Aircraft rental south island New Zealand

[ivorPhillips]

Hi guys
hope i don’t get flamed like the Cuba guy did :)
i have already done some flying out of the North Island ( Tauranga) aero club, very professional and friendly outfit to get my UK PPL fit for flying here,
next week heading to the south Island in a Motorhome but staying around Nelson initially, and can only find
http://www.pacificpilot.co.nz/aircraft-hire. Has any body had any dealings with these guy? good or bad,
my temporary NZ license only covers me for C172 so limits me slightly unless i do Another BFR on a different type,
many thanks
ivor

[First_Principal]

Here's a couple more possibilities:

Nelson Aero Club | Learn to fly in Nelson (http://www.nelsonaeroclub.co.nz)
Welcome | The Marlborough Aero Club (http://www.marlboroughaeroclub.co.nz)



The latter is an hour or so away but you may be going that way anyway. I can't comment on any of their policies or aircraft availability but they could be worth a try, as well as the one you referenced.



FP.

[eagleflyer]

It´s been a while since I´ve flown there. Nelson Aero Club were very friendly and rented out a C172 which we flew around the northern part of South Island. I can also recommend Canterbury Aeroclub (https://cac.co.nz) at Christchurch where I converted my European license. The scenery down there is spectacular, very friendly people and flying at the international airport was no issue at all.

[ivorPhillips]

thanks first-principal and eagleflyer for the information, much appreciated,






ivor

[alex90]

Or even better, head down to Wanaka and fly with "Learn-To-Fly NZ" and do some mountain flying. Probably the most fun I've had flying anywhere in the world, although.... It'll make the rest of your flying totally boring....

[ivorPhillips]

Or even better, head down to Wanaka and fly with "Learn-To-Fly NZ" and do some mountain flying. Probably the most fun I've had flying anywhere in the world, although.... It'll make the rest of your flying totally boring....

I Had to do a mountain course to get my UK PPL validated for flying in New Zealand, I agree it was very exciting but personally i prefer height above terrain, Getting up and close to mountains doesn’t help my blood pressure :uhoh:
I will be heading to Wanaka hopefully for the air show if time allows ( read that as the Wife time). thanks for the information

ivor

[Shoestring Flyer]

Hoping to do an NZ trip so it would be helpful to me if you could enlarge on the acceptable conversion to a NZ PPL and how easy/or not the paperwork process was?
Will they accept a UK PPL or do they insist on it being an EASA licence?....What about a LAPL which is not ICAO?
Also what medical will they accept from ones home country?.....Med Dec/LAPL or Class 2.
Or did you have to have an NZ medical?

[Planemike]

Hi guys
hope i don’t get flamed like the Cuba guy did :)ivor


Looks as though you escaped without a flaming....!!! Mind you, just, thinking about it, wonder who would want to get "stuck into" New Zealand as a country. It appears you also received some useful information. :ok::ok:

[Victorian]

I can't speak to the visitor permit route, but a lifetime NZ PPL can be had with some local work. They require mountain flying (as mentioned above) and also low flying experience. They may accept foreign qualifications, but the low flying (300') is problematic. The worst case is 5Hrs training in NZ plus a 1.5Hrs GFT.

A UK or US medical will do for the year of issue but after that you have to get an NZ medical. There's no doubt that having a genuine NZ licence opens up the renting doors to you (at least you can see a chink of light...)

This is a very interesting experience if you have the time and enjoy collecting PPLs. However, in NZ the VLA (which can be a very capable aeroplane) offers an alternative involving only an instructor signoff. For instance, have a look at https://www.flyitnz.com/, run by ex-UK CFI John Nicholls.

[alex90]

Hoping to do an NZ trip so it would be helpful to me if you could enlarge on the acceptable conversion to a NZ PPL and how easy/or not the paperwork process was?

To either be issued a Validation Permit - or a full NZ PPL licence, you will have the exact same requirements. The price is also very similar, the only major difference is that the validation is only valid 6 months, and the NZ PPL is valid in the same way that a UK licence is valid.

As Victorian mentioned above, your UK Class II Medical will only be valid until the expiry of either your UK medical, or your SEP rating (whichever is first). The Validation Permit does require your current UK licence to be valid.

To get either issued, you need at least 5 hours of TAWA (Terrain And Weather Awareness) of which 2 hours must be low flying (below 500') [I did most of mine around 200'] and 2 hours must be mountain flying [saddle crossing, valley flying, ridge flying, calculating winds, updrafts downdrafts etc...). There are lots and lots of good stuff that you will learn during these hours, including the differences between UK and NZ radio procedures, differences in opening and closing flight plans.. etc... You then need to do a BFR (biannual flight review - similar to our skills test). It took 8 days for the NZ CAA to review my application and issue my validation permit which I received by email, and did not need to send in my original paperwork - unlike our unfortunately complex UK CAA. (I also managed to get them to change my validation permit to include night rating without any added costs, and they did it same day, again by email. [and this was almost 3 years ago!!])

Flying in NZ is actually quite different to the UK, lots of air to air, lots of different procedures, lots and lots of open space, lots and lots of names that you will definitely not know how to pronounce correctly. Lots of mountains and incredible scenery. Lots and lots of airfields that will charge you between £2 and £5 to land at, some will even put the kettle on when they hear you come in... Very friendly. NZ is the place I most enjoyed flying in. Had incredible flying adventures, and met incredible people.

Totally worth the time and money to get the validation permit, but you need to make sure that the school understands that you need that validation permit ASAP, and push them to get all the flying done in the first 3 or 4 days including the BFR as otherwise some schools might take the opportunity to take advantage of your custom and spread it over 2+ weeks (with weather delays) to fit you in with a Cat B instructor for the mountain flying / BFR and keep you flying with Cat C instructor longer than really should....

I can't speak about LAPL or any other licences. (sorry!) I hope this helps!

[ivorPhillips]

To either be issued a Validation Permit - or a full NZ PPL licence, you will have the exact same requirements. The price is also very similar, the only major difference is that the validation is only valid 6 months, and the NZ PPL is valid in the same way that a UK licence is valid.

As Victorian mentioned above, your UK Class II Medical will only be valid until the expiry of either your UK medical, or your SEP rating (whichever is first). The Validation Permit does require your current UK licence to be valid.

To get either issued, you need at least 5 hours of TAWA (Terrain And Weather Awareness) of which 2 hours must be low flying (below 500') [I did most of mine around 200'] and 2 hours must be mountain flying [saddle crossing, valley flying, ridge flying, calculating winds, updrafts downdrafts etc...). There are lots and lots of good stuff that you will learn during these hours, including the differences between UK and NZ radio procedures, differences in opening and closing flight plans.. etc... You then need to do a BFR (biannual flight review - similar to our skills test). It took 8 days for the NZ CAA to review my application and issue my validation permit which I received by email, and did not need to send in my original paperwork - unlike our unfortunately complex UK CAA. (I also managed to get them to change my validation permit to include night rating without any added costs, and they did it same day, again by email. [and this was almost 3 years ago!!])

Flying in NZ is actually quite different to the UK, lots of air to air, lots of different procedures, lots and lots of open space, lots and lots of names that you will definitely not know how to pronounce correctly. Lots of mountains and incredible scenery. Lots and lots of airfields that will charge you between £2 and £5 to land at, some will even put the kettle on when they hear you come in... Very friendly. NZ is the place I most enjoyed flying in. Had incredible flying adventures, and met incredible people.

Totally worth the time and money to get the validation permit, but you need to make sure that the school understands that you need that validation permit ASAP, and push them to get all the flying done in the first 3 or 4 days including the BFR as otherwise some schools might take the opportunity to take advantage of your custom and spread it over 2+ weeks (with weather delays) to fit you in with a Cat B instructor for the mountain flying / BFR and keep you flying with Cat C instructor longer than really should....

I can't speak about LAPL or any other licences. (sorry!) I hope this helps!

Alex has covered it very well so i don’t have much to Add, I will vouch for the NZ CAA in being very efficient,
I had my validation permit emailed to me within 3 Days of arriving in the country, the low level flying was totally alien to me as i always prefer flying as high as i can, following the contours of bays at 100 ft in between islands with flaps down and 70 kts is an interesting way to spend a morning, beautiful scenery but didn’t see much of it as concentrating so hard,
The BFR is pretty standard to the UK one so shouldn’t be a problem with a written exam after the flight, again all
fairly normal stuff,
All in all a enjoyable experience and worth doing if you have sufficient time in NZ,

[Victorian]

Totally endorse Alex's excellent post above. Some thoughts:

1) I'm not sure why you would choose a permit when the PPL has the same requirements.

2) Ask the NZ CAA if they will accept relevant foreign experience such as mountain ratings and low level desert flying experience in your logbook.

3) If you have a US private, it's less hassle than an EASA licence because FAA don't charge for releasing information.

4) Type ratings are specific in NZ and a 152 is not a 172, so make sure your paperwork is issued for the type you're going to rent.

5) I suspect clubs in NZ got a lot of dreamers enquiring from UK. I'll never forget the look of astonishment on their faces that morning when I actually turned up! The downside is that any booking on aircraft or instructors may have been on a similarly 'lets see if he shows' basis with knock on effects on avilability.

6) If you rent a Cessna, take a stepladder.These are an endangered species in NZ and have invariably been poached from the ubiquitous automated fuel pumps.

7) VFR FPLs are mandatory, but easy to get online with an all day squawk. But don't forget to close! There are automatic fines!

8) This is completely and utterly worth doing, quite likely the best flying of your life. Don't be put off!

[alex90]

Hi Victorian,

I might be able to explain why I chose certain items you mention.

1. I chose the permit validation as I knew I would only be in NZ for 3 months, and after phoning them, they said that it would be several days faster to get the validation permit rather than the NZ PPL, I saw an opportunity of good weather to fly around the whole of the northland, so I opted for this. I might add that I sent my application on Thursday afternoon, so they likely only received/opened the paperwork on the monday, hence 5 day turnaround including adding my night rating to it (which was awesome - apart from the fact I had to explain why the UK licence says "Nil" next to my night rating ( thank you UK CAA ), and explain that it means "Nil restrictions" - made me laugh quite a bit!)

2. Even if they did accept some, I'd seriously consider getting the training, just in case where you fly they do things differently. It was also a way to prove to the school I was renting from that I was actually competent, and could fly, making them much more relaxed about me wanting to do 580nm trip on a single day around the northland. They literally just asked where I planned to fuel up to give me tips on the cheaper fuel stations in the area...

4. It is interesting to know that if you have 5 hours P1 on any particular type prior to your application, providing that you have logbook evidence of this, and send them highlighted 5 hours of P1 in particular types, they will add those ratings onto your licence as well as the plane that you are doing your BFR on.

5. VERY true - even you if you have a booking, make sure that you give them a call a couple of weeks before confirming that you are coming, and again when you are in the country.

6. You don't like using the steps on the strut and cowling? It is funny though - I didn't seem to remember encountering that problem when flying around NZ haha! ;-)

7. Another thing that might be worth a mention is: close the flight plan in the air, when you are visual with the field and still in the air. I landed at Bay of Islands (Kerikeri), thinking that I could close the flightplan by calling them on their landline, only to find that I had no mobile network, and the only other phone was inside the locked terminal. (I had to takeoff again to get VHF range to close it... I did find it amusing though, and so did the controller...)

8. Absolutely spot on! Loved it loved it loved it. If you have a chance of flying in the south island, take a guide and fly to Milford Sound (wx allowing of course) it is the most breathtaking place I think I have ever landed!

Just one last thing I think might be worth a mention is that 99% of places you can land will be less than £10, most will be between £2 and £5 or totally free. Landing at Auckland International for instance was (at the time) only £14, and that was considered to be expensive (made my landing fees at Biggin seem disproportionate.... And a hard reality to face when I came back). There are however, one or two places that charge a lot more than that, I think its worth knowing this and avoiding these. Even so most of us UK flyers won't even bat an eyelid at a £10 landing fee, in NZ, it seemed to definitely be on the high side.

Also - I rented a 4 or 5 years old C172 with G1000 for £120 per hour wet, that was £5 less than I was paying for a C172 at Biggin from 1976, barely kept in flying condition... So hunt around the good deals and schools!! :)

[India Four Two]

I’ll just add some comments to all the good stuff above.

My mountain flying experience was considered adequate and all I had to do to get an NZ licence on the strength of my Canadian one, was an extended BFR, to include some low-flying. Flying 45° banked turns at 200’, partly over the sea and partly over the land, was interesting, given that the trees behind the beach were about 100’ high!

I was surprised that I didn’t have to take any exams, not even air law.

Some of my best flying ever, has been in NZ. Two North Island locations I can recommend flying over are Mt Tarawera, south of Rotorua and Hobbiton, near Matamata.

Another great experience is flying over Auckland Harbour and the islands to the east. No need to get a clearance, if you stay low enough. I wasn’t doing the flying on that trip, but being in. Mustang made up for it!

In the South Island, anywhere in the Southern Alps. I did a Mountain Soaring course, at Omarama, flying as far south as Wanaka, west to Mt. Aspiring and northwest to Mt. Cook. Spectacular scenery and flying.

I was talking to a Kiwi pilot friend about navigation and he said “No problem. Fly to the coast and turn left or right, as required!”

I found dealing with ATC a pleasure. If you want to climb into controlled airspace, call Christchurch Control and get a VFR clearance. If clouds get in your way, just tell them you are descending out of their airspace.