Dakota Queen

Hello Everyone

Can anyone help me with these q's?

1. I'm nervous that I will not pass the class 2 medical when I get to SA - is it likely that if I pass a JAA class 2 at home (Ireland) then I should also pass it there?

2. To anyone who has done the SAA PPL - I'm thinking of buying the Thom series of manuals to study before I go (more time to drink, pull birds and oh, fly) - is this the recommended reading? I've looked at amazon and they're not cheap - any suggestions?

3. Lastly I am thinking of either doing it in CPT or Durban around October next year - whats the best place for flying, social life etc.

Many Thanks and a very happy christmas

DQ

Irv

There are at least 4 SA approved doctors in SE UK who can issue SA PPL medicals, so I wonder if there is one in Ireland? Have you tried?

George Tower

Hi there

1. You can contact the SA CAA www.saa.co.za - I had a few questions and they got back to me very quickly(which is more than I can say for the licencing dept but thats another story)

2. Definitely recommend Trevor Thom manuals. I credit him with the fact that I got an avergae of 90% for all my SA PPl exams. Old Trevor goes into quite a bit more detail than you will probably need to be a competant PPL but this is no bad thing if you want to go further.

3. There are three good schools at CT international. The good point about CT is that it is a busy international airport and if you can fly in and out of Cape Town then you can fly anywhere. Down side is that you will probably not finish in the minimum hours due to delays on the ground.

Can't comment on Durbs as I have never spent any time there. CT is stunnigly beautiful, however it's said the people are cliquey and the birds a bit stuck-up. You'll also have to get use to flying in the wind - it's often blowing a hooley particularly in spring time.

Cheers

Shutty

I've just (this week) got back from doing my PPL in Port Elizabeth, which is approx. halfway along the coast between Durbs and CT. Going to SA for a PPL is a great idea, I'd well recommend it. Cape Town is unquestionably the best place in SA for a holiday, but for flying I'd have to recommend my school, Progress. They have very high standards, but because they're small, can take the time and effort to make sure you achieve them. oh and they have a v. cool Cessna 120 taildragger...
PE is not the greatest for entertainment, but then what are your priorities - the flying or the drinking? (quick hint - get the PPL, then go to Cape Town for 2 weeks celebrating )
oh and the whole south coast of SA is unavoidably windy, which is nothing to be scared of - it just makes you better at crosswind landings ;-)
I'm not sure how much I can say on the board about the flight schools before I get moderated for being an advert, so email me if you want any more info.....

saywhat

Where ever you go it does not matter. SA has the best weather, the best looking women, excelent beer, very good flying schools and most important, it's cheap in international terms.

With regards to the books, dont over stress, if you read Trev Thom before, that's good, if you dont, thats good.

What ever you do dont believe government reports on SA, it is a great place, with the most friendly people in the world, Hope to see you here soon.

Dakota Queen

Thanks for all that lads. I'm sure I'll have more questions in time. Right now its p**sing rain outside my office, its cold and I've gone out the last 3 nights and didnt get one shag! This time next year hopefully I'll have my wings and some nice chicks to keep me company.

Cheerio

wheels up

South Africa is a great place to learn to fly. Don't discount the smaller flying schools as often you will find just as good a level of instruction (if not better) and more personal attention. The quality of instruction you receive depends to a large extent on your flying instructor, no matter where you train, so try and get some reccomendations.

If you train at the coast take into account the weather for the time of year. The weather in the interior is pretty good for flying all year round but expect late afternoon thunderstorms in summer and haze due to inversions in winter.

You can't go wrong with the Trevor Thom books although I wouldn't buy the whole set - a lot of the schools in SA recommend the Thom books since they closely mirror the SA syllabus . I would buy the first volume (the blue one) and then buy Worthingtons or equivalent to cover the technical, met etc.

There are a couple of books in SA that cover the Radiotelephony and Airlaw syllabus and since these are SA specific I would reccomend either buying those here or ordering them by mail order (Wings and Things Lanseria Airport or Pooleys at Grand Central)

Whichever way you go about your PPL, have fun!

NotWithoutMyGPS

I went to SA last October (2001) and did my PPL at Blue Chip Aviation at Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria. I ended up staying and marrying a South African lass! Consequently, I've had over a year out of work! I'm now back in the UK to earn some sheckels before I return. Now, to business:

Flying conditions all round Sa are indeed good and in some cases exceptional - although do bear in mind that they rarely mirror those of the UK - something I am coming to terms with since my return last week!

In October, Gauteng (that's the province where you'll find Jo'Burg and Pretoria) has superb weather until around noon then wonderful (from the ground) storms and then excellent PPL weather in the afternoon.

The Trevor Thoms are fine but I made the mistake of buying all seven here and then buying them again in SA - three of them were included in my Flying Kit. I also bought the King video series from Transair which is an excellent primer. Also, don't discount Fly and / or MS Flight Sim. You can get more from them you some would think. Esp. good for instrumentation and nav practice.

Cost. Cheaper than the cast of Eastenders elocution lessons.

People. Well, they are friendly. Some of the most open and generous I've ever met. However, this is emphatically NOT a country for the faint of heart. In one year I've never been conned and stolen from so much anywhere else - and I've lived in some odd places. On my return last week, my laptop was stolen from inside my case - after having checked it in! I wasn't even surprised. Keep 'em peeled. If you like a cheeky half then this is the place for you. When I wasn;t flying I rented a huge house with swimming pool and live in maid for £200 a month, then I bought a Yamaha V-Max and toured the country. Lecker!

I would certainly reccomend my flying school to you (and for the doubters I'm happy to scan log book and passport details to prove I'm not on the payrol!) but really you shouldn't go far wrong with any of them. Some are stricter than others. EG at FTC Midrand you have the single-bar on the white shirt. That's fine if you want that sort of thing but it isn't for me. Where I was I wanted to combine a holiday with my PPL and had already taken 3 months off to do it in. That way, if I had a babbelas (hangover) then I simply called my instructor and cancelled. No worries. Equaly, I didn;t attend a single evening class for ground school. I just read the books and learnt on the job as it were.

If you need any more info about SA you are more than welcome to call me. I'm on 0208 660 2911 and at [email protected]. I'll pop back in here again soon in any case.

Now then, where did I put that Nelson shirt for the Xmas party...








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discobeast

i think that was a very accurate post NotWithoutMyGPS. up north is good flying but down south is good partying!

Biggly

I have just come back from 6 weeks in SA.
I have 70hours, PPL, Night Rating and 4 hours on a taildragger.

I used Algoa Flying School
http://www.algoafc.co.za/home.html
in Port Elizabeth apart from 4 hours at Progress to do my taildragger.

From my investigations, not only is Algoa the cheapest place I could find but also:
+Flying at an International Airport - get familiar with flying in controlled airspace, allowing for wake clearance for big jets, being asked to do strange circuits while Tower juggles with traffic, etc.
+ Good sized club with quite a number of Cessnas so aircraft maintenance or problems are unlikely to cause significant problems - I finished my PPL with 48hrs within 4 weeks despite only 4 hours the first week because of weather!
+ If time is short, the club will do everything they can to get you completed in time - I was flying at 6am - a lovely time to fly!
+ They are a friendly club - even a free pool table and a very cheap bar - very annoying if you have an early flight!

I also flew at Progress.
I wanted to do a taildragger conversion and Progress have this beautiful 1946 Cessna 120...
They are a more formal organisation, very thorough and particularly aimed at the aspiring CPL - friendy too - and a table tennis table instead of Pool.
Bear in mind they are out in the sticks (although a lovely setting), half an hour drive from PE.


I had a fantastic time. I flew to Cape Town, spent 2 days there (visit the penguins at Boulder), then took 2 days to drive the Garden Route (visit Stellenboch) to PE.

TREVOR THOM.
Volume 1 is essential.
I recommend volume 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, and 5 if you plan to do the Night Rating (which I thoroughly recommend).
I would also recommend taking them all with you.

Have fun!
Regards
Peter

psmd0311

I would also recommend Algoa flying club in P.E. I got my PPL there in June 2002.

Algoa is very cheap since the club is non-profit, and its nice learning at a major airport. You have the benefit of a big runway to learn how to land, and you get used to controlled airspace very fast. Also when you get back home you wont have a problem with crosswind landings. Clubs in the UK assume there is no wind in S.A. and that someone who has learnt there won’t have a clue. But it gets windy in P.E.

The nightlife is ok, there are a few clubs that are worth going to since there is a big university in P.E. The beer is very cheap and not too bad. The club bar is good also, I think it cost about 30p a bottle, they also had a buy one get one free night so it was even better.

Cape town has a good nightlife as well but nothing special, lots more bars. But the clubs were a bit of a disappointment. And finally, progress is in the middle of nowhere.

NickGreen

I would heartily recommend Algoa Flying Club. As posted before the airport, facilities, geography and level of training is superb. As regards wind - well I'm glad I learned in windy conditions - I do better crosswind landings than straight in one's, as most of my mates will concur!

PE has a reasonable nightlife but you have to go looking for it, I was lucky to be a similar age to my instructor (great chap) and he allowed me to play gooseberry with him and his girl friend, a great way to meet some fab girls!

Re: medical, I would suggest unless you know you have a condition or suspect problem you don't worry about it and do it there. I similarly got into a state thinking 'what if i fail when I get there'. But its relatively general and as I said, unless you know of a problem that may reflect badly then it is worth doing as part of the club induction.

Grim Reaper 14

Didn't have to wear gold bars when I was at FTC. The day I start wearing a uniform for someone when I'm giving them my money, will be a sad day. If they want to turn my money away for the sake of a bit of braid, they must be doing extremely well financially, whoever they are.

I could recommend FTC, but that's not where you're going, so I won't bother...

likair

Hello Everybody,

can anyone with a South African PPL licence fly out side South Africa?? I mean I live in Malta, Europe and I'm interested to do the PPL in SA.

But my doubt is that after completing the PPL, I will not be able to fly in my country's airspace with non South Africans registered aircrafts. Am I right?

Thanks

Irv

likair: It's up to your Avaition Authority. In the UK you could use a SA PPL for 'hobby' flying in Uk aircraft without any other paperwork. Other countries might want you to perhaps 'validate' it first with a little test and a ground exam (but retain it basically as an SA PPL but valid for that country), others might want you to convert to their local licence. (I think Malta is a 'JAA' state now isn't it so to actually convert is possible with tests and ground exams)
When asking your aviation authority try and be extremely clear about the questions and answers - one question is can you fly on your SA PPL (or what do they want you to do so you can), and another completely different question is how to convert

Dakota Queen

Sound advice from Irv - usually you have 2 choices - as far as I'm aware......

1. You can still hobby fly with the SA PPL in your own country - as per UK, of course your school/club in Malta will require a 'check' flight. Check with your own authorities.

2. Convert to JAR PPL - in UK if you have less than 100 hrs you need to do all the exams and flight test - above 100 hrs only 2 exams and flight test needed.

Good luck

DQ

likair

Hello again

thanks for your replies about my question!!

Yes Malta is a JAA state and the PPL issued in Malta is based on UK's CAA Syllabus & examinations. And yes I must ask the Authority to clarify!!

Basically I want to achieve an ICAO PPL & CPL/IR/ME convertible to a JAA CPL to work in a commercial environement.

Thanks for your attention.

likair

Has anyone studied for a SA PPL at Progress Flight Academy?


I contacted them via e-mail to send me more information and clarify some questions about the courses they offer but no reply!

Can anyone help!?!?