Flying O/S
 

hi
im new to this board but i visit this site often. i live in Sydney and i have a question for any pilots. I am planning to start lessons next year and i hope to have my PPL by the end of the year. with a lesson or two every week this should happen. I am also planning a trip to the UK for 2 months and i was wanting to know if i can resume flying lessons over there and then return here to continue. will my hours over there count towards my Aussie PPL? I will be there for some time and this break in training will cause havoc on my plans.
thanks

If you wish to do the 150 hour integrated CPL course here in Aus, all hours need to be supervised by your instructor/flying school.

Your hours in UK will "count" as loggable hours but not towards this total. They could be used towards the 200 hours "not commercially trained" path.

Flying in the UK is VERY expensive, compared to Aus. Last time I looked often double the price. Cheaper to hop across the pond to USA.

I have been instructing for over 10 years and I would suggest you save up a bundle of money and fly the hours in a short period of time rather than spread out. The advantages are gained from flying more freqently and staying "current".

More often than not it is the theory component that holds people up. So make sure you have the theory ahead of the flying, not the other way around.

I'm not saying don't fly in the UK, by all means have a fly, always good experience in a foreign country. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

Shop around for flying schools by the way!

[ 31 December 2001: Message edited by: Icarus2001 ]</p>

If it's just a PPL you're doing then I'd do it all before you come to the UK or wait until after you've done your trip. There is no substitute for consolidated learning - a bit here and there is next to useless, but doing it over a smaller period of time and more often will get you that licence quicker. I take it an Aus PPL will be approx 45 hours?

CM

Icarus2001 - its more like 3x the price over here... I pay equivalent of AU$310/hr solo for a Warrior (using current exchange of about £1 = AU$2.85). When back in NSW last Christmas it was, well, lets just say a LOT cheaper! Main issue seems to be cost of fuel here, which is about 3x higher than in Oz also.

Andy

[ 02 January 2002: Message edited by: Aussie Andy ]</p>

OZ-FLYBOY,

I agree with Icarus2000 and Chilli Monster. From a student perspective, consolidating your flying lessons is the way to go.

I did all my flying training with Warwick Dand @ Royal Newcastle Aero Club in Maitland, NSW, generally flying once a fortnight but sometimes only once per month. I also had a few significant periods where I didn't fly for long periods, either due to the fuel contamination problems or trips O/S.

I found that, with regular and careful study of theory, I was able maximise the benefit gained from time in the air. However, before any flight test (ie solo, area solo or GFPT) I would try to squeeze in 3 flights a week, which did assist in improving my flying skills, as there was a real benefit to having regular time in the air.

However, the way I learnt to fly was not, in my opinion, ideal. RNAC also trains students for Newcastle University, and those students progress very very quickly, no doubt a result of flying (usually) at least once a day. I would suggest that you try and do what a few private pilots (including one from the UK) have done and basically take a holiday and do nothing but fly, having completed all the study beforehand.

I also agree you should shop around. You might even be able to take advantage of "quiet times" with some of the larger training organisations who train uni students or negotiate a "block time" deal - I know there are a few schools out there that are hurting.

You might also pick the location of your school carefully. I see both pros and cons of learning at a busy controlled airport - becoming comfortable with busy controlled airspace vs added cost associated with lengthy taxi and holding. For me, learning at Maitland made sense as it was (fairly) close to home and was in a reasonably quiet CTAF, so I could concentrate on flying. However, I would not be as comfortable flying around Bankstown as someone who learnt there, as I have not experienced controlled airspace or high traffic volumes. I will acquire the skills needed to fly into aiports like Bankstown during my nav training.

I also think you should pick your instructor very carefully - no good having a great school but a lousy instructor. Like anything, there are different skill levels and different levels of application. I was very very happy with my instructor, who is an experienced GA pilot, is not "building time" for an airline job, and enjoys teaching people to fly. If you get those qualities in an instructor, you will be a step ahead.

Good luck!