[buraian-kun]

I've got about 20 hours toward my private pilot's license. So if I make it to NZ, I'll be looking for a good flight school.

Any pilots out there? I'd love to hear about the flying scene in NZ.


Cheers,
-Brian*

[JasonS]

hi brian!
i am not a pilot, but there is a flight school right here in paraparaumu/kapiti.

http://www.associatedaviation.co.nz/home.php

personally, i think having a plane and a pilot license would be the way to go in NZ. sure would make it easier and quicker to get to the south island instead of taking the ferry. plus i tend to get sea sick...:uhoh

cheers!
laurel

[andrewp]

Hi Brian,

Ask me in 6 months time and I may be able to help. I plan to bring my plane over from South Africa in January next year. I will then have to convert my licence. I have already found a couple of flight school north of Auckland. Recreational flying seems to be quite popular in NZ from what I've seen.

Good luck,

Andrew

[thewoodies]

There are schools out there definately - a friend of my OH who has just come back from NZ said he got his pilots licence there - it was cheaper than UK - and the experience of flying over such a beautiful country is what dreams are made of!! We dont see him very often but i will ask him when i see him.

[buraian-kun]

Ask me in 6 months time and I may be able to help. I plan to bring my plane over from South Africa in January next year. I will then have to convert my licence. I have already found a couple of flight school north of Auckland. Recreational flying seems to be quite popular in NZ from what I've seen.


Andrew, that's going to be a very long flight! You've got to show us a pic of your plane.

Yeah, rental rates don't sound too unreasonable in NZ, from what I've seen. But apparently they do have landing fees and probably other fees that we've managed mostly to avoid here in the 'States. Our pilots' associations have been fighting pretty hard to keep it that way.

Cheers,
-Brian*

[bumpffslam]

Hi

I'm an ex UK PPL now living in NZ. I've obtained a NZ licence on the basis of my UL licence and have just completed the NZ Commercial Pilot Licence. Ask me anything you like about flying in NZ!

Good starting points are:
http://www.caa.govt.nz/ (the Civil Aviation Authority)
http://www.aviation.co.nz/ ( the company that runs all the ground exams and flight tests on behalf of the CAA)
http://www.flyingnz.co.nz/ ( a list of many flying club sites)

Probably the centre of General Aviation flying in NZ is Ardmore Airport just south east of Auckland. There are several large flying training organisations there.

NZ is a wonderful country to see from the air. There are numerous flying clubs - genuine clubs owned by the members - and everyone is helpful and friendly. The terrain can appear hostile though!

Flight training is very similar to UK. If you've done hours in UK, that will normally count in NZ.

There is a new recreational licence that is more than a mircro light lecence but less thanthe usual Group 'A' licence. I think there are slightly less hours training required and the medical standard is a little lower.

I miss flying in UK and europe. Trips to Le Touquet, St Marys (Isles of Scily), Isle of Wight, Popham, WhiteWaltham - some very expensive coffee trips!!

Bumpf

[CJ22]

I suppose the trouble with flying in NZ is there's nowhere to go other than other parts of NZ :)

[Jo Jo]

I suppose the trouble with flying in NZ is there's nowhere to go other than other parts of NZ :)

Ah, but once you're here you don't need to go anywhere else. :D

[andrewp]

Andrew, that's going to be a very long flight! You've got to show us a pic of your plane.

Hi Brain... re-reading what I wrote, I should have been a bit more clear. My plane is being crated and packed in to our 40' container along with our household. I did look at flying it over but at 80MPH cruise and a range of about 5 hours, although not impossible, a bit beyond how much I love flying. Here's a pic so you can see what I'm talking about...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/Andrewfpennington/SHcDCumIZSI/AAAAAAAAAyc/yHacNWVWJU4/s800/DSC_2437.JPG

[CJ22]

Back of a cig packet calculations suggest a minimum of 12500nm, at 80nm/hour gives about 150 hours flight time. That's a little excessive, given that most of it will be rather boring sea.

[andrewp]

To be honest I haven't plotted the course not having charts for most of the route, but I'm not that adventurous. A couple of hours on a weekend morning burning holes in the sky is what I enjoy. 5 hours in the seat is lots more that I could do. I certainly can't wait to be able to explore NZ from 500 feet. And there are lots of small strips that my plane will be perfect for. Also, it's a great way to meet people and make friends.

[buraian-kun]

hi brian!
personally, i think having a plane and a pilot license would be the way to go in NZ. sure would make it easier and quicker to get to the south island instead of taking the ferry. plus i tend to get sea sick...:uhoh


I can relate. Anything smaller than a large inter-island car ferry and I'm spending the whole trip at the rail. I haven't tried it on a boat yet, but I use this (http://www.downunderpilotshop.co.nz/ReliefBand-p-659.html) when I fly. It really helps me with the nausea.

Cheers,
-Brian*

[buraian-kun]

Flight training is very similar to UK. If you've done hours in UK, that will normally count in NZ.


I think the same goes for the U.S. as well, which is good, since I don't think I'll be able to get my license before we emigrate (being optimistic about that).

So do you find flying in NZ to be more affordable than in the UK? I've heard that Australia has nearly strangled the general aviation community there with all kinds of fees, so I was hoping the situation in NZ wouldn't be quite so grim. Of course, we're pretty spoiled here in the 'States. We pay for the government's services mostly through Avgas taxes.

I'll be back with more questions once I have a better idea where exactly we're going to live. Thanks for the pointers!

Cheers,
-Brian*

[buraian-kun]

Hi Brain... re-reading what I wrote, I should have been a bit more clear. My plane is being crated and packed in to our 40' container along with our household.


:) Haha. I had a feeling you'd do it that way. But I've heard about people doing trips like that in small planes (maybe not as small as yours!) So I wouldn't have been surprised by that either, even though I think it's a bit crazy.



Here's a pic so you can see what I'm talking about...


Don't think I've seen one of those before. She looks like she has pretty good STOL performance.

Hope to be sharing the sky with you soon. ...My bird will probably be a rental, but I'll recognize yours!:nice1

Cheers,
-Brian*

[Leccy-Lee]

I always dreamed of learning to fly, and looked at idea 2-3 times in UK, and i had 2-3 trial lessons (one in a WW1 tiger moth, flying upside down :) ), but just never had the cash.. Is learning any cheaper here at all?

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1142/leedz0.jpg

Ah well one day maybe.....

[CJ22]

Also, it's a great way to meet people and make friends.

Sure, I'll be your friend lol.

[andrewp]

Sure, I'll be your friend lol.

Cool ;)

Actually I fly alone 90% of the time. I don't get lots of airport passes with 2 small boys so it's difficult coordinating times with flying mates. Once I'm there and have my licence sorted I'm always keen for company (as long as you're under 100kg and under 6' 4").

[bumpffslam]

In absolute terms yes, by relative to income its a similar cost.

A C172 in NZ is probably NZ$200 per hour to hire solo around Auckland. Same in UK must now be circa GBP150, probably more around London.

At 2.6 $ per GBP, UK cost is NZ$390, so flying in NZ looks cheap. But most people find their income is half what they earnt in UK so it's relatively similar.

Flying is cheaper here because fuel, maintenancelabour and insurance are cheaper. Generally aircraft are worth a similar value world wide but with variations at times due to currency and shipping costs.