CASA ATPL - PIC/PICUS - Hour Building

[Elvis77]

Dear All,

I've searched this forum and fired off a query to CASA but wanted to canvass for more recent opinion again on here.

In a nutshell (yeah right!) I have a JAA ATPL and I wish to convert it to a CASA ATPL. I have passed the CPL Air Law and I am planning to sit the ATPL Air Law and IREX in the very near future. However I was surprised to come across the hourly requirements a few days ago which states a requirement for 450 hours PIC of which only 150 can be PICUS. Surprised maybe because I didn't do my reaserch properly......

PAUSE.....take a breath

Now having been with Bristow in the North Sea since I started flying commercially I have merely a handful of PIC and quite a bit of PICUS. This is due to not having flown in Comand yet. As it stands then I appear to be short of PIC by about 220 hours. Which is a lot to hour build in my spare time. Surely there is a lot of people in this same situation? If you had been taken on by Quantas for example as a cadet/sponsored pilot and only flown multi-crew wouldn't you be in the same situation? Am I missing something?

PAUSE.........still there

So if I have to hour build in my spare time it will be expensive, maybe fun, possibly dangerous but definitely not in the least bit relevant to flying a heavy helicopter IFR multi-crew. Or at least that is my view, so what is the point? It is not a problem with JAA (EASA...) and as I said surely there are Australian pilots in the same position. I stand to be corrected but I'm sure I remember a Bristow Australia sponsored scheme not that long ago and those guys would be in the same position as me. I'm also pretty sure that my death in service and loss of licence will not apply when hour building/working when not with Bristow.... ?

PAUSE........boring innit

Oh yes I have my CASA medical completed and the opthamologist report done. Just for interest if anybody else is doing this then after all the medical bits are done it is then sent to CASA for processing which according to the CASA site can take three weeks. Just FYI in case anybody is in hurry. Maybe the CAA was the same but I cannot remember my initial apart from it seeming expensive and taking place at Gatwick.

PAUSE........nearly there

Unless I have misunderstood then you need an ATPL to fly in Command of a mulit-crew multi engine chopper in Oz? Can you manage on a CPL with a Command IR? If not I need then 220 hours hour building PIC unless CASA provide some sort of alleviation or I have missed a rule here or there. In which case any suggestions on hour building quickly/cheaply anywhere? Not necessarily Australia especially given the current strength of the Ozzie dollar.

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice

[Elvis77]

Well further research just answered one of my own questions. The ATPL houly requirement is different for aeroplanes than helcopters. See below:


For ATPL (H)


　
　
• 1500 hours total, including:
�� 750 hours (H) with 450 as PIC and not more than 150 ICUS
�� The remaining 750 hours may include:
�� 750 hours helicopter, aircraft or glider
�� 200 hours flight engineer/navigator
�� not more than 100 hours synthetic flight trainer with 25 hours in one which is not a flight simulator.


For ATPL (A)


　
　
• 1500 hours total, including:
• 750 (A), of which:
�� 250 PIC (include up to 150 ICUS)
�� 200 cross-country (with a minimum of 100 PIC or 100 ICUS)
�� 75 instrument flight (may include 30 hours instrument ground time)
�� 100 night flight
• The remaining 750 hours may include:
�� 750 hours aeroplane, powered aircraft or glider
�� 200 hours flight engineer/navigator
�� not more than 100 hours synthetic flight trainer with 25 hours in one which is not a flight simulator.

[bigglesbutler]

PM sent, not sure if it is anything you didn't know.

[ersa]

Hi Elvis,

There is no short cut I'm afraid, I work in Australia and we have the same problem when English instructors come out to work.

I believe you instructor rating is only 30 hours compared with our 40 hour course.The guys have to do 10 hours dual to meet the requirement.

Do you have a frozen EASA ATPL ?, to fly has a captain of a multi pilot chopper you will need a atpl but you should be ok as a co pilot.

I suppose when you come out to australia you could always work casually to build up hours to finally convert the atpl

Good luck

[Elvis77]

Hi Heliringer,

Thanks for the reply. Would love a bit of bush flying type of thing but probably going to go straight into the offshore stuff. I was thinking about the instructing route which I would have some enthusiasm for but just wasn't planning for that right now....

Stay ever flexible!