very similar regardless of where you are.

Just wanted to get an idea of what to expect / Thoughts from those currently flying privately (for pleasure) in NZ.

Cheers

[172driver]

There is a Kiwi & Oz forum on here......

[vabsie]

Hi 172driver

Can't see it sorry might be blind - as in here on PPRuNe?

[India Four Two]

172Driver was referring somewhat obliquely to http://www.pprune.org/d-g-general-aviation-questions-91/ ;) (http://www.pprune.org/d-g-general-aviation-questions-91/)

Good luck in Wellington - it certainly earns its nickname "windy" :eek:

[vabsie]

Thanks India Four Two

[172driver]

I was indeed - sorry, didn't know how to link to it without opening a new browser window and pasting link.....

[vabsie]

All good thanks 172driver ..

Some great photos on that thread too!

[Southern Cross]

Wellington has an active aeroclub on the airport. I learned to fly there. Expect to line up behind the Qantas / Air NZ 767 departure to Sydney / Melbourne, etc, which gives proper meaning to the "caution, wake turbulence" calls.

Wellington can be windy but not always and the wind is frequently striaght down the runway anyway. It is a superb place to fly from and navigation is pretty easy, since you are on a coastline...

I don't know what the landing fees are at Wellington any more, but they are probably still a lot more than small regional field, such as....

Just north of Wellington, the town of Paraparaumu, has a really nice grass field and a superb flying club. Well worth investigating if you are happy to commute up there.

However if you are based in central Wellington and put a premium on short car trips to the airport, then Wellington is the place.

[jxk]

New Zealand is a great place to fly both North and South Islands. I've never quite understood why NZ is such an aviation enthusiastic country. For such a relatively small population they seem to be really keen on flying. I've been on two holidays there but flying around the Southern Alps and landing at Milford Sound were some of the most memorable flying I've done.
Good luck in NZ I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

[vabsie]

thanks for the replies

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I'm not a pilot but my wife and I are very aged spotters and the welcome we received at every airfield we visited in NZ a couple of years ago was brilliant and quite unlike some of the places over here (who mentioned Fairoaks?).

Flying is cheap too. At the time our son was doing PPL training here and I was able to tell him that a place we visited on North island was charging £30 an hour for dual on a brand new aeroplane.

We had a fantastic flight on the Catalina for £30 each. They are VERY aviation minded in NZ so have a great time..

[Wycombe]

As HD and others say, NZ is a very aviation-minded Country, and you never travel far without coming across an airfield of some sort - many of these are set up to facilitate tourism-related flying....whale-watching, glacier-flying, heli-rafting, heli-skiing, heli-hiking, parachuting, or just plain and simple sight-seeing flights.

There are also opportunities to fly scheduled/charter in some lightish aircraft, such as the flights in and out of Milford Sound, or Sounds Air who fly schedules between the North and South Islands (eg, Wellington to the very small strip at Picton) with Cessna Caravans.

Have been to NZ twice in the last year or so, and although I didn't fly there myself (I am currently SEP lapsed, unfortunately), the options to do things like some proper mountain flying would have been very tempting - we did take a flight (with someone else driving) out of Wanaka to the top of the Southern Alps (12,000ft) in a Cessna 207, whiich was fantastic :ok:

Suggest you get over to the D&G GA Forum http://www.pprune.org/d-g-general-aviation-questions-91/ where you might get some more detailed info.

[kestrel539]

Just coming to the end of a 6 month stint at Paraparaumu airfield, instructing in gliders and tugging.'pram is on the west side of the Island
There are 2 aero clubs based here ( plus the gliding club ), mainly with C152's, but a couple of taildraggers as well.
I did my NZ biannual in a Super cub, cost $NZ160 ph.
Nice Airfield, has both grass and sealed runway's, night flying etc etc.
The owner is trying to tempt Air NewZealand to operate out of here, so the free and easy "feel" of the field may be lost in times to come.
Very good train service to Wellington, every 30 mins, costs $10 day return...about the same as it costs to park a car in Wellington for a day.
The other main centre is Masterton, on the east side, and has some exotic kit, but I have no idea of costs .
If you pm me, I will send you a link to some photos of the area around Paraparaumu I have taken whilst gliding

[Crossedcontrols]

I've just come back from NZ.
A good friend flys from Wellington. They seem a very friendly club, aircraft look well kept. (They'll be getting a Nanchang in a few weeks).

Wellington Aero Club (http://www.flywellington.co.nz/)

I also flew from Masterton with ACE aviation to get some tail dragger time.

Ace Aviation Home (http://www.ace-aviation.co.nz/htdocs/home/home.htm)

With the pound being so weak it's not as cheap as it used to be, but the view is superb.

You can't help but enjoy such a wonderful country.

[ExSp33db1rd]

NZ Flying is very relaxed and largely uninhibited, most is Class G airspace, no ATC, no control towers at most of the country airports, no requirement to file a flt. plan for VFR, tho a facility is available if you want too, and a Sarwatch time is monitored, after which The Dogs of War will be unleashed to look for you if you forget to cancel or adv. of safe arrival.

I can fly from the main GA airfield near Auckland - Ardmore - back to my home base in Kerikeri and have no need to talk to anybody if I choose to stay at 1500 ft. until clear of Auckland, tho' both are mandatory broadcast airfields for departure and arrival, and transponder mandatory above specified heights, but this doesn't stop non-transponder equipped aircraft using the airfields.

VFR up to 3000 ft. is your choice of altitude, after that a semi-circular system applies - to allow for the predominant North /South orientation of the country, so above 3000 ft. fly odds+500 Northbound or evens+500 Southbound, join most circuits 500' above circuit height, which is 1000' agl. usually left hand circuit unless local conditions dictate a rt. hd. circuit. s'easy.

My home club charge $100 NZ ( 38 pounds UK ) per hour for a Tecnam Golf 2-seater, dual or solo, technically in the microlight class, but knocks a Cessna 152 into a cocked-hat. 90+ TAS, less than 20 litres /hr. 5 hours endurance, 2 people with some baggage !

Ensure that all your UK / JAR requirements are valid, medical, BFR etc. otherwise it will be harder to validate your licence for use in NZ.

Enjoy.

[vabsie]

Hello Everybody

It's been a while since I have posted anything but thought I would give you an update on this post.

Moved to New Zealand (Auckland in the end) and had two lessons over the last couple of weekends at North Shore Aero Club.

I left the UK with around 23/24 hours of training (of which 3 were solo) and very pleased that I have now started to add to this again in NZ.

My first training flight after not flying for a year:

I was quite nervous about my first flight not having flown for this long.

Back in the UK my lessons were in a Cessna 152 unlike at NSAC (NZ) where the majority of the training aircraft are Robin R2120's. I was given the option to continue my training in a Cessna152 but as the club only has one (and 5 Robins) I decided to go with the Robin as availability could be less of a problem.

I loved the flight from beginning to end. Yes I was a bit rusty and after all had to get used the flying charactiristics and panel of the Robin. It was a much newer aircraft than the C152 I was used to - I believe the club purchased the Robin fleet new about 11 years ago. It was explained to me that the Robin 2120 had an "all flying tail plane". This terminology was new to me but it basically means (correct me if I'm wrong) that it has a big elevator and that the pitch is much more responsive than a C152.

My first lesson was just familiarising myself with the aircraft and doing some medium turns and stalls. I still felt comfortable with these. I was surprised at how I still remembered the little things I used to be told off for when flying in the UK, such as not to grip onto the yoke (a stick in the case of the Robin), using the trim properly, anticipating levelling off / turning and things such as constantly having a good lookout. The end of my first lesson ended on a lower note as my attempted landing was quite poor. My instructor was reasonably happy and the second lesson (a week later) was back to doing circuits. This was a good way to get back into it and I would say that my landings were almost back to normal (for an amateur) again.

Although it's not all about going solo I'm hoping that it won't be too long before I'll be allowed (and ready) to go up on my own again. I'm already looking forward to it.

Flying in New Zealand is beautiful as I can see both the East and West coast where I fly from (it's quite narrow) with many little islands, bays and beaches. I have often wondered though where on earth pilots anticipate making forced landings in case of engine trouble. Unlike the UK where you have a choice many flat fields, New Zealand is very hilly so this is something that I have in the back of my mind at times as I look out at the landscape considering options . Not that there aren't any, they just seem very few and far between.

That's my update - sorry if I have bored anyone.

If all goes well then I'll have another lesson this Saturday.

Good to be back and hope you're all well.

Vabsie

[kestrel539]

Paraparaumu without a doubt.
Very good power club, also the home of Wellington Gliding Club.
Not quite the grass strip of some years ago, but still a relaxing place to fly from.
I did a summer season there a couple of years ago as tug pilot/instructor with the gliding club.
Wellington is 45 mins away by car, but the train service is first class, 10 min walk fom the station to the airfield

[FlyingKiwi_73]

I've flown from 'Pram' NZPP a few times a nice long bit-o tarmac these days (and ever since i was a kid) flew blaniks out of the middle when i was a kid in the ATC loads of fun. also possibly soon to be ATC controlled as AIRNZ flights will be leaving from there.

Masterton is a hop across the Tauraua's and Wellington is 25 Mins South so you can go play in proper airspace, also don't for get Omaka and Woodbourne (NZOM and NZWB) are 45 mins south where you can fly over wine country and watch all the bankruptcy sales.... maybe spot a place you want to buy.... ATC at NZWB is very friendly, say high to Rodger if he's on.

Great places to fly in NZ, although not today.... its a bit windy.... :-)

Its better being up there than down here when the ground is moving!

[flyinkiwi]

Vabsie,

Best of luck with your lessons. NSAC are a great bunch of people and the airfields location means you get the best of both worlds being un-controlled yet adjacent to controlled airspace.

The "all flying tail" means that when you move the stick forwards and backwards the entire horizontal stabilizer rotates up and down whereas the C 152 tailplane consists of a fixed section and a hinged section which moves up and down.

As for forced landings, try to get into the habit of looking for somewhere to land when flying cross country, no matter what kind of terrain it is. There will always be somewhere that is the best place to land no matter how limited your options are. The trick is spotting it.

[scoobidoo]

hi all

I'm from Switzerland and I will be in NZ from September onwards for about 9 month. I would like to fly for a club, an operator or flight school doing sightseeing flights or paraglider dropping. Does anyone have some details or even contacts. I'm currently doing the same here in Switzerland for a flight school in my sparetime and love to continue with these kind of activities during my visit in NZ.

thanks
Dominique

[FlyingKiwi_73]

Hi Scoobidoo,

I may know of one or two vacancies, it would be even better if you had an instructor rating.

Let us know what licenses you have ad i can point you in the right direction

FK

[scoobidoo]

Hi Flying Kiwi

I'm holding a JAR PPL with 200 hours (SEP, SET) taildraggers, UL, acrobatic rating. I'm also planning to do a CPL training in NZ... maybe I can combine both.

scoobi

[FlyingKiwi_73]

to do any sort of paid scenic flights you will have to have a CPL.

Its unlikely your job would be purely scenic flights, you may get the odd pax flight or even a cargo run. And most likely if working for an aeroclub and not a tourist company you will be asked to do some instructing.

I would go on the CAA website here in NZ and check out the rules for a JAA PPL license (www.caa.govt.nz (http://www.caa.govt.nz))

Get the CPL!

FK!

[scoobidoo]

I will check out the CAA website for more information. I have to clarify, in a first periode (unless I will get the CPL), I like to fly on a voluntary base and it is not required to get paid for it. It's more to get in contact with people and do some flying. The question is, whether this is common in NZ and is there the possibility. I think writing to all flight schools and operator is not a feasible way...

[FlyingKiwi_73]

I see what you are saying, but i very much doubt you would get anybody interested in doing this on a Volunteer basis unless you had your own aircraft. even then i'm pretty sure this would be frowned apon.

Morrisman1 may be able to help he has a new CPL ticket :-) The only vacancies i know of would deffinately require a CPL.

[kestrel539]

About the only thing you could do is Glider tugging, but its getting to be the
wrong time of year for this.
You would also be limited to flying for a named gliding club.

[Gemini Twin]

I learnt to fly at Wellington and "Parapram". Bob Sinclair started a flight school there with two Cherokee 140's. Can't think of a better place to learn to fly. Cross country solo's to Blenheim or New Plymouth and other equally great destinations. Perfect.
Wellington is windy and many taxi tip ups have occurred especially in light Cessnas.
Later flew out of Hamilton another top spot to learn the craft.

[Morrisman1]

Even if you do fly for free, if you aren't paying for the aircraft (or an equal share if cost sharing between pax) then its considered a reward, which is breaking the rules of your PPL.

If you did want to volunteer then you would have to pay for the plane and volunteer your time.

No company is going to want anything to do with you with only a PPL

[FlyingKiwi_73]

About the only thing you could do is Glider tugging, but its getting to be the
wrong time of year for this.
You would also be limited to flying for a named gliding club.


Most Tug pilots i know are usually mid-high time CPL's, (usually AG pilots) the gliding club would need you have a rating on the tug A/C and most want some previous tug time.

Its a good way to rack up hours so there maybe a queue :-)

[scoobidoo]

thanks all for the information so far. I will check out some schools to gather information for the CPL. How about the costs? What should I calculate for a CPL training (but without ME rating) based on my PPL. Bye the way I did a lot of glider towing and this was definitly a good experience and the queue was not so long for good pilots ;)

@GeminiTwin do you have a website of those schools?

[Tagron]

scoobidoo

I think you would have difficulty finding glider towing opportunities in NZ, especially on a short term basis. The NZ gliding clubs are mainly small operations, much smaller than in Europe, and which fly only one or two days a week, usually weekends. They will usually have enough tow pilots within their own membership. If you were in NZ long term and were able to join a gliding club this might work for you.

Of the larger operations which fly seven days a week during summer Omarama uses full time pilots, Paraparaumu a mixture of full time and voluntary, Taupo and Drury I don't know about. There might be opportunities but they are rare, and you would need to be prepared to work a full summer season for one of these.