Decisions decisions!

[rizzler100]

Hi all,

I have been researching where best to get my PPL training done over the last few months. I am currently a teacher in an international school in South East Asia and will have a solid two month vacation over June and July when I want to get this done. As well as efficiency, value for money and quality of training, it is also my summer holiday and so I want to go somewhere that will be a fun and interesting experience both in terms of the flying and general life.

With that said I'm currently looking at a few schools in the Vancouver area of Canada more specifically Pacific Flying and Victoria Flying Club and very recently have had my attention drawn to Pan Aero in Croatia. I'm basically looking for any one with experiences in any of the places to provide any feedback/ thoughts/ feelings they may have about their time there. It seems to me that the training costs will be largely similar but the general living costs of Croatia will be cheaper. Its also a closer flight from where I currently am and would be easy to maybe pop home to the UK for a week whilst there. The training will be done on a DA20 in Croatia and a C150 in Canada. The licenses provided will obviously different but the Canadian one offers the opportunity for an FAA license off the back of it.

I'm a British citizen so with the current Brexit mess it may mean that both a Canadian and EASA license will be considered 3rd party after March 29th. That plus the fact I haven't lived in Europe for 4+ years means I'm not overly concerned with the issuing authority. So which license is generally easier to fly in various countries around the world with?

I am always open to other suggestions too. I looked into various schools in the US, but the general cost seems to be higher, not to mention to ball ache of getting the relevant visa.
Any advice, suggestions or general observations more than welcome.
Cheers

[Ebbie 2003]

Hello

I was in a similar situation to you.

I opted for US; simply on the basis that anywhere I wasn't to fly there will likely be a US airplane to rent.

So US license, US reg airplane and other airspace sop the 2 out of 3 rules works.

Of course you can go get 61.75 FAA PPL issued on the basis for and EASA for what ever other ICAO license you get- the FAA 61.75 is valid for so long as your originating license is valid (so medical and flight review) but you have to have an FAA flight review every two years as well.

If this is just a PPL the other thing to consider is the medical - FAA Class 3 (the same as an EASA Class 2 - complicated but so what?) will last for between 2 and 5 years depending on your age. I understand that the EASA ones have to be taken every year - so if you have to travel to get one there is that cost (a big issue for me $3,000 in travel plus the $85 every two years is better than every year. You should be able to find an FAA AME pretty much everywhere in the world - I am out of the way down here and so have to travel.

If you only have two months clear then you need good weather - I did mine in Florida in Jan/Feb it ran about five weeks as I recall - Canada will have good weather in the summer - not too sure about Croatia. Do pay a little more for a school with lots of airplanes and instructors - not much fun if you lose a week or so while one their two airplanes is fixed. Also do find somewhere with very busy/messy airspace - great flying in the middle of no where but confidence with complications and lots of competing radio traffic is important - I think it is one of the best things about where I trained - North Perry right by the Miami Class B and with low (ish) flying under the shelf and in and out of Class C and D - lots of airports around too so not rote landing at the same one all the time - North Perry has four runways so that mixed it up - on my first solo no one told the tower and they switched runways on me, no problems :)

[funfly]

Remember that you PPL (and IR) training can be the best and most rewarding part of your flying experiences.

[rizzler100]

Ebbie 2003;

Thanks a lot for the input. Some extra things to consider for sure! What school in North Perry did you go with?

[Jim59]

Remember that you PPL (and IR) training can be the best and most rewarding part of your flying experiences.

That's quite a sad statement. As a glider pilot (as well) the cross country flying is best and it keeps getting better.

[Jan Olieslagers]

What and where and how are you going to fly after the two months' holiday?

[rizzler100]

What and where and how are you going to fly after the two months' holiday?

I've just returned from Malaysia where I did a test flight and there are plenty of places there where I could go spend a weekend flying. Additionally I'm probably going to South Africa next Christmas so I would want to try get some time in there too. This is just in the near term. We also have a 2 week break for the lunar new year this time in 2020 and so theres a very good chance I would make that 2 weeks an hour building trip somewhere.

[Ebbie 2003]

The school was NS Aviation st North Perry.

I am not a 'gifted' pilot and they got me through in a month or so.