$50k? Where? Most schools I've spoken say roughly around $80k or more to get a basic CPL part time, i.e. no Instrument Rating

No offence intended Megan!

I was tailoring my response to the scenario presented to me...

Your points make sense, but sadly it seems as though they may not widely implemented amongst the parenting fraternity!

Flying Bear,
That's what I would have thought, until I was faced with exactly that, AND --- it is not confined to civilian pilots.
Don't forget that the majority of pilots that now make up the crews of most major European and many Asian airlines had about 250 hours or so when they wound up in the right hand seat of a "heavy" ---- this has been progressively so since the mid-1960s.
I have never been able to really differentiate between a pilot with "bush" time and a pilot who has run up several thousand hours as an instructor. Indeed, I would say that "mentoring" etc. is largely absent and the value of all that "traditional GA" time is a bit of a myth. A devoutly held myth, but still a myth.
Tootle pip!!

"Traditional GA" will always have a yarn to tell - but a factual yarn or just a story. Most are not myth.


From knowing the smell of eaten turtle to a scud run in a rapid weather change. I think the idle chat would be a differentiating difference between the two.


Must say the yarns of the Top End differ from that of the Delta "Bush Pilots" differ but have much in common - To have done both is a rich man in life experience. I am sure other such as PNG also makes one have a tale or two to tell.

If you're in Sydney, I would reccomend you head over to Whitworth Aviation at Bankstown. CPL & MEA IFR would be around the 65K mark doing a 150hr course. There is also Clamback & Hennessy, although I don't know their pricing range, I do know it is similar to Whitworths pricing.

Megan, so far so good to be honest. The job is satisfying, the pay is not, but none of us fly for the money, do we? (I knew what I was getting myself into before I started).

One solution would be for airlines to team up with the GA operators, including flying schools and form agreements - loose or stringent, whatever works to provide pathways for pilots to learn, get valuable experience either in charter, low capacity RPT or flight instruction and move into an airline.

When we hear that GA operators are closing their doors because they can't hire IFR Pilots, Senior Instructors and suitable Chief Pilots, the future doesn't look very positive.

Folks,
In the Sydney area, you will certainly get as good training as anywhere at Whitworths, Bill seems to have an uncanny ability to pick young instructors who rapidly develop into really good instructors.
And he has been in the business since before a lot of you even existed.
Tootle pip!!