Christchurch International Aviation Academy

[andycelt2001]

Hey, I am from Scotland and thinking about applying for the Aviation academy in Christchurch which is based right beside the International airport. Has any other international students been to this academy to obtain a CPL? Would you recommend the academy? And is there much involded in then moving back to the UK to use your license...

Any suggestions or information greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Andy.

[alexthepilot]

hey man, although i havn't gone through the academy nor know what it takes to convert ur license. I did my initial PPL training there, they have great instructors, well maintained aeroplanes but still is abit of a sausage factory they pump you through it pretty fast. You'll find lots of the students are also from overseas and i remeber quite a few guys from UK on the course.

Hope this helps,
Alex

[andycelt2001]

Hey thanks for the reply mate, yeah the academy looks fantastic I was just really trying to find out the quality of training thats given as well.

Unfortunate hearing they try n do it all quick, but if they have good instructors and the overall quality of the training is good then suppose thats a good point.

[saabsforever]

The flight school is fine and as good a place as any to do your training and build up hours. But if you are from the Uk I would check the exact details of the licence conversion. In the late 90s it amounted to repeating the entire process all over again at great expense. Exams, Medicals, flight tests , the lot! So it may well be just as cheap to go to Oxford or one of the outfits in the States which are JAA approved and can issue a JAA licence in the first instance. Same with type ratings, I have a JAA licence and a 737 type rating on the Aussie and NZ Licences, but not recognised on the JAA licence.(Knew that when I did it) So plenty of traps for the unwary! Be careful out there.

[andycelt2001]

Hey thanks for the info. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get an exact idea on the current details to convert to a UK licence which is unfortunate because now I am doubting whether the New Zealand move is a good one.

I have looked at Oxford and Jerez, does anyone know of any other good places to gain a JAA Licence within Europe, or any information regarding a New Zealand move.

[alexthepilot]

from what i remember hearing of my mate who went over to UK from NZ was saying he had to do a flight test most likely a commercial test or something. but dont take my word, take a look at australia's casa equivialnt or what-ever they have over there .

[haughtney1]

Guys there are plenty of threads relating to JAA to CASA/NZCAA and vise versa conversions.....

The search function is your friend

hint: search for posts made by redsnail

[ZKSUJ]

Have you tried looking at CTC wings? based in Hamilton to my knowlege they train you for JAA and ATPL subjects.

I could be wrong so anyone with any more information to help this guy please go ahead

[Voidhawk9]

IAANZ is a good school, it has a good reputation amongst employers in NZ, both GA and airline. It is a sausage factory, but if you take some initiative you can overcome most disadvantages. The flying environment there is second to none.

CTC is also a very good option, probably better training-wise, though the selection process is more difficult and in depth than IAANZ. If you get in, you will get your JAA qualifications, and placing with an airline.

Whatever your choice, good luck, and enjoy it!

[aileron_69]

To be perfectly honest IAANZ/Canterbury Aeroclub, while good, give their students a slightly unrealistic view of aviation and like so many big flying schools out there just dont prepare them for the harsh realities of charter flying, where everybody is going to start out. Things like not landing on airstrips not published in the AIP being my biggest gripe. How can anyone be expected to be a half useful charter pilot if they havent landed on anything shorter than a 1000m runway???
Nelson Aviation College, in my opinion are pretty good. They may not have the newest aircraft in the country but they have top knotch instructors up there, are quite a bit cheaper than ChCh, and do real-world flying like going into ag-strips and confined area landings.
As for the JAR conversion side of things, I really wouldnt have a clue, but thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

[andycelt2001]

Hey, thanks for the reply mate. According to posts on here the conversion back to JAA in the UK can be a costly and time consuming one as medical etc need to be re-applied for.

Therefore i've been looking at the West Australian Aviation College, it is JAA approved and looks a fantastic place to train.

Thanks again for your help,
Andy.

[Launchpad McQuack]

i've been looking at the West Australian Aviation College

Sounds like a good choice, the majority of the feedback I've heard regarding them is very positive.

Good luck mate, when you're sorted make sure you stick another post on this thread and let us know how you're going. The Aussies are a friendly bunch overall and the beer ain't bad either...

LP

[andycelt2001]

Thanks mate, wont be applying for a couple months anyway got a lot to sort out. Yeah the place looks fantastic and like you said the feedback through here is all positive.

Ha yeah i'll pop down to my local for a pint of fosters to get me in the mood... (Although hear the Australians dont like it that much?) will post something once I've applied etc.

Andy

[kongdong]

IAANZ: Dodgy, badly maintained A/C. Lack of experienced instructors and sim space causing large training delays. Trained in 2006/2007. A better place in Hawke's Bay where you get operational experience. Tomahawks over 30000 hours etc just crap. The area surrounding CHCH is great, and you do get experience into short strips etc main runway you use is a 500m grass strip adjacent to the main runway.