If they are short staffed over the summer and this is why service is poorer (a lame excuse) then perhaps they should only charge a tenner? As a comparison, even that is considerably more than the FAA's estimated cost of replacing a paper certificate with a plastic certificate. They estimate that at USD 3.59 (in http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2...07/06-9989.htm if you want to dig)

Solar,

If you can arrange it so that your AME visit is shortly after your offshore medical you can use the ECG trace from your offshore medical. I too work in the oil business and being over 40 I need the medical every two years and the ECG. My AME has accepted the ECG from the company medical which I arrange for about 2 weeks to a month before I am due the aviation "cough please".

Thanks - I have been offered that from the school but my better half is keen to come up with me so the chances of me disappearing on my own for a couple of hours over B/H is slightly less than nil :(


Steve

I understand
 

Amen to that. Notice that the payment for my license went through my account today so at least they've received it and started the ball rolling!

Backpacker - Offshore medicals - certainly in the UK, if the AME is not UKOOA accredited, he can't do it.
The UKOOA examinations are pretty much similar with (off the top of my head) the addition of Keystone eye tests, audiometry is required for the UKOOA (but not for PPL unless IMC/IR), and it's possible the urinealysis is slightly different. And there's no ECG as standard on the UKOOA.

Things might have changed a bit in the UK but I still have stiff grey CAA chopper PPL on the back of an Aussie green plastic thingy.
It seems the CAA dish out the brown plastic for ppl's. Mine was issued in 1981.
My Aussie fixed wing and chopper is green plastic and string:)

Receipt
 

I got my receipt through on Friday that said the PPL license turn around was "10 days".

Which is significantly faster than the 21 I'm expecting...

And I thought it was the words on it that mattered, not the bit of plastic it was wrapped in. Humm, call me old fashioned if you want.
The CAA charges are all a stealth tax really. Stands to reason dunnit? I don't remember anyone complaining back in the good old days when a driving licence came in a scruffy little book. Nowadays we get a pretty credit card sized bit of plastic with a hologram and a mug shot - I suppose if the CAA gave those out then new PPLs would be happy. Maybe a free set of gold bars for the eppaulettes, too.
MF

Lifes a Beech,

Yes indeed, a D17S Staggerwing................. utter bliss........!!

Now to your gripe. The CAA publish service standard times which they do try to meet. This includes FCL. Write to Graham Forbes who is Head of Personel Licensing if you feel they did not, by a significant margin, meet their own published standards of service. He needs to know.

Usually the problem is an incorrect application in some respects. I have seen a few myself and marvel at the stupidity of some folk, and this includes the examiners............!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoever said my pension was gold plated needs to think again. It works out at being around 120% of that given to me by Alastair Darling. Put the two together and it means a frugal, but satisfactory and enjoyable, time in retirement.

Thanks for the reminder of that great actor Francis Urquahart. I really miss his talent on the box.

Cheers,

Trapper 69
:cool:

Adding a night to my licence is going to cost me £78! I don't think i'm even going to use it (just thought it would add another string to my bow for FTO applications) so am in two minds whether to bother. And all this after my instructor said he was "pretty sure it's free". That really does take the piss. Do they even send you anything back or is it just to confirm that you're not lying?

That kind of money would have bought me another two hours flying in FL where I did the rating.

Ginger ;)

My wallet split in half a couple of weeks ago. I tried Transair to see if they had anything that would do the job but no luck. I happened to be driving up the M23 and thought I'd drop into Aviation House and pick up a new one, fully expecting to get either a flat "no" or to be ripped off for a new one.

To my surprise, the guy at the desk was very friendly and straight away handed over a brand new wallet FREE OF CHARGE!