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Forum Index : Off topic archive. : Flight training

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yahoo2

Guru

Joined: 05/04/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1166
Posted: 12:33am 20 Feb 2012
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I am toying with the idea of getting qualified for a pilots certificate. Should I save up the shekels and do the student, navigation and passenger all in one hit or stretch it out over a couple of years?
Guru Bob, any tips? I have coveted thy airstrip for a few years
I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not...
 
VK4AYQ
Guru

Joined: 02/12/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 2539
Posted: 03:50am 20 Feb 2012
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Hi Yahoo

I would go to a ultralight training facility as the planes are now advanced to be more or less equal to GA aviation and you get the training at half the price, once you have your pilots certificate and navigation you can fly up some hours once again at about half price compared to GA. If you wish to go on to GA the hours you have logged count towards your experience for a GA licence, some schools have a both training and the transfer to GA can be as low as 20 hours, depending on what your long term goal is, you can go on from there or if it is simply to enjoy flying stay in the ultralight category as you can fly your own plane (single seat for $25/30)hour compared to around $150 / 200 for Ga aircraft.

It is best to try to do as much as you can at once, as if you do it in bits and pieces it can take longer and cost more. Two steps forward and one back that way.

I wish you well with your adventure.

All the best

Bob
Foolin Around
 
domwild
Guru

Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 11:26pm 20 Feb 2012
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Will it be for sport or profession?

Don't do what I did to become a professional pilot: Waiting too long. After the collapse of the nickel price and as I was flying for a drilling company we all got the sack just when they started to train me for Instrument Flight (IFR). When I turned up at the airlines at 26 (?) years of age with 3000 hours and a Senior Commercial Pilot's licence, they asked me if I had jet experience. No! I waited for a stipend which was given to an older staff member in the club I trained in.

My boss had gone guarantor of a brand-new Beech Baron (VH-EZD) with a price tag in the 70s (?) of $120,000 and was stuck with the repayments and later committed suicide.

Qantas started its cadet scheme after the many strikes of its pilots and those cadets were subsidised by Qantas and took a lot of jobs away with the approval of the newly formed union (Pilot's Federation?). The union has improved the salaries BUT at a loss of jobs. I received a pittance and the boss knew that most of us were going to join airlines afterwards, so the pittance was justified for the IFR training one received and now is expected to be paid for by the junior pilots.

It is easier to get a charter licence compared to a trucking licence so any group of wealthy individuals toy with the idea of setting up a charter firm, which promptly goes broke; but the airlines do not seem to be secure anymore anyway.

Conclusion: Sport and hobby - yes, profession - yes, if you get your student pilot's licence at 16 or 17 and have a rich father to pay for the training. I met one chap in the bush with a pilot's licence, whose father had gone guarantor for the loan for training, he could not get a job as a pilot and worked in the bush to pay back his father's loan.
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
powerednut

Senior Member

Joined: 09/12/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 221
Posted: 12:49am 21 Feb 2012
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I second the ultralight (Recreation Aviation) route. Its a lot cheaper than GA (general aviation) flying, and if you decide to go the GA route later all your hours count.

The best thing to do would be to find an instructor in your area and book a TIF (trial instruction flight). This will give you a good handle on if you like the flying in that particular aircraft, and also let you know if you can learn from the instructor. Having no personality conflicts with your instructor will make your training a lot easier. Try a couple of different schools in your area. You don't need a student's certificate in order to do this (up to about 5 I think).

When you are starting off your training you want to be doing lessons fairly frequently, so you don't spend too much time re-learning what you did last lesson. Once a week is fantastic if you can manage it.

I pay about $150 per hour for lessons in the aircraft with the instructor and $135 per hour to hire the aircraft for solo flights. That includes all fuel costs etc, however if I'm flying somewhere else I'd normally pay the landing fees (sometimes, depends really).

For RA-Aus (ultralights) you need a minimum of 20 hours to get your pilot certificate (if I remember rightly).

I had about $2000 saved up before I started, and had budgeted a certain amount per pay for the rest. Estimates at the time (about 4 years ago now) were for $3000-3500 as enough to get your certificate.

Useful links:

Recerational Aviation Australia (governing body for ultralight flying in Aus): http://www.raa.asn.au/ (get a hold of their magazine "Sport Pilot" for a list of instructors/schools round australia)
Aircraft Pilots forum decent online hangout for recreational (and general aviation) pilots. Can get a bit pompus at times.
http://www.aircraftpilots.com/

BTW a lot of people have a mental image of ultralights as flimsy little things that you'd fall out of in a steep turn. For those people - these are both ultralights:

and


You can fly those sorts of aircraft if thats what you want though.
 
yahoo2

Guru

Joined: 05/04/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 1166
Posted: 08:17am 21 Feb 2012
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Thanks everybody,
I'm looking at strictly recreational flying. I hope to eventually buy something in a side by side two seater LSA class.

I really have only one training school near me, that is still 200Km's away, next closest is 500Km's. If I don't chose the closest one I will have to take some time off work and do the first 20 hours in a block, not to keen on that at the moment.

I would have loved to join a soaring club but it is not practical when you live out in the sticks like I do.
I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not...
 
powerednut

Senior Member

Joined: 09/12/2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 221
Posted: 11:21pm 21 Feb 2012
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yeah, you'll loose to much to weather (possibly) on the 20 hour block anyway. Plus a lot of people take longer than 20 hours to get their certificate. Thats the minimum.

200km each way is not too bad... just give yourself plenty of time to do the drive. If you book a morning flight (the weather in most places is better in the mornings for flying) you might want to talk to the instructor about camping out in the hanger/club house/flying school the night before so your well rested for the flight. Just promise not to start a campfire and they might be happy enough to let you do that.
 
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