where..canada or south africa
 

hello all wannabes
would just like to hear a few more opinions before i take the decision where to finish my ppl....

i am finding the financial strain on training in the uk a fair bit to swallow , every time i have a lesson i think how far that money would of gone in canada or south africa....so i have decided to go elsewhere...

the question is where would you go..canada or sunny africa

Haven't been to both but looking at your title i suspect "sunny" will sway it.
I can't knock the South Africa idea as said before i've not been their,but looking at some of the web sites in Canada i must admit if it were me Canada would be my choice.
It's great hearing stories of people coming back after taking off from airfields 8-9000 feet in Africa but it's irrelevent if and when you restart your flying in the UK.
If you could find a field in Canada which offers training around some complicated air space with lots of small towns and suburbia,and a good array of airfields, this would at least be more like the flying you will be doing in the UK.
Add to the fact that it will have varied weather(not sunny) and your getting close to what you need.
Go Canada
Good luck

SA
 

South africa is becoming very popular among UK students. I beleive they have better weather than canada. A full PPL can be done in 4-6wks. As for flying in compicated airspace, there are a few good schools at Cape town intl (Good hope Flying club is very good). If u have problems adapting to Uk airspace ther's a guy at Popham who can be of help, Irv Lee me thinks is his name. I'll be going to SA(port Elizabeth) in March(I hear they've good some nice crosswinds over there).

Flying in Canada
 

Check out www.pilottraining.ca

Be sure to look in the African Forum. This question comes up a lot - I went to SA for my PPL after reading the Africa Forum last year.

The last time your question was posed it was buy "Dakota Queen." Check there for lots of SA info.

Good luck,

NWMGPS

Any experience is relevant that s why it is called experience and that's why we record it in the logbook ;)

As for the pros and cons about SAvsCA, well I suspect money is the main issue and SA is a place where beers are cheap, very cheap (best international comparison index in my book).
Although both places have a lot to offer so whichever you pick. i doubt you will be disappointed.

Enjoy it !

Good call AMEX.....if you can get a plane off in our hot high and thin air, sea level should be no problem! Go for worst case scenario, every thing else will be easier.

As for weather, believe me "sunny" Africa has what we call a wet season, some places even have two wet seasons! Cant beat a nice tropical thunderstorm!

And airspace, try FALA/JHB, can get pretty busy.

But apart from that, Canada/Africa, wouldn't know!:D :D :D

Cheers

KF

Canadian CPL
 

I spent 10 weeks in Kamloops, BC, Canada from September 2002 to undertake and pass a Canadian CPL.

I held a JAA PPL before I went.

I can highly recommend

www.flightdiscovery.com

Kamloops have the occasional 737 (I saw one take off with the Vancover Cannuks on board), but day to day traffic is Dash 8's and the odd Metroliner / Navajo. There is a Localiser/DME approach, but no glidepath due to the local terrain.

If you want any info, please email me

[email protected]

Dave

Ok, that's enough, stop it. You're making me jealous! :D

Only been to Canada once, and it's a beautiful country. This was a few years before I started flying, so I can't comment on what it's like to fly there first hand, but never heard anyone who's been there complain. Never been to Africa either, but heard good things about the flying culture there, too. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have fun - and if there's room in the suitcase to take me with, send me a Private Message please!

Are you still planning on getting a JAR PPL, though? Because if you are, that will limit where you can train. There's a full list of UK-approved schools throughout the world somewhere on the CAA's website.

FFF
---------------

If it is purely a cost reason and you have made a good start in the UK you are probably still better off finishing it in the UK wait until the weather picks up and do an intensive stint.

If however you fancy doing it abroad then I don't think you can go wrong with either country. I recon you may well end up paying a little more but you'll have visited an amazing country as well as go your licence too.

Make sure though if you are considering doing further licences/ratings(where you can start to save money) eg an Instrument Rating after that you will be able to convert these easily back here. Get the CAA to put in writing your requirements incase they change rules while you're abroad. I got a little caught out and had to re-do the whole of my Instrument Rating when I returned to the UK - was not a happy bunny.

Canada is beautiful and lovely and hot during the Summer the winters can be really harsh and really slow progress waiting for breaks in snow storms for days! But is good experience if you can handle the winter weather there you can probably handle it anywhere. I have some sexy long johns going cheap if you're interested.

South Africa seems really set for us Europeans now and the value of the rand makes it the most cost effective option. If your funds can stretch to take in a safari too you'll have te time of your life. I did.

Enjoy

I looked at all the options and have opted for SA, in fact go there next week. FTC in midrand are JAA approved. An hour in a warrior or 172 is £47.50 solo. PPL costs 3.5k including accomodation. Ask me in a couple of months and I'll tell you how it was!

silverknapper

are you 100% sure about their JAA approval??

I've heard differing opinions on this even from the school.

Private mail me if you like

Without prejudices at all about Canada or South Africa, if your problem is money, why don't you have a look a bit closer? Here in Spain is comparatively cheap, fully JAR compliant and sun is guaranteed!!!

If you want, I can send you some information. Drop me an e-mail.

Good luck!!

Joaquin

theirs a scholl near Winnipeg that if it gets approval soon will do a JAA PPL for £2.5k and a full IFR equiped C172 at £38 per flying hour!!

S.africa or Canada???
 

Hi all, I am looking at doing an ab-initio to CPL licence and wondered if anybody has any info on flight training college S.Africa, 52 week accom included course for JAR-FCL for around 28k, sounds a bit too good to me? I would have preferred to train in Canada but would i be shooting myself in the foot by having to convert from ICAO to JAR and also having to sit ATPL seperately although i am actually not looking to move into airline work at any point. Any help you can give on either option would be most appreciated or if there is a better way.............
thanks :ok:

My personnal advice is to go with your feeling & believe it is too good to be true.

Do a search under FTC & you will get many cons & a few pros.

The decision is yours.

Do a check for wherever you go. There are several US schools thought of as good & bad apparently.

Good luck for the future.

:ok:

Agree with FB, do a search. Have been there and bought the T shirt, wouldn't recommend them. Have also heard that they are struggling to pay their staff on time and the instructors are looking elsewhere for employment. Look at 43 air school, not jaa but with 100 hrs your ppl converts very easily, then do cpl here. You can't do JAA IR over there anyway so you'd be here at some stage.

Hey FB how are you mate? Long time no speak:cool:

Al Dodds check your PM's

df1
:ok:

Why not check out EPTA. www.eptauk.com . They do a program which is Modular but costs 28K AB initio.


Just a thought.........

Don't touch FTC with a barge pole. If you do your South African CPL Multi /IR then you can convert this to a JAR CPL/IR by doing a 15hr ICAO IR to JAR IR cse (10hrs sim, 5 hrs a/c) and then to get the CPL bit all you need to do is 170a and then test.

There would be no requirement to do the 25 hr CPL module as you would be the holder of a ICAO professional license.

South Africa is lovely look at 43 Air, Central FLying Academy, Lanseria flight Centre amongst others. BUt for pity's sake avoid FTC for they are the devil incarnate.

No I'm not gonna sit on the fence I just want poeple to have the right to live and not get ripped off.

Don't just take my word for it the South African Fourms have enough pro/anti FTC to give anyone food for thought.

From personla experience what you get whenyou have flown 8000miles may not be what you think you are going to get and you really need to have the ability to spot it and move whilst you can.

Whomever you go to pay no more than a deposit and then just keep enough to cover a day or twos flying in your account because once you've paid it right or wrong you ain't never getting it back.

Happy Landings