Hong Kong Aviation Club? Updated info?
 

Hello all, like the title says does anyone have the latest info about the Hong Kong Aviation Club? I have called them and they told me that I must wait 3-6 months for an interview with their general committee before I can do any flying etc.

I am well aware of the costs etc but I wish to fly the skies of HKG as I am residing here and wish to get a PPL here. I have heard rumors that you barely get to fly on the weekends as there are too many people queuing up to use the aircraft and that you have to wait several months before you can fly a single hour, on top of that you do not have the same instructor every time.

Any advice or confirmation of the info would be much appreciated. Going overseas to get a PPL just for the sake of a "license" is not really intriguing. I actually want to fly not just hold a piece of paper. Thanks!

Also, any tips on flying and other info is much welcome. :ok:

3-6 months for an interview?
35K HKD entrance fee? Monthly subscription fee and minimum monthly billing?
Social Corporate Memberships?

I know nothing about the club, and I'm very happy to see some form of GA in HK, but this smells awfully like a social status club rather than a flying club, kind of like the Jockey Club and country clubs in HK.

(I'm completely ignorant on the HK aviation club, so if someone knows better, I'd be interested to know what it's really like.)

I can tell you the many disadvantages of learning to fly in HK as opposed to oversea...

As slam525i have said, there is an entrance fee of $35000 HKD for annual fee, $1320 monthly fee, $2250 HKD/hr for a C-152 and $2500 HKD/hr for C-172. You need at least 40 hours to obtain a license.

As you've said, flying in Hong Kong is very limited as Shek Kong Airfield is closed for public during the weekdays (PLAAF occupies it during that time) and weekend is packed with bookings. So it takes you way longer to finish up the hours required. The longer you have to wait, the more monthly fee you have to pay for no good reason.

Then comes the learning process... The way it works is, the more frequent you fly, the easier you will learn. If you fly once a month, you will probably takes you way more than 40 hours to know how to operate an aircraft safely and proficiently. Which means more hours must be dedicated and more cost involve.

For example, if you are fly twice a month for 2 hours (on a C-152) each time, and assuming you will need around 60 hours to learn everything, that is already 15 months.
(60 x 2250) + (15 x 1320) + 35000 = $189800 HKD
Almost $190k HKD for just a PPL!?! I'm sure there are better ways of using that much money on aviation elsewhere.

General aviation in Hong Kong is not really for everyday folks with limited income. Hence, people go elsewhere to learn how to fly and enjoy their hard earned money in something more enjoyable than say.... membership fees?

Is this the same flying club more interested in maintaining their slot machines rather than their airplanes?

I have contacted a couple of schools in the USA, Florida and they have quoted me an average price of 130k for the PPL this includes about 50 hours on a Cessna 172. Problem is 130k + accomodation + ticket fare + visa and security clearance fees it is more or less the same or am I mistaken or was I quoted a higher price? Am I missing something here?

Also, having obtained a PPL overseas I have to convert it to a local HK one. I am not satisfied with just a piece of paper that says that I have a PPL, I actually want to be able to atleast once a month. So my question comes up again, is there any HKAC member here that can provide further info on what the actual things look like on the inside.

They have slot machines? Cool! Are their aircraft not well maintained? Well I visited them in Kai Tak and their Helicopters looked to be maintained quite well and clean. Again am I missing anything here?

Sorry but I just need some answers and not more questions because it is indeed a big investment to make and I want some suggestions in order to make the right choice. Thanks again!

HKAC
 

Hi CC, if you PM me I'll tell you all you need to know. LH

I've never been involved with the club, but knowing people who have - the general consensus is that if you've any desire to learn to fly, then do it elsewhere! Doing a PPL the CAD way at the HKAC will take you ages. The cost per hour and the time you have to spend relearning the previous lesson due to lack of continuity makes it a very expensive and frustrating proposition.

Take time off and do the PPL in the US/Canada/NZ/Aus/Thailand/Philippines. You can complete it in a much shorter time and probably have much more fun while doing it. The conversion to the HKCAD PPL will take a bit more time and expense, but when you've started to deal with the CAD, you will probably give up the thought of flying in HK anyway and decide to stay current on holidays to wherever you did your PPL.

The HKCAD, the PLAAF and the HK weather aren't conducive to fun flying!

Thanks for the info and suggestions... so basically people wanting to actually fly in Hong Kong are doomed. It is sad what this place used to be, I heard about how flying was available to the general public during the times of the RAF.

I have had to deal with the HKCAD when I sent them an email about some general enquiries regarding conversion and such. Sadly, a monkey would have done a better job at replying my enquiry than the person that they had hired to do a job. From what I know conversion is a lenghty process and they try their best to discourage in a passive-aggressive manner.