Flying in Australia..?

[scifi]

Hi Guys, our hanger ( in UK.) got flooded last week, and the weather has been not so good for VFR type flights. So am not getting much flying in recently.
I chat on the internet with a chap from Australia, and he says that his country is suffering a rain shortage.. This however would make it ideal for VFR Flying, and the people all speak a good form of English.

So I wonder if anyone has flown in Aus, and what would be the arrangements for hiring a GA aircraft there. I realise that some regions are very sparcely populated, so there would be lots of barren regions to cross, but there must be some places worth a visit.

[ETOPS]

and what would be the arrangements for hiring a GA aircraft there

Take a look at this.......

https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/converting-overseas-licences


https://www.casa.gov.au/licences-and-certification/individual-licensing/asics-and-avids

[Dave Gittins]

All looks a bit complicated to get an "on the basis of" (and complicated invariably means expensive) with 12 months maximum validity and having to state the type and reg of the aeroplane to be flown up front . Noting like as simple as my FAA 61.75 "on the basis of."

Oh why is nothing in aviation ever quick simple or cheap ? :{

[cessnapete]

All looks a bit complicated to get an "on the basis of" (and complicated invariably means expensive) with 12 months maximum validity and having to state the type and reg of the aeroplane to be flown up front . Noting like as simple as my FAA 61.75 "on the basis of."

Oh why is nothing in aviation ever quick simple or cheap ? :{

Dave I wouldn't bother unless you're spending 6 months or more in Oz.
A couple of years ago I intended renting there on a three month stay, a C172 for touring Queensland.
Got the application forms from CASA well in advance of my departure for a validation of my EASA licences (At the time ATPL and FAA CPL/IR, with many UK Airline flying hours as flight crew operating from large airports around Australia. Current, SEP/MEP piston, with many hours on light GA, but prior experience doesn't make any difference.)
Sent back the forms $$$$$. As I intended staying near ,and flying from, Sunshine Coast airport, I was informed I would need an ASIC, (an airline type ID Card) as that airport has commercial pax services. About a dozen or so A320/B737 on busy day!
For the ASIC I would need an interview in person in Sydney, which I had not planned to visit. If successful, the card would be issued hopefully, the CASA lady said, in 2 months.
By that time I would be close to departure back to UK.
At that point I gave up!

[Curlytips]

I used to travel all over the world, and always wanted to get time in wherever I was visiting. Simple way was just to go with an instructor. I'd do all the flying and there was no need for paperwork. OK, so you couldn't go on long journeys on your own, but you'd get to log new places (and aircraft) and meet some interesting people. I'll never forget taking a young instructor from Orlando Executive for his first visit to Florida Keys. He had far fewer hours than me, and had dreamed of visiting Sloppy Joe's!

Australia (and NZ) are easy too. Strange sounding airfields like Manjimup in my logbook.......

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[bugged on the right]

Scifi, I am at the end of PPL training and am slogging through the process. I get about ten percent of my booked instruction due to weather. Fortunately I spend about 3 months in Australia each year and have organised an excellent instructor and various aircraft to practice with. Weather is much better and cancellations rare. The airspace on New South Wales south coast is not a factor but navigation is easier than the U.K. as the settlements are very obvious. The flying is cheaper and the company is flexible if I want another couple of circuits. As for the ASIC business, I won't be doing that. Simply too much embuggeration. Good luck.

[cessnapete]

I was told by CASA that I couldn’t fly without an ASIC. I was to borrow a mates C182.

[djpil]

I was told by CASA that I couldn’t fly without an ASIC. I was to borrow a mates C182.If you don't have an ASIC then you need an AVID, which is similar but still a security check and no access to security-controlled airports.

[On Track]

Regrettably the whole ASIC business is a costly pain in the arse for everyone. The ASIC serves no real purpose. It was the Howard government's kneejerk reaction to 9/11 because it wanted to be seen to be doing something to improve "security" -- not that there was ever any threat. Unfortunately no subsequent government has had the intelligence or the guts to abolish the requirement, which is just one of numerous factors strangling Australia's GA industry these days.

But is Australia a great environment to fly in? Bloody oath! Australia was made for aviation.

[L'aviateur]

If you are good with paperwork, the process is certainly achievable. I converted EASA PPL to CASA about 5 years ago and although the ASIC and conversion paperwork was time consuming, once issued all it took was a few flights with an instructor/examiner, a signature in my logbook and I was good to go solo. Not as easy as the FAA piggyback, but also not quite as daunting as it first seems. You just have to spend about an hour filling in forms.

Flying here is far better than the Aussies would have you believe. You can fly right over the Opera House and Sydney through the middle of controlled airspace following a few simple procedures (harbour scenic 1). The outback airfields are incredibly welcoming and often have excellent accommodation attached or nearby. The scenery along the coast can be breath taking.
Also the rental fleet out here tends to better/newer than the average UK club/flying school stuff. If you like flying tail wheels, loads of those around too.

[Dave Gittins]

I've done much the same, flown everywhere I can .. Qatar (where I spent 2 years) was somewhat challenging, finding a plane as well as getting permission, fortunately I had the time. The airside security pass was no problem, just had to buy one.

Most places in Europe, even in the Caribbean, no problems. Oz sounds decidedly OTT.

I had a similar experience to curlytips at Opa Locka in Miami. Although I've got a 61.75 I normally take a local instructor to make it more relaxing. So I was in a 172 with a new born instructor after a trip down the keys [Ocean Reef Club - phew] and was on short finals when a guy in a Citation was a bit slow turning off after his roll so we got told to go around. Boy wonder grabbed the controls and acted like it was full emergency. I'm 3 times his age, got twice as many hours yet he has to prove he can earn his money. Ah well.

[Curlytips]

Seeing as we are going down memory lane, Dave......Qatar reminds that I once hired (with instructor) a 172 from Fujairah - which ran on Mogas despite high temperatures (no Avgas in UAE). We went into Omani airspace for while then touch and goed at Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi before returning to Fujairah. On the way back, we saw something that could have come out of the Bible - a vertical "pillar of cloud" which stretched from the sand (where it was throwing up eddies of sand) up to many thousands of feet above us, and I could see lightning flashes within it. Whilst I wanted to give it a very good berth, the instructor kept wanting me to go nearer as more direct to his home base. No way! Doubt if Dubai would let you do it today as they are so busy, but there wasn't a fee at any of the airports. Happy days.

[Fionn101]

I would second the advice to go fly with an instructor, it's easier to get airborne and some stunning scenery.
I learned in Basair.com.au , a really professional and welcoming flight training school, with a large fleet to rent.

They are based about 40 mins away from Sydney in Bankstown , which has a high G.A. throughput , so radio skills are key.
Hunter Valley wine region , Blue Mountains and Sydney scenic are all wonderful to visit.

Good times, Enjoy your trip.
Fionn

[GAAV8R]

When I was in Aus back in December, I popped into my old aero club to ask about conversions as I read what was on CASA's website which was an beauracratic nightmare. The CFI gave me a quizzical look and said that, apart from having an ASIC or AVID issued, it is about the same as a FAA piggy back licence (but I don't think you have to pick it up in person and I think some of the bureuacracy is actually easier). He pointed me to the application form itself rather than what the website had to say, saying their website was often out of date. Check out https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/default/files/flight-crew-licence-application-basis-overseas-civil-qualifications-part-a-form-61-4a.pdf

These days, getting an ASIC or AVID can be done in about 2 weeks if you are in Australia - just pop down to an aero club where the CFI or someone else is designated to receive the docs and there are now private companies that do the whole process. Shows how utterly useless it is, but they can't backtrack on it as it would be admitting a monumental stuff-up. It is crazy to think a terrorist would storm Birdsville airfield, but it is designated such an airfield because it probably had a schedueld flight or a mining company flight at one stage in its life.

I am about to embark on both the FAA and Aussie system - I have just taken part ownership in an N reg a/c here and I am intending to be in Aus next year for either 6 weeks with the family, or if they baulk at that, for about 4 weeks including going to the illustrious Birdsville Races.. I will let you know how the application process compares for both.

[ChickenHouse]

Does anybody have a FI/FE contact in Sydney area? PN ok. One student of ours is going down there for a year and needs some advice on how to get additional training in the area.