Converting to Ra

[jorditzu9]

Hi Guys,

 

I am currently a PPL student based at Ybaf and always had the intention of going all the way to CPL.

 

I have now realised with my current job that all i want to do is fly for fun, private use, aircraft ownership down the track.

 

Most of my flying to date has been on the pa38 and G1000 172, The issue i have is that the flight school i go to only have the 1 aircaft and with my busy job its impossible to get in with less than 2 weeks notice.

 

Ra appeals to me with the newer modern aircraft without all the hassells of Ga licencing etc, at the end of the day most of my flying will be cross country, flying outside cta doesnt bother me at all.

 

I have been a member on here for a while now and seem quite interested on what Ra has to offer me.

 

I am hoping to get some advice on Ra schools, Currently at archerfield Patherfinder aviation seems to be the only place however the jabiru doesnt impress me with the centre control yoke, maybe i would get used to it but at this stage this has put me off.

 

Another flight school "Go Fly Aviation " seems to have good reviews with a mix of aircraft (P92 Texans) and instructors. At this stage most schools in brisbane/Caboolture charge $235 P/hr dual

 

Can anyone give me some advice going to Ra from Ga?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[68volksy]

Quite an easy process. I believe it's a 5 hour minimum conversion if you already have enough GA hours up your sleeve.

 

Another good option for you will be the new Recreational Pilots Licence (RPL) that's replacing the GFPT later in the year. Will have all the same qualities as the RA-Aus Pilots certificate however it will allow flight in aircraft up to 1500kg. To the RPL you will be able to add a controlled airspace endorsement also. If you're interested in the top-end RA-Aus aircraft then you're a perfect candidate for the RPL. The only thing you might miss is the ability to do your own maintenance although not everyone (i'm a good example) is interested in doing that.

 

 

[jorditzu9]

Quite an easy process. I believe it's a 5 hour minimum conversion if you already have enough GA hours up your sleeve.Another good option for you will be the new Recreational Pilots Licence (RPL) that's replacing the GFPT later in the year. Will have all the same qualities as the RA-Aus Pilots certificate however it will allow flight in aircraft up to 1500kg. To the RPL you will be able to add a controlled airspace endorsement also. If you're interested in the top-end RA-Aus aircraft then you're a perfect candidate for the RPL. The only thing you might miss is the ability to do your own maintenance although not everyone (i'm a good example) is interested in doing that.

Thanks for the into, thats good to know, i think i am best to head over to a few schools and pick their brains!

 

 

[winsor68]

IMO the different yoke/stick combinations are nothing to worry about at all. In fact I can't remember even thinking about it besides during start up when trying a different set up.... Once you open the throttle it is forgotten for good.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I learnt to fly in a glider with a centre stick then later went to GA and flew a C172 with the wheel...I now fly a centre stick aircraft with throttle on the left and to be honest I find the centre stick the between the legs stick the best. The centre stick I fly right handed and in the glider between the leg stick I flew right hand as well....in a centre stick RA between the legs usually the throttle is on the right so you need to fly left handed. I found it takes about 5 mins to get used to either so I wouldn't worry about the actual control method your brain takes care of it quite easily. BUT trying to fly left handed with a centre stick from the right hand seat does take a bit to get your head around....then again those guys that do it are usually pretty good...they are called instructors

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Go and see the boys at GoFly at YCAB...it will be worth your trip they are all fantastic instructors and have a great range of aircraft

 

 

[Guest nunans]

Yeah don't worry about the stick in a jab, at least you get to use your right hand to fly in the pilot seat! have a look at a cirrus dash if you haven't already. A little joystick out of the dash near the door!! but nobody seems to mind.

 

Go and do your five hours in the jab then fly whatever you want after that

 

 

[Tomo]

G'day Mate!

 

Do they still have the red and white C172? I got my PPL on that machine!

 

Wouldn't take much to go RAA at all, though you might find the smaller aircraft a bit of a handful at first, but don't panic because you will get used to it. Go Fly at Caboolture are a great bunch, high and low wing aircraft that are quite modern.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Tomo

 

posted the A20 back to you today....its only good for some spare parts mate sorry

 

 

[Tomo]

Tomoposted the A20 back to you today....its only good for some spare parts mate sorry

Thanks for looking at it Mark, really appreciated.

 

 

[jorditzu9]

Thanks for the replies guys. Being a left handed myself the only concern was flying a jab right handed! After all I spose it would be something I could get used too. From all reports go fly caboolture seems to be the pick. Has anyone delt with pathfinder aviation as they are closed at ybaf. Tomo I don't believe vh kjr is online anymore and their only g1000 172 is always in hot demand. Cheers

 

 

[gareth lacey]

Pathfinder

 

great people ,and very professional

 

cheers gareth

 

 

[REastwood]

Hi,

 

Just to clarify, if you go from GA to a High Performance RA-Aus, like a Jabiru or Tecnam, then there is no minimum time, all you have to do is show the CFI you can fly the aircraft, demonstrate the differences in inertia etc. It can take anywhere from 30 min to 10 hours depending on your ability. The 5 hours minimum is ONLY if you are flying a low performance aircraft.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Thanks for the replies guys. Being a left handed myself the only concern was flying a jab right handed! After all I spose it would be something I could get used too. From all reports go fly caboolture seems to be the pick. Has anyone delt with pathfinder aviation as they are closed at ybaf. Tomo I don't believe vh kjr is online anymore and their only g1000 172 is always in hot demand. Cheers

Being left or right handed dosen't make any difference. It is a 5 second conversion to fly either with the left hand or right hand.Most peeps are right handed & fly aircraft with the left hand on the stick/yoke.

 

 

[Downunder]

You may want to find a Foxbat with yokes if you want to go that way........

 

 

 

[jorditzu9]

Thanks guys. I decided to venture to caboolture today to check out go fly. Silly me didn't realise go fly doesn't have a manned office! So I didn't get s chance to meet anyone however I spoke to Neil and he seemed great. On the way back home I popped into pathfinder aviation and they were very well set up. This suits me flying ra out of archerfield too Anyway booked next Wednesday morning to have a go at the j170d. Will let you all know how it goes. Thanks

 

 

[silvercity]

Hi,Just to clarify, if you go from GA to a High Performance RA-Aus, like a Jabiru or Tecnam, then there is no minimum time, all you have to do is show the CFI you can fly the aircraft, demonstrate the differences in inertia etc. It can take anywhere from 30 min to 10 hours depending on your ability. The 5 hours minimum is ONLY if you are flying a low performance aircraft.

There seems to be some confusion about this 5 hour requirement. Where can I find this in the regs?

 

Thanks.

 

 

[greybeard]

There seems to be some confusion about this 5 hour requirement. Where can I find this in the regs?Thanks.

section 2.07 of the ops manual http://www.raa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Section-2.07-Flight-Crew-Certificate-Pilot-Certificate.pdf subsection 2