PILOT LICENSE

[Guest wallace]

Hi all,

 

im new here and thought i would say hi!

 

Im looking into my options re: getting my pilot license with the view down the track to get a commercial license.

 

just wanted to get peoples feedback as the best way to go about it and through who? im in brisbane and will only be able do the course part time.

 

what sort of dollars would i be looking at? Im stopped into the aero club in acherfield today and got some info.

 

thanks

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

Gidday Wallace, welcome to the forums, I am only a newby here but have quite a bit of experience behind the controls of aircraft and have flown with most schools in the greater brisbane area since getting my licence back in 1979. I am not affiliated with any training organisation so you will get an un-biased opinion. You state that you are going to do the training part-time so doing the 150 hour course won't suit because training these days is competency based so at different stages if you don't meet the criteria because of your part time training, revision could be more the order of the day so trying to cram it all in 150 hours wouldn't be that realistic. I would recommend downloading the Day VFR syllubus from the CASA website to help get a grasp on what is in front of you and a better understanding overall, Then I would discuss YOUR requirements of training to the schools you visit and see which ones are most accommodating to those requirements. Stay away from schools pushing the "airline academy" tag because they really are more geared in set courses (read sausage factory) aren't there to fully support you and seem to cost more than the training is worth. Training costs will vary according to the overheads and the type of aircraft they operate. Of all the schools in the area, the only one I would come close in recommending would be Sunland, this school may not even suit you but I would make an effort to talk to Brian Westin there, he is passionate about training. Good Luck:thumb_up:

 

 

[Guest wallace]

thank you for your assistance. when i spoke to the aero club today they said that if i commited somewhere around a day a fortnight then i would have my license in approx. 12mths at a cost of about 20k. but like you said, it would depend on how competant i was.

 

i will look up sunland tonight.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

[Tomo]

G'day wallace...

 

Have you considered doing/getting the RAA ticket first? it will make it a lot cheaper I think doing it that way....

 

The Raa license cost about +- $3500, and then you can build from that, Ie. X-country, tail dragger, etc...

 

Just a thought...:big_grin:, And if you'd like more information on it, I'm sure there is many a helpfull hand around here that will tell you more...:thumb_up:

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Guest wallace]

RAA? what is this? (pls excuse my lack of knowledge... im trying to get up to spead).

 

Tomo, what did you mean by "building on that. ie. x country, tail dragger etc?

 

Thanks again

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

Sorry to burst your bubble here Tomo, Going down the RAA (Recreational Aviation Association) will only get you in the air marginally cheaper and depending on the aircraft you learn in might even cost more. In stating that however, I know some who started off in Ultralights with no training plan and ended up in the pointy end of airliners and RAAF jets and had a lot of fun along the way. Wallace however is looking at doing his commercial part time so needs the most economical outcome for his particular situation, hence my earlier post, same goes with you, if you are looking at a commercial outcome as well, my suggestion would be to look closer at doing either the 150 hour (full time) or 200 hour (part-time) course through DDAC rather than doing it adhoc depending on your own situation.

 

 

[Tomo]

Yeah good point Dunlop....I guess it boils down to how much of a hurry you are to getting commercial... If it's something you'd like to do in, maybe 2-3yrs, I reckon it's worth doing the RAA first, that way you can be building hrs and skill up, in much cheaper to fly acft...etc...

 

Well seeing that I gotten you in suspense Wallace, I'll try and clear it up a much as I can...

 

When you do the RAA license, base on about 20 something hrs...you are only permitted to fly a maximum distance of 25nm from the flying field...and so to fly x-country you got to get a x-country endorsement etc...that's what I meant when I said to building up the endorsements...and also you can only carry one pax in the RAA system, ceiling of 10,000ft, and you can't fly at night...and there is a certain weight to go by, etc... not really up to scratch on all that stuff yet....

 

If you go to Welcome to Recreational Aviation Australia you should get an idea of what I'm talking about.....;)

 

But like Dunlopdangler said, if your wanting to go commercial, It's probably best to listen to what he says.... I just thought I'd run it past you that's all....

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Thx1137]

One little thing, I believe the max alt is 5000 OR 2000 over high terrain.

 

I had asked around before I started and it seemed many of the guys a my airfield who weren't in a hurry (ie: full time) went the RA-Aus route to get their CPLs because of the cheaper airtime.

 

If I was going to fly for a living I would either try for a scholarship (hah! not at my age!) or do what I am doing now. Get my RA-Aus certificate then cross country. After that jump into the PPL training. Basically you can use the study materials that GA pilots use while flying cheaper aircraft.

 

Hopefully there is someone here who has actually done it that would be better placed for the pros and cons!?

 

Steven.

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

If you pick a school that does both and doesn't make you fly way more hours than you need to when transitioning from RA-Aus to PPL (as has been discussed here before) I see only pros.

 

The school I use at Parafield does both RA and GA and tells me with this it is likely another 5 hours on top of RAA to go PPL. (still with a minimum of 40 hours, of course!)

 

This is what I intend to do and the way I see it, for the first 35 hours of training I save $70/hour. Bargain!

 

However, there do seem to be varying opinions about RA-Aus hours counting towards CPL and ATPL so check carefully with the school.

 

In any case, I would go with a school that does both, rather than starting out at an RA-Aus only outfit and then switching to a GA school. No real reason to recommend that than anecdotal comments about the subject!

 

Back to your dollars question, expect at least 60 grand for all the way to a CPL but could be a lot more depending on twin time, command instrument, turbine, etc. If you just want to fly for the local fair-weather scenic flight operator in Cessna 182, 206, etc., the minimum CPL time will probably do. If you intend to fly airline very soon after your CPL, you would be looking at spending a lot more.

 

For recreational flying, a realistic figure is probably between $6000 and $7500 including x-country endorsement, depending on how fast a learner you are. Going on to PPL from there will probably set you back another $1500-2500. It isn't until you go CPL that you start talking really big numbers.

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

horses for courses

 

All valid points guys and I agree on all counts. There are some "crossover schools" that also use aircraft which are both registerable as either RAA or GA and yes there would be an slight initial financial advantage of sorts. But...lets not confuse poor old Wallace here who is trying to achieve an outcome with a flying school at Archerfield. In my own case, I have flown thousands of hours in aircraft from Drifters to Boeings and have been in the past associated with flying schools including AUF, so I am well aware of the advantages and pitfalls of different pathways and for those that choose to listen can have any unbiased advise from me, it is your choice on how you prefer to go...horses for courses..so Wallace see my first post, and good lucki_dunno

 

 

[Guest airsick]

If Wallace is flying from Archerfield then he has little choice but GA. Archerfield is a GAAP aerodrome so you can't fly RAA unless you have a PPL. Given he doesn't have PPL the RAA option is a bit of a moot point.

 

There are schools that have exemptions to operate in a GAAP (such as the one Bass uses) but as far as I am aware there are none at Archerfield. Wallace would have to train elsewhere if he wishes to do the RAA certificate.