PPL interval in Brisbane
PPL interval in Brisbane
Having just started my PPL in Kenya (on a C172), there now seems a possibility that I will spend an extended period of time (6 months min) working in Brizzie. I really do not want to interrupt my training, and I expect to end-up back in Kenya. What do you think would be involved in picking-up lessons in Brisbane and then returning to Kenya for final qualification? Or maybe qualifying in Australia and then converting an Australian PPL when I am back ? Having gone through the pain of all the Kenyan paperwork to get started, I am not anxious to have to restart the whole thing with new medical, licence, airside pass etc. in Australia.
What do you reckon ?
Thanks
What do you reckon ?
Thanks
The medical in Oz is not as expensive as in some countries I believe. Also what are your long term ambitions. Are you an Oz citizen, will you ever come back. If it doesn’t break the bank, get both licences.
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Start your paperwork now if you want to do training in Aus. You can go up to your first solo without too much drama, but from that point youll be subject to CASAs paperwork mountain. If youre only here for 6 months I would talk with a local school about how far you could get sans-paperwork but if theres a possibility of extending I would weigh that up.
If you expect to be back in Kenya in 6 months (and you do not intend to return to oz permanently) I would save yourself the hassle and expense of starting all over again on an Australian licence you will never use... and then having to go through the further hassle of converting that licence to use in Kenya.
While 6 months will not be an ideal break early on in your PPL training, it would be a far cheaper and easier prospect to just do some refresher training when you return and then continue on.
Also 6 months is not a huge amount of time do redo the Australian exams, and flight training. It would be fine if you had nothing else to worry about, but you are presumably in oz for work of some sort and if I were you I would spend the time outside of that playing tourist.
What happens if due to factors out of your control (weather/time/aircraft availability) you dont finish in the 6 months? You will merely have two incomplete licences and a reasonable hole in your wallet.
While 6 months will not be an ideal break early on in your PPL training, it would be a far cheaper and easier prospect to just do some refresher training when you return and then continue on.
Also 6 months is not a huge amount of time do redo the Australian exams, and flight training. It would be fine if you had nothing else to worry about, but you are presumably in oz for work of some sort and if I were you I would spend the time outside of that playing tourist.
What happens if due to factors out of your control (weather/time/aircraft availability) you dont finish in the 6 months? You will merely have two incomplete licences and a reasonable hole in your wallet.
Thanks. both I am not an Oz citizen and do not expect to stay there beyond 12months absolute max. - but who knows how things can work out. I will be working full time while in Brisbane, but with plenty of flexibility over hours. If I had started this 20 years ago I would probably have considered making my career in flying, but now it is purely for fun. I would add that it is stretching my finances.
I would have lots more hours at the controls and no major interruption in the learning curve? Perhaps if I just looked for some mechanism to get some flying hours in without planning to qualify in Australia? I wonder if there is a way to do that?
I would have lots more hours at the controls and no major interruption in the learning curve? Perhaps if I just looked for some mechanism to get some flying hours in without planning to qualify in Australia? I wonder if there is a way to do that?
Last edited by double_barrel; 17th Aug 2018 at 04:29.
I think you could easily do some flying here and I would say why not go for it? Talk to a few schools around where you will be based in Oz.
You can get some fun experience and enhance your skills and it all counts if what you are interested in is enjoying yourself and becoming a better pilot.
NB whatever you do, you won't get any solo here unless you do an Oz medical though. You no longer need a student licence here - just need a medical.
With a medical you can be allowed to be sent solo. See https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-pag...student-pilots
Depending how much training you have already done and what free time will be available you might easily get at least an RPL.
An Oz RPL (recreational pilot licence) doesn't carry any weight overseas but the skills and experience you gain certainly will not be wasted.
If you are reasonably advanced in your training (eg at navigation training point) an Oz PPL is also within range if you really wanted to go for it and willing to do some study.
You can get some fun experience and enhance your skills and it all counts if what you are interested in is enjoying yourself and becoming a better pilot.
NB whatever you do, you won't get any solo here unless you do an Oz medical though. You no longer need a student licence here - just need a medical.
With a medical you can be allowed to be sent solo. See https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-pag...student-pilots
Depending how much training you have already done and what free time will be available you might easily get at least an RPL.
An Oz RPL (recreational pilot licence) doesn't carry any weight overseas but the skills and experience you gain certainly will not be wasted.
If you are reasonably advanced in your training (eg at navigation training point) an Oz PPL is also within range if you really wanted to go for it and willing to do some study.
Or you could try Gliding. Great way to develop good hands on skill and a lot of fun as well.
I don’t know about home in Kenya, but there is some credit for Gliding experience towards a PPL in OZ.
The Gliding Federation of Australia website has a list of Gliding Clubs around Brisbane.
Can’t post the web address, but google ‘Gliding Federation of Australia’ to get to the website.
Robert
I don’t know about home in Kenya, but there is some credit for Gliding experience towards a PPL in OZ.
The Gliding Federation of Australia website has a list of Gliding Clubs around Brisbane.
Can’t post the web address, but google ‘Gliding Federation of Australia’ to get to the website.
Robert
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With respect to the comment above suggesting you do a RPL, do note that it is not a requirement to have a RPL to do the PPL training and flight test. While the PPL syllabus does encompass the whole RPL syllabus, you may just as well decide to forgo the RPL test and go on straight to your PPL training (8 navigation exercises ≅ 20 additional hours).
If you're still with me and there's yet another pathway to the clouds in Australia, namely the RA Aus (Recreational Aviation Australia). Here in Aus you'll find that GA is under CASA oversight (no pun intended) and light sport aircraft activities are governed by a different body called RA Aus. This is a wholly different albeit very lively and active organisation. I cannot speak much on its behalf because I've ever only flown GA but my understanding and observations are that 1. RA Aus provides a cheaper alternative to GA for those pilots intending to fly recreationally and thus is a quite a popular alternative down under, 2. has a recreational pilot certificate (roughly equivalent to a RPL, ie. there are ways to convert one into the other at low expenses at a later stage) that you can top up with endorsements, 3. primarily intended for flights in uncontrolled airspace.
Quite a number of flight schools here offer both the GA (RPL, PPL, CPL, ...) and the RA tracks and I found that many students start in RA only to convert later to GA because of cheaper hire rates and probably simpler regulations.
A word of caution: many experienced pilots will say that flying RA hardware is different from traditional GA. That's true, albeit to a moderate degree only. I did my RPL on traditional GA trainers (Warriors and C172) and did my PPL on Slings that can be both RA and GA registered. In a way, I'm happy I trained first on the traditional hardware but, seriously, I don't buy the claim that flying sport aircraft is all that different.
Have a look at it too as you might find it to be of some interest. The medical requirements are lower too and as long as you're happy having only one passenger at a time, this may just be what you're looking for.
If you're still with me and there's yet another pathway to the clouds in Australia, namely the RA Aus (Recreational Aviation Australia). Here in Aus you'll find that GA is under CASA oversight (no pun intended) and light sport aircraft activities are governed by a different body called RA Aus. This is a wholly different albeit very lively and active organisation. I cannot speak much on its behalf because I've ever only flown GA but my understanding and observations are that 1. RA Aus provides a cheaper alternative to GA for those pilots intending to fly recreationally and thus is a quite a popular alternative down under, 2. has a recreational pilot certificate (roughly equivalent to a RPL, ie. there are ways to convert one into the other at low expenses at a later stage) that you can top up with endorsements, 3. primarily intended for flights in uncontrolled airspace.
Quite a number of flight schools here offer both the GA (RPL, PPL, CPL, ...) and the RA tracks and I found that many students start in RA only to convert later to GA because of cheaper hire rates and probably simpler regulations.
A word of caution: many experienced pilots will say that flying RA hardware is different from traditional GA. That's true, albeit to a moderate degree only. I did my RPL on traditional GA trainers (Warriors and C172) and did my PPL on Slings that can be both RA and GA registered. In a way, I'm happy I trained first on the traditional hardware but, seriously, I don't buy the claim that flying sport aircraft is all that different.
Have a look at it too as you might find it to be of some interest. The medical requirements are lower too and as long as you're happy having only one passenger at a time, this may just be what you're looking for.
Thanks all. Really helpful comments. I will likely have a pre-trip to Brisbane in the next few weeks and will have a look into Archerfield, well armed with this information.
it might be worth having a talk to your Kenyan training provider or the Aviation Regulator to see if your Aus training can be formally recognised? ie maybe correspondence between training providers or regulators?
