Anybody in USA doing JAA Distance Learning?

[GoneWest]

Simple "yes" or "no" answer won't get through the "insufficient characters" filter - but wondered if anybody in the USA, Canada (maybe even as far as Iceland) is doing/has done a JAA ATPL distance learning course.

Do you find it a (more) difficult task when not living/breathing the laws/procedures/standards that you are trying to learn?

Is it a popular course for "non JAA" residents? Just curious.

[FlyingForFun]

GoneWest,

I'm surprised this thread has gone a whole day without a reply. I wasn't going to reply myself, since I live in the UK, but since no one else has bothered, I'll answer as best I can.

Having done the brush-up courses for both modules of a distance learning course, I've met people from the USA, South America, continental Europe, NZ and South Africa to name a few. Yes, there are plenty of people who take the "distance" in distance learning to extremes!

The actual distance itself should make very little difference. You will need to be in regular contact with your school - even if you get through the whole course without having to consult an instructor even once, you'll still need progress tests marking and so on. But the wonders of modern technology mean that this really isn't very much of an issue - you might find a slight delay because of time differences, but no big deal.

You mentioned not living/breathing the procedures you're trying to learn. Well, the last time I checked, a VOR works exactly the same way in the USA as it does over here! As does a wing, and a jet engine, and so on.....

Ok, ok, so I know that when it comes to things like Air Law there may be slight differences internationally. Actually, by the end of it, you'll be totally confused by all the subtleties regardless of where you come from. For example, Operational Procedures is based on JAR. Air Law is based on ICAO. There are huge areas which are covered in both subjects, but you have to remember a different set of regulations for each. Then there are some bits of Air Law which are based on JAR, so you can get almost the same question twice in one exam, with two different answers depending whether the question specifies JAR or ICAO. The only way to learn these subjects is to forget everything you know already and just learn it from scratch, regardless of where you've done your previous flying.

But anyway, that is a very small percentage of the material. Most of it applies equally well wherever you fly in the world.

Good luck!

FFF
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[Megaton]

I did last year. It wasn't particularly difficult although expensive heading back to UK for exams. Pressure on for first time passes! Bristol was excellent because I e-mailed them the progress tests and they always replied promptly (unlike PPSC before them). Also standard of BGS notes & material meant that there was no reason for me to contact them during the course.

[Aim High]

If you are thinking of Iceland:

Flugskóli Helga Jónssonar <[email protected]>

offer very interesting flying. Their students Distance Learn via the U.K. for the Ground Training

[GoneWest]

I'm grateful for the replies - but nobody is reading the message....I don't want to DO a course - I'm wondering how many people are currently doing it themselves.

Biggest thought on my mind was/is what plans do they have to take their own written examinations - and when.

All flying to Gatwick - or what??