lewni

Congratulations to you. No need to congratulate me. I was just asking if anybody had heard back. They forgot to send my email and I found out I was unsuccessful by ringing them up today.

I do not think I had enough background knowledge in the interview. They also questioned my commitment as I had little experience of flying before. It is annoying as I have read in a lot of places that having little flying experience can be a good thing as you will not have picked up bad habits.

I will endeavour to apply elsewhere but CTC certainly seems to offer the best course.

Well done.

Nick

flightless_bird

I can definitely recommend reading Flight International. I read that for over a month before my interview and it meant I could talk about B747s doing glide approaches into Auckland to save fuel, Virgin Fuels testing alternative fuels on a jet engine, inefficient air traffic controllers in Europe meaning that planes fly 50 km further than they need to, and Airbus shifting all their engineers from the freighter version of the A380 to work on the passenger version to help alleviate the delays they are experiencing.

While they do say that no flying is required I certainly know that one of the things that held me back from starting the process of becoming a commercial pilot was whether I would be any good at it and whether I would enjoy it. Getting my PPL was far and away the best way for me to reassure myself that I was doing the right thing and that this was definitely what I wanted to do.

Just food for thought.

pcoltas

congrats fb, you on cp52 then? drop me a message if you are, we're trying to work out who there is, we got 3 of us so far!

Captain Myers

Hi there,

I'm Sarah, heading out in July also. Did we do the flight simulator on the same day? I remember there being a guy from Canada there - end of last year, can't remember exactly when. Anyway, I've had to delay going out to NZ this long in order to finish off my degree at university. Not long to go now!

reggy_uk

Hey guys and girls!

Congratulations Sarah, FB and Pcoltas! Passed my phase 4 today so looks like I will be seeing you out in NZ! Think I'm provisionaly going out on CP54 at beginning of October. Anyone else here on CP54?

Also FB have you found out if it's ok to fly out a bit earlier than your set date? I have family in Aus so would be good to have a couple of weeks before I start to hop over there!

Cheers

flightless_bird

Flying out early does not seem to be a problem. If it costs more than the flight that CTC would have provided for you then you just pay the difference. The important thing is to let them know as soon as possible if you want to do this as otherwise they may have already booked your tickets.

On a related matter, if you fly via the US then you are allowed a luggage allowance of 46 kilos as opposed to the 20 kg you get via Asia (increased by CTC's negotiation to 30 kg so good on them for that). Might be worth putting in a request to fly that way. (Again you pay the extra if it costs more although when I looked the cheapest tickets were actually via the US.) Also, I know that if you fly Air NZ you only need to travel via the US on one leg of your journey to get the extra allowance, i.e., you can go via the US and return via Asia, or the other way round.

MajorYaw

Well done mentioning the flight and baggage options if you fly in different directions.

Sadly, CTC don't bother to explain all this and my flight was booked before I knew it was happening, so for my first trip out I am restricted. Oh well, I'll just have to leave my underpants at home and go commando in NZ for six months. I just hope I don't have an accident while I'm out there. Oh, the shame.

RC203

Reggy UK, You at Southampton Uni? I'm heading out the course before you... Rob

reggy_uk

Hey guys thanks for the info on flights, baggage etc. Something I'll definately be looking into carefully! Could do with that extra 16kg though

RC - I'm at Cardiff Uni but live in Southampton! Congrats on getting through! Getting pretty excited already!

Captain Myers

Hi everyone,

Would really appreciate a quick a reply on this one if possible please!

I'm currently sorting out my Visa. My sponsorship letter says I'm to apply for a multiple entry 12 month visa.

Can anyone tell me who has obtained one of these recently in the UK how quickly they were able to process the application?

I'm planning on going down to the embassy in London myself with the forms etc. Is all I need to bring my NZIS 1017 form, passport, passport photo & sponsorship letter from CTC?

Do I need to book an interview or do I just turn up? The website provides limited information and as I understand it, we are applying for a unique visa, so I'd really like to double check this with someone who's already been through the whole process.

Cheers for your help,

Sarah

bjkeates

I just did mine by post. I can't remember how long it took exactly, but it was a matter of days (maybe a week and a bit) rather than months. Obviously the NZ embassy have seen all this many times before due to the number of cadets CTC send out, so if you follow to the letter all the instructions CTC have given you, you won't go far wrong. If you're going down there in person, I would suggest ringing them beforehand. PM me if you need any more help.

RC203

Sarah,

I did mine the other week by post and it was back within the same week. However I'm sure if you just rock up at the embassy with everything they've asked for with the postal application form filled out etc they'll be fine with it. Unless you're in a super-rush though post should be fine. Seeya there!

Cheers, Rob

reggy_uk

Hey guys anyone on CP53 get involved with the facebook group for some pre NZ banter!

http://cardiffuk.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2471336598

Barcelona cadet

does anyone know about a good value place to stay close to Bournemouth airport?

greywind

CTC have a list of B&B's if you ask them.
I've stayed at the Grosvenor Lodge B&B a few times and has always been very nice.
Theres also a travel lodge or holiday Inn (I forget which) in Christchurch which isn't far

bjkeates

Stour Villa is pretty good - awesome breakfast! But there's a whole host of B&Bs on the same road (Stour Road) in Christchurch - Google is your friend! If you haven't got transport it's a short walk from the rail station and an £11ish taxi ride to the airport in the morning. (You'll probably find someone there willing to give you a lift back to the station at the end of the day!)

General Zod

I've got stage 2 on Tue July 2nd - any one around the night before fancy a meet up??

GZ

asif

Hey,

I've got Stage 2 on the 2nd July too. Probably going to stay at the Grosvenor Lodge Guest House.

If anyone's planning to do the same, maybe we could meet up for a couple of drinks the night before / arrange to share the taxi on the morning of the assessment?

amp22

Hi, is anyone going to the pm phase 2 on October 2nd?

moojuice

Hi amp22, yes I'm on that date so i'll see you there.

Anyone else?
Alex.