Obtaining a PPL overseas

[bankrunner]

A mate of mine is looking to get his PPL, but unfortunately he lives in Canberra, and YSCB is probably the world's second most unfriendly GA aerodrome after OATN :E

He's thinking of flying to the USA and doing a three week intensive program at one of the sausage factories over there; the idea is that you do your theory via correspondence from Australia, and then do all your flying over those three weeks once you're in country. When he gets home, he'll just change his FAA PPL for a CASA one and he reckons it'll cost him about $14k in total to do it this way (including airfares and accommodation in a roach motel).

This method seems popular with the UK crowd due wx in Old Blightly, but I haven't heard of many cases of Aussies doing the same.

At first glance this looks a lot cheaper than doing it locally; when's the last time anyone saw a G1000 equipped 172 available in Australia for $138ph? :ugh:

Is this a sound approach, and if so, are there any outfits in particular over there that can be recommended?

[Clare Prop]

Unfortunately with those sausage factories you get what you pay for.

I've had a few students who have come to Australia with one of those PPLs and the same when I was instructing in the UK. Most didn't even have a thin veneer of knowledge and many were also very nervous and out of their depth performing the most basic flying skills. Some were so nervous or been instructed so appallingly that they never did get to go solo anywhere else and just gave up.

If they wanted to convert to Aus PPL they would need to demonstrate all the competencies required in the syllabus before being put up for test and in my experience this can take some time if it can be done at all.

They can of course fly on a special licence but unless they bought their own aircraft would still need to find someone willing to sign them off on an AFR and hire them an aircraft. The weather, airspace etc in Florida is quite different to here, (I did hour building there on a UK licence) so it's not just a case of a couple of circuits and away you go.

It's really sad how many potentially great pilots have been ruined by some of these places.

[solowflyer]

Think he will find it won't be much different cost wise but will get better value in oz or even nz. As for the gps think he will be stressed out enough keeping straight and level without learning the gps at this stage of the game.

[pokeydokey]

Canberra's not all that bad. The only problem for flying training there is finding enough competent instructors!