PPL/Hour Building ATPL Australia

[09GregRoy]

Hello,

Little bit of Background info. Currently 18 years old, started flying when I was 14 built up 30 Hours training for my PPL and managed to fly Solo at 16 & haven't flown since.

In March I am off Backpacking for 3 months with the Intention of returning to England. However my last stop is Australia and I have been thinking about applying for a Working visa and Finishing my PPL there as-well as Building the hours to start ATPL Course when I return to the UK after a Year or two.

I had considered going to Australia to do some hour building anyway but while I have payed to fly there I feel I may aswell make the most of being there.

I leave the UK in mid March so am basically working against the Clock trying to figure out if it's Possible with regards to Jobs, Rent etc. If it is Possible then it's something I definently want to go ahead with.

It would be great if anybody who has done what I am planning to do can suggest if it's a good idea and reccomend any Good flying Schools as there are hundreds to choose from.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this :)

[09GregRoy]

It's very difficult finding information about Schools in Aus without being able to go and see the School and have a chat with the Staff. I have emailed a few companies trying to get a feel for them.

So far i've looked at Jandakot in Perth & Brisbane. These seem to be quite popular/cheap places from research on the net. Can anyone clarify if this is the case or any other Cities/Airfields that would be a good option. I'm not overly worried about finding a School while still in the UK because I would like to have a tour of the facilities and chat with the staff before committing to a school. It would be a great help if I knew the best training Airfields before I arrive in Australia so I have an idea of where to head to.


Also from research I understand that once obtaining my PPL in Australia I will need to Pass the Air law and Radio exams before being aloud to fly in the UK as I will have over 100 Hours in Australia.

Many thanks for any Advice as it will be greatly appreciated!

[G-F0RC3]

This seems like a bit of an after-thought to me? Deciding to finish your PPL is a big decision, but deciding to finish it at the other side of the world is an even bigger decision, particularly given your limited time to plan - and presumably fund - it. Having said that, spontaneous decisions aren't always bad ones. Obviously only you can decide for sure whether you will be able to afford to live there for the duration of your training, as nobody here knows your personal circumstances. But don't rush into this; you have lots of time on your hands in future and the cost of a return flight to Australia is a whole lot less than the flying you're talking about doing. :)

[Fantome]

Have sent you an email. Can give a few pointers if you do make the trip.

[09GregRoy]

Cheers for the reply, Yes it is a bit of an after-thought but I had planned on doing my Hour building in Australia.

As I see it I have been working in the UK and trying to fund flying for over 2 years since competing my solo and havn't logged any hours which is starting to concern me. Having done a fair amount of research it looks like a couple of years in Australia would enable me to gain my PPL and build the hours so that I could return to the UK at the age of 21 and begin the ATPL ground studies while working to fund the next stages of training.

As far as funding the trip goes. I have a fair amount saved up to support my travels and first few months in Australia.

I am looking into working behind a bar or similar during the week/weekends and flying & studying during the day. Initially I plan on staying a year but if I require longer than I will do a stint of fruit picking etc in order to gain another years working visa to complete the hour building.

Fantome, thanks for the email I have replied and tips, pointers would be a huge advantage.

Could anyone advise if I could send over my current AFE PPL Books and use them for the ground school study in Australia? I know the exam is different over there but surely all the same rules apply, especially regarding Met, nav, aircraft performance etc?

Many thanks,

Greg

[jcr737]

Hi Greg,

Sent you a PM re PPL/hour building.

jcr737