CASA CPL
 

Hi,

I am thinking of heading out to Australia for my placement year during my degree and was wondering is it worth doing my CPL over there? I know its all changing or will be in the UK. So if i did get my CASA CPL would it be a huge cost to convert it to an EASA CPL (i think that's what the UK is changing to). I have read a lot about people doing the ATPL theory in the UK and taking the CPL flight test to convert. Is it as simple as that? Any advice is much appreciated.

Ben

The UK has changed to EASA but it won't make much difference to the conversion.
If you're planning on going modular in the UK, I'd just do the CASA PPL and have some fun flying around.
The PPL is relatively easy to convert whereas the professional licences, not so easy. :ugh: (read expensive)

You'd also have to factor in the IR - that's usually the most expensive part.
As you'd need to do all the Australian PPL and CPL subjects before sitting the flight test, that's a lot of work for only 1 year. The CASA CPL doesn't really touch on the ATPL stuff. (Well, at least it didn't when I did them a long time ago)

Thanks for the advice redsail. Looks like the PPL will be best route. Just had a look at the EASA licence conversions but i couldn't find anything as to if endorsements could be brought across any ideas?

I doubt you'll have any endorsements to really worry yourself about.
What types are you thinking about?
There's a difference between being endorsed on an aircraft for hiring/flying it versus the legal "stamped" on your licence sort of thing.

unless it's HPA (high perf), smaller turbine etc, which you won't likely touch during PPL training, nothing to worry about.
With 100+hrs flight time the PPL conversion would be easy. Well, it should be now even with basic PPL without 100hrs, but then the EASA lingo in the conversion of equivalent licenses from ICAO, is kinda vague.

Bottom line, the endorsements, while in countries like SA, NZ, Australia etc, are each make and model specific, even light piston singles, not so in EASA, where you got SEP. With 100+hrs you can apply for adding the class rating to your Euro licence, althouhg I presume you'd do some familiarisation/LST prep which'd satisfy the SEP class rating requirements anyway..

Anyway, you got till April 2014, the ability to use ICAO licence for PPL privileges without any extra paperwork in the UK for day VFR flying, so if you're gearing towards CPL, soon as you get the PPL done, crack on with EASA ATPL theory, sign up for distance study couple months before you get back to UK while in Australia, to speed up sitting the writtens, brush up classes when you get back.

Other than flight proficiency, I don't see point trying to do Aussie CPL if you're not going to emigrate there. You're not going to gain any advantage as low timer without heavy jet PIC time for the theory/groundschool waiving, so it's extra cost and time you'd spend.

For Euro licence, I'd aim for the private and then do some useful solo nav flying, bearing in mind the qualifying XC for CPL and XC PIC time and so on, so that you don't have to do it last minute in the UK or US or wherever you'd finish the rest of PIC time building.