Airline training in New Zealand
 

I am emigrating to New Zealand in 2006 and want to have a change of direction and become an airline Pilot. Has anyone got any info on the best training courses and establishments?

I have heard that Nelson and Christchurch have good training facilities, but can anyone who has been there give me some advice?

Also do the major airlines have any links with them and help any prospective pilots?

Many Thanks

I think that CTC have a new training centre open in NZ at Hamilton. I am hoping to go through my training with them after i finish college. the official site is:
www.ctcaviation.com
I know that alot of the applicants have gone onto Easy Jet, and they have said they found it really good. They also have links with:
............................................................ .............................................
Aer Lingus
Air Europe Italy
Air Malawi
Air Mauritius
Air Seychelles
bmi
Britannia Airways/Thomsonfly
British Airways
BMed
Channel Express
Cyprus Airways
easyJet
El AL Israeli Airlines
Eurocypria
Excel Airways
First Choice
Flybe
Fly Globespan
FLYJET
GB Airways
Helios
Irish Aviation Authority
Jet 2
Kuwait Airways
Martinair Holland
Middle East Airlines
MK Airlines
Monarch Airlines
My Travel
PrivatAir
Royal Brunei Airlines
Royal Flight Oman
Royal Nepal Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Thomas Cook Airlines
Transavia
............................................................ .............................................
I only know of how many get chosen for Easy Jet, not too much info on the others, sorry.

Thanks for the info I will have a look at the site this evening.

Do you want to become an airline pilot in Europe or New Zealand?

You need to understand that NZ is very different to Europe in that there is no way on earth you can just finish flying school and go join an airline, you need several years of commercial experience on light piston singles and twins before you can even get your CV looked at at the most basic of regional turboprop commuter airlines. Flight training is cheap compared to Europe but there is intense competition for jobs and not a lot of them to be found (why do you think there's so many kiwis and aussies over here in the UK? )

There's a whole forum devoted to this stuff elsewhere on the site, 'dunnunda & godzone'.

As far as schools go, do you know where you're going to be living? There are good schools all over NZ, I know it's hard to grasp this as a wannabe and especially one from the European culture of flight training, but the main thing to keep in mind when selecting a school in NZ is maybe not the training itself but what do they have to offer after you've finished? Where you trained for your PPL and CPL is not really that important to the NZ airlines as it is here in the UK, because you will have done at least 1,500 hours of flying single and twin piston before you get the first airline interview.

Because as I said it's impossible to get an airline job on completion of your bare licence, the best schools to train at are the ones that hire their own graduates as instructors or even better, the ones that have an air taxi / air ambulance / piston twin charter operation as a sideline so you can work towards getting some multi hours and getting your CV on those airline desks once you've got 1,000 - 2,000 total time.

As far as individual schools go, I guess I have a few opinions as to good schools and also a couple of bad ones that you want to avoid. PM me and I'll give you the low down.

Honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath for a job "Down Under". You have to be damn lucky, know the right people and be there at the right time. There are less jobs there and more punters hunting. Spend your money training to be a dentist or a plumber or something.

I think the airlines are more likely to hire a kiwi national, I suppose however if you have the right to live and work there, there should be no discrimination theoretically. The problem in NZ and Oz is vast areas and relatively small population therefore not really the need for the amount of planes we need in the congested skies and densly populated western europe.

"there should be no discrimination theoretically"

In NZ? You must be joking.

New Zealand Pilot Training
 

Which is a better school, Ardmore Flying School or International Aviation Academy of New Zealand? Any other FTOs that you would recommend for CPL multi IR?

Do you like planes taxiing onto the runway just as you hit short short finals?

Do you fancy the challenge of 12 planes in an uncontrolled circuit, with half the pilots unable to speak English properly?

Do you like the idea of an old military jet up your arse at 400kts? Again in the circuit....

If the answer is "yes" to the above, then Ardmore is the school for you:ok:

I got my PPL in New Zealand and my 100 hour building for my JAA (f)ATPL.

For its size Kiwi land has quite a few flying schools. I have knowledge of the IAANZ and serveral of my friends went there. They set the standard very high there to that of the equiv of NZRAF courses. They have no nonsense and if you find things hard have no hesitation to kick you off the courses even if you're preapred to work or are working very hard. They turn out good pilots (or throw out mediocre) but it is very pressurised and there is no real personal attention. Ardmore I have been told ahs a very similar tin can factory approach.

From what I have witnessed and I won't give too much away about myself Nelson Avaition College is situated in the beautiful Motuaka and is a very nice relaxed college with a great student buz. Another good school is Flight Training Manawatu - a very personalised approach and friendly school with no pressure. In Christchurch, there is an up and coming school in Wigram which is really friendly and now has multi-engine aircraft and full time courses. You can complete your courses here in half the time. The above three are just a few to mention but in my opinion they are schools where you can really enjoy your flight training. There is no uniform or hierarchy where the instructors have one room to have their lunch and the students another. Beware as well that the main so called 'premier school' you are mainly trained by 22 year olds who have just got ther C Cat 2 months before you started!

I hope this helps. I would like finish by saying that different peoples personalities suit different environments. So IAANZ or Ardmore might be right for you - but ndeffinately not for me!

You'd also do well to consider Mainland Air in Dunedin, who have a good and very personal setup, or even Air Wakatipu which would get your flying up to an extremely high standard in a stunning environment before doing your IR elsewhere. No groundschool at the latter, though.

The IAANZ is 4 hours away in Christchurch. Your confusing the Nelson Aviation College which is a 40 minute drive a way in Motuaka fromNelson Aero Club.

The IAANZ is a 3 to 4 hours drive away from Nelson.

Hope this helps the muddle up,

once agian good luck guys!

If it's hour building you want, you'll tend to save money in general by staying away from the big sausage factories - and by that I mean IAANZ, NAC, AFS and certainly Massey. It doesn't really matter which one but a lot of the posters here are right in that you tend to get a more enjoyable experience and 'sometimes' a bit more personalized attention at the Aero Clubs.

If I was to do it all again I'd probably toss a coin and decide between Queenstown & Tauranga, they are both awesome although incredibly different flying environments - Queenstown with those incredible mountains and scenery and hard core flying, and Tauranga with all those incredible bikini clad chicks down the beach along with fantastic surfing, nightlife and general party town feel. Can't speak for Wakatipu but there are at least two schools on the airfield at Tauranga that can sort you for CPL/IR, the Tauranga aero club and Bay Flight.

Mooney12 wasn't joking about Ardmore either the place is an absolute nightmare for training purposes, I instructed on the airfield there for several years (although not at AFS) and I have to say the way it's structured at the moment - uncontrolled - its an accident waiting to happen. Oh and 12 planes in the circuit is an average day there, it can and does get a lot worse than that on sunny afternoons. The all time record from the time that I was there was 27 in the circuit with 8 on the ground waiting for taxi, and 5 others holding clear of the circuit waiting for joining clearance (back when it was controlled).

Flying Training in New Zealand
 

Hey folks, i'm looking around for a CPL course and so far like the sound of New Zealand. Has anyone done it out there? Any recommendations on schools out there? A line or two on any general experiences whist out there would also be helpful, cheers now

Flying Training in New Zealand
 

Hi, I am currently applying to join the RNZAF and thought id look at my options if i am unsucessful. Im after any information or advice about any of the training institutions in New Zealand. For example any recommendations you may have or advice on the ones to be weary of. Im from down south but am willing to train anywhere if it will better my chances of employment and provide me with the best training environment.
Any information will be appreciated,

cheers

Mainland Air is in Dunedin and is (or was, when I was there) an excellent flying school.

The Wakatipu Aeroclub in Queenstown is good if you think you might like to get in to the Queenstown flying scene.

Thanks thats good to hear. I have heard Mainland Air has a good reputation. Do you think there is a disadvantage in studing for a diploma of aviation which Mainland offers compared to the bachelor of aviation through Massey Unversity?. Or is is industry just as accepting of both qualifications?

If I was you, and had the time to do a degree or diploma, I'd do it in something non-aviation related. That way you have some back up qualifications in case flying doesn't work out.

Some airlines like you to have a degree, but they don't specify an aviation degree.

I had a great time with Peter Hendriks at Aspiring Air in Wanaka. An awesome place to live the whole year round and nothing has ever compared to my experience of flying round the snow capped peaks and glaciers of the southern alps. cons of the school may be the occasional over laid back approach and their main business being scenic flights. They offer PPL to CPL training only, and Pete has an awesome tiger moth you can get rated on. They have a web site you can find easily through google. I personally found Wakatipu a little pompus and over priced, however they do promise a job at the end of CPL training.

Best of luck:ok:

Aerocats, they've bureaucratised everything to do with learning to fly in NZ since making taxpayer funded loans available. The politicians want to call it a diploma or bachelor's degree so that colleges can muscle in on aviation.

When I learned to fly one couldn't get loans like this so it is the medicine one must swallow for being treated like any other career. Of course it isn't and sometimes colleges don't get it.

I am glad they've made taxpayer loans available. When I was learning in NZ I used to laugh at the students whowere complaining about how much debt they were getting into - I would've given my left testy to be given the opportunity to get into some debt!

If they're requiring that it be part of an "aviation degree" though, then it seems they may have missed the point somewhat.

Flying Training in New Zealand
 

Hi There,

Guys, I wanted to know if Nelson Aviation College in Motueka, New Zea Land is having a good reputation in the airlines. I am going to take Professional Pilot course there. So please help!
Guys who know anything about this college please share your information here. It will be appreciated.

Regards.

It is "New Zealand". Anyway, as far as I'm aware, airlines don't care where you learnt to fly as long as you have the minimum experience and the personality they want. If I was you, I would select a flying school that you are happy with for personal reasons (price, lifestyle, personal attention etc,) and not worry too much about what the airlines think.

Also, you may get more responses by asking a moderator to move this thread to the Dununder and Godzone forums.

Thanx for your reply Aerocat.
I got one more question here.
After i complete the Professional Pilot course, who would employ me? or how can i get the experience required to join an Airline?

It depends on where you want to fly. If you intend staying in NZ or going to Australia then you will find that you are at the bottom of a heap of barely qualified commercial pilots. You will probably have to do some single engine VFR scenic work followed by some twin piston engine charter, then maybe turbo-props in a regional airline. This may take several years.

On the other hand, the situation is different in other countries. Europe seems to have airlines that will employ low time pilots.

Thanx again,
but isn't it possible that an Airline recruit a CPL holder without any experience or just after he is qualified?
My uncle is a Captain in GulfAir, he said that soon after i finish my training, Gulf Air may recruit.
Do u think that this is possible?:ok:

I can only speak for the NZ and Australian airlines and tell you that it won't happen here. As I said above though, I gather that some overseas airlines do hire low time pilots, but I know nothing about them, someone else will have to give details on them.

Your Uncle should be able to tell you what the requirements are for entry in to GulfAir.

thanx dude!

wat r u doin now a days?

Flying Dash 8s here in Australia. See, I've been flying for over 10 years and am only halfway there. But then I've been careful to enjoy the different flying I've done as I've progressed, and am not as motivated to get the Big Jet Job the way some others are.

I got a NZ PPL(A) with Jackie Frame at Hanmer Air in July last year. A small set up but I had a great time and would recommend it to anyone.
You can quite happily fly in the UK in any aircraft that are on your NZ licence with certain restrictions - day, only in UK airspace etc. check out lasors. For example I am rated on C172s and supercubs so can fly these aircraft in the UK.
As for converting, it's simple: less than 100 hours total time you have to take all the theory exams (including RT and practical), a skills test and get a JAA medical. With more than 100 hours I believe it's just Air Law and Procedures, Human limitations (for some reason, never understood that), and obviously RT and practical. And a skills test and get a JAA medical.
I think there may be somewhere in the North Island that does JAA PPLs, check out the back end of "Pilot".
As has been mentioned before on here, Irv Lee has an excellent site regarding conversions etc:
http://www.higherplane.flyer.co.uk/

hope that helps.

There is, at present, no training organisation in New Zealand approved to provide JAA PPL courses. CTC in Hamilton are approved by the UK to provide courses for the JAA modular CPL(A), IR(A) and MEP but as far as I know, they train only their own students under the 'Wings' scheme and are not interested in taking on any third-party training.

SASKATOON9999 i have experience of both jaa and nzcaa licences so if you want to know where to train and conversion info pm me.

dijmaani

if you want to train in nz go to http://www.flighttraining.co.nz/
biggest school in nz and know a guy from bharain training there.

Good school with large fleet and good insturctors, plus it operates in an international airport and a parallel grass vector as well as the main runway. Well worth a look if you are coming to NZ.

fATPL in New Zealand?
 

Hi All,

I want to do an ab-initio course leading to my fATPL - I have spent a year or so in NZ before, and think it would be a great place to learn to fly (and cheaper than the UK)!

Which course/training centre do you think might be suitable? I would rather stick with one training provider! The problem is that I want to be as confident as possible in finding 'pilot' work once I return to the UK - are the British airlines going to be concerned that I have done my training in NZ?! How easy/expensive is it to convert the licence to JAA?!

And also out if interest, where do Air New Zealand recruit there lowhour cadet pilots from - do they have a preferred training partner in NZ?? i.e. perhaps in the same way that BA seem confident to take on a good amount of OAT integrated students in the UK!

Thanks for your help!!

Air New Zealand does not employ any low hour cadet pilots. The only operator in the region who does anything like that is Qantas with their own cadets.

Flying Training in New Zealand
 

Hi there!

Has anyone any experience of flight training (ATPL) in New Zealand. I am looking at the International Aviation Academy of New Zealand and wondering if anyone has any experience with them? Are there any Brits that have done one of their courses and are now flying commercially in the UK!?

http://www.flighttraining.co.nz/

Thanks for your help!

Do a search on this forum for New Zealand/IAANZ/etc. and a few results should be thrown up. Do a search on the Godzone and Dunnunda forums aswell. Lots more info there, and you'll get proper opinions from people who fly in NZ, and there are mixed opinions on many of the bigger FTOs there. There definitely were Irish and Brits who trained with them. Some of them returned to Europe and converted their licences while some loved NZ and stayed there.

I am very strongly looking at going to this academy in New Zealand as it is alot more cheaper and sounds like a respectful establishment. I have spoken to the senior flight instructor a chap called Jay and seems like a great guy. I am thinking of visiting Chritstchurch very soon with my family and see how the living environment is like out there. The only downside to this is it is thousands of miles away from home here in the UK. If you want to communicate privately I will give you my email address and maybe we could start together as I am looking out for a fellow Brit.:)

hi
 

newzealand maybe a great place, but if your planning to work in the UK as a pilot, you will have to convert your licence, and that will take you about 2 years and you may spend more than 50,000. but flight training is cheap you may spend about 22,000£, way cheap compared to any uk training school

but if iam not mistaken does newzealand offer a JAA COURSE INTERFRATED OR MOL

hi
 

newzealand maybe a great place, but if your planning to work in the UK as a pilot, you will have to convert your licence, and that will take you about 2 years and you may spend more than 50,000. but flight training is cheap you may spend about 22,000£, way cheap compared to any uk training school

but if iam not mistaken does newzealand offer a JAA COURSE INTERGRATED OR MOL