GET YOUR PRIVATE PILOT'S LICENCE
WITH FULLY QUALIFIED INSTRUCTORS
This is
an idyllic setting to learn to fly. Imagine flying along the outstanding
Garden Route with mountains on one side and the ocean on the other ...
and blue skies above and golden sands below. You may even see whales and
sharks as you fly over the clear blue Indian ocean.
This is a unique opportunity
to do something exciting and unusual and gain your pilot's licence at the end
of it! You'll take your training at a top Pilot Training Institute. It is
one of only a handful of schools on the African continent to provide
full-time courses for Private and Commercial Pilots. The Institute is
well known and has trained pilots from all over the world, many of whom
are now flying with numerous international Airlines such as Cathay
Pacific, South African Airways, and more.
The latest South African CAA regulations have lowered to minimum age of
learner pilots to 16, so this course is suitable for all people aged
16 years old and upwards.
To obtain your
Private Pilots Licence you'll do a minimum of 45 hours of flight training. 25
hours will be with an instructor and 15 hours will be solo (flying alone), plus
5 hours on a flight simulator. Of
these, 3 hours will be solo cross country flight time ... sound exciting?
The Academy is run by an ex SAFAir Captain and most of the staff are ex SAA pilots. The
Academy is very popular with learners coming from all over South Africa and from
overseas as well.
The Academy is
based in the town of George, which is a beautiful area on the renowned Garden
Route. It really does have the idyllic attractions that people hanker after -
miles of golden sands against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains ... and
dolphins jumping through the waves close to shore.
The Academy has
seven aircraft and all the instructors are fully qualified to SA Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) requirements.
The Private
Pilots Licence (PPL) is taken on either the Cessna 152 or the Piper Tomahawk, but type rating for other
aircraft may be undertaken. (This involves about 5 hours flying time on
whichever aircraft is selected, plus familiarisation study of that aircraft.)
The Private Pilots Licence is an eight week course and should be
completed in that time. However it may take a little longer if adverse
weather conditions prevail. 45 hours is the minimum requirement (25
hours dual*, 15 hours solo plus 5 hours on a simulator), to obtain your
PPL. This is subject to instructor recommendations. The Academy states
that when they sign you out, they won't compromise and will ensure your
safety. Having said that, 90% of students finish within this time frame.
Should you require extra hours then this would be an additional cost.
(*
Dual instruction means flying under instruction with an instructor.)
Requirements: You must be at
least 16 years of age to qualify for a Private Pilots Licence. You must
also be medically fit and be able to pass a medical examination by an
approved South African physician. The medical examination includes chest
X-rays, an ECG, vision and hearing tests ... and yes, you can fly with
spectacles. You can have the medical examination in South Africa, if you
choose - the cost is approximately R1,000 (approx £89, US$160).
There is no other basic minimum
requirement, but you need to be literate in the English Language and be
able to understand basic and advanced mathematics. The three basic
requirements for becoming a good pilot are common sense, good coordination
and a willingness to stay within the boundaries of both flight regulations
and personal piloting ability.
The
different elements:
Initially you will obtain a Student Pilots Licence (SPL). This requires
you to pass an elementary written exam in Air Law and pass the Private
Pilots Licence Medical. This will allow you to fly solo when you have
satisfactorily reached a proficient level in aircraft handling and
emergencies as well as take off and landing whilst in the circuit.
You will
be required to write and pass an exam on Radiotelephony to gain a
Restricted Radiotelephony Operators Licence.
Additional to this, you will have to write and pass an exam on Air law,
Meteorology, Navigation (necessary before you do a cross country
flights), principles of Flight, Instruments and basic technical with
emphases on engine and aircraft performance based on a training
aircraft. Ground courses are conducted on the required subjects.
Finally,
you will have to pass a practical general flight test as well as a
practical navigation exercise conducted by a Grade ll or Grade l
instructor.
Once you have a valid Private Pilots Licence, you will be able to fly,
within limits of any ratings held as pilot-in-command (PIC), of an
aircraft endorsed on your licence and carry passengers, but not for hire
or reward.
The
Flight School:
All instructors at the Flight School are fully qualified and SA CAA
approved. Aircraft are fully maintained to SA CAA specifications.
Time
spent at the flight school will be approximately 3 hours per day, but
this may increase, depending on various factors. Flying time on
instruction is about 1 hour, dual and solo, per day. If you want to
speed up the process, you may be able to fly twice a day to complete the
course quicker.
The cost
of the course includes a Pilots Bag which you'll receive containing
three instruction manuals (study material), Pilots Radio Handbook, and
certain basic instruments, maps, etc.
Licence conversion: The Academy advises that the SA licence is recognised worldwide.
However, you will need to convert it to your home country's
requirements. For example, for UK students, the licence would need to
be converted to a UK licence with the UK authority, but we have been
advised that this is easy to do.
Download and print additional
information on this project ►Coming
soon
►Coming soon
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Accommodation and Living in South Africa
The Flight School is a live in establishment and
has its own houses in George where you will live, not far from the town centre.
This is very handy for socialising in town in the evenings and weekends. The
people in the houses are very helpful and our volunteers frequently report that
their enjoyment is greatly enhanced by the friendliness of the owners and staff.
You'll share a room with other trainee pilots and you'll also share the communal
areas, such as bathrooms, showers, kitchen, etc.
You will need to prepare your own food and there is a communal kitchen that you
can use. A food allowance will be given to you and we've found in the past that
many of our volunteers group together to take turns in doing the shopping and
cooking, but of course you can do your own meal preparation if you prefer.
The Location: The lovely Indian Ocean town of George is scenically situated on a coastal
plateau at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains. It is a pretty resort town with
a relaxed "laid back" atmosphere which, coupled with continuity of training away
from life’s working pressures, guarantees that flying students get maximum
benefit from each hour they fly.
George is 425 kilometres east of Cape
Town and 370 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth on the Garden Route which is
famous for the lush country side, beautiful beaches and magnificent mountain
ranges and scenery. The airport lies about nine kilometres from the centre of
town.
The School is based at George Airport, which is the secondary airport to Cape
Town International Airport. It is a controlled airspace and fully equipped for
all instrument and night flying. The airport is not unduly busy and the School
states, "We have the airspace and personalised attention from the qualified Air
Traffic Controllers."
The airport has full fire fighting and
emergency facilities and the flight school lies 30 metres from the main taxi
ways.
George Airport is fully equipped to
international standards with ATC, NDB, VOR, DME, ILS for day and night
instrument conditions.
TRAVEL:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled for you by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read
more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or
more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and
telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to
each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.
Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets
because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in
their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within
the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you
choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable
ticket.
We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you make your own
travel arrangements or not.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
VISAS:. In countries where
visas or immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary
forms and information and make the process very easy for you.
To
read about the extensiveSupport & Backup
we provide in our countries,
please
click
here.
PRICES:
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in South Africa, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
unless otherwise stated,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
