Military or Private?

[squirrel350]

Yes Trolly they sure do I cant wait to see an easy jet boeing fly over our house thanks to CTC Aviation and now Alpha Aviation is opening a lot of doors to the Waikato but who could forget good ol' PAC and there 750XL's.
Im glad Im sticking around in NZHN for a while longer cos ya never know the opportunity might arise and I could find good work at the ever expanding NZHN.

[mailman]

Trolly and anyone else considering a piloting job I will caution you all on something alot of pilots I have spoken to about and that is using a student loan to obtain a PPL/CPL Fixd/Heli alot of companys see it as you just taking the easy way into a quick career and not doing the hard yards of saving the money and doing a few hours when you can most pilots I know took 2 years or more to get there CPL and feel they have really earned it rather than getting the tax payers to pay for there course obviously this isnt specifically my view on the matter but it is just something to consider be sure to shop around with different aero clubs and dont just go for the cheapest option do a bit of research on the CAA to see what there safety record is.

A few people Ive spoken to also say the same thing BUT I reckon thats rubbish. There is nothing in your log book to suggest that you were "funded" by the Government to get your CPL. In fact its not free training anyway as you still have to pay for the "help" the Government has given you.

IF on the other hand you are talking about University Degree's then yes, you are absolutely 100% correct

Anyway I believe the Government has slashed funding for aviation courses so perhaps this is now a moot point anyway?

Regards

Mailman

[squirrel350]

Since I read through these postings I decided to have a review of all the price quotes I got for CPL(H) and the prices have dropped considerably.

I do agree with you mailman there is no way they can tell if you have used government funding and if a career in aviation is really what you want then go for it dont let people try get in your way I had so many family members say it was a pointless choice and that I should stick to something else but I couldnt let them try destroy what I love so government funding or no funding just go for it.

I have just been in contact with heli-flight in regards to there Cert in Aviation but dont know what I will do yet I would like to get funding but would also like to fund it myself when I could but if it meant a CPL in full in 5-10 years I think I would rather get funding for it and have that debt paid off a lot sooner.

[deaneb]

To give you an idea of the stupidity of some people and the system, the largest student debt in NZ has been accrued by a Student at one of the prominent training organisations. His debt is a whopping $240,000. After completing a CPL he added different ratings and finally decided to get CPL helo as well. Go figure - did he really know what he wanted, did the organisation offer any advice, can he get a job ??

With that amound of debt (as much as a Mortgage) he faces spending the rest of his life paying it off or I guess going overseas and never coming home !!!

Don't let me put anyone off going down the path of commercial schools though. If you know what you want to achieve and have clear goals you will succeed. But be very careful of the debt accrued. Later in life when you approach the get married, settle down, have kids buy a house stage, you don't want large debt. Unless of course you have got the good paying job by then !!!!

Deane

[squirrel350]

Im glad this topic was brought up because it has made me reconsider what I want to do, How I want to do it and Where I want to do it.

PS. I really like the new smileys.

[ZK-KAG]

Hey Guys!

Im starting the Massey Uni Bachelor of Aviation next year, and I know of all the people who slate it something cronic, so I have done extensive investigations and found that this and maybe Ardmore Flying School are probably the quickest way to a CPL and eventually an ATPL, as they have the student loan system. I dont knock flying clubs at all, in fact im a member at one now and have 20 hours through it, but in the long term I think this is the hard way to a CPL so I chose Massey.

After many emails to and from the Air NZ Pilot Recruitment Manager, I got the impression that a higher level of academic achievment is regarded highly, and hence the degree as apposed to the diploma or certificate. Once again i dont discount the courses that dont offer these, I personally am looking at starting my own business one day so I need some sort of tertiary education.

Massey gets heaps of stick from the aviation community, but I feel it is the right choice for me, as that degree is really nice thing to have when looking for a job when trying to build hours for an ATPL. Yes it is expensive tho i feel its better in the long run.

Thats my 5c worth, hope I didnt offend anyone! lol.

Cheers! ~KAG~

[mailman]

You should read the fine print ZK, the ATPL you will get is worthless because you cant do anything with it until you have 1500hrs in command and have been tested in an aircraft that weighs more than 5700kg...remembering a Cessna 172 MTOW is just over 1000kg's).

Not trying to put you off (because those light blue cloaks with the frilly white trims do look rather snazzy at the graduation ceremony ) BUT you should be very clear with what you are actually getting should you go down this route.

Correct me if Im wrong but at the end of three years you will have around 250hours in your log book, thats a long way off the 1500hrs in commanded needed for your ATPL.

BUT as I said, dont let me put you off. If you feel comfortable going down this route then all the more power to you But you should think very carefully because there are two things you will most definately get from this course...feck all hours in your log book...and a nice big student loan to pay off

BTW, the last time I flew through Palmy the boss of Massey Aviation was the former CO out at Ohakea (you know the guy, spent lots of money on his house). Actually a really easy guy to talk to, very personable. He has a spunky daughter too

Regards

Mailman

**As a comparison, the 2006 fee's for this course are currently approx $55k ($33k course fee, $21k aircraft maint). For that kind of money you could get 250hours flying time at a flying school (worked out at $220an hour for a Cessna 172+instructor).

Mate, for $21k you could buy yourself in to a syndicate and run your own plane, thus reducing your costs even more

[ZK-KAG]

Hey Mailman,

Yeah I am very aware of the fine print, and yep you only get 250 hours give or take, although with the flight instructors course i will be looking at around 320 after the 3 years. So I will have a CPL and I will be a C-Cat Instructor, as well as all theory requirements for an ATPL.

The ideal plan is to then get a job either instructing or with a scenic flight company or some thing like that (Volcanic Air Safaris would be nice, seeing as I want to get my 206 and float rating hehe ) So this will hopefully take me to my hours for ATPL.

I dunno, but the whole piece of paper saying that you have a degree wouldnt hurt either...

And as for the boss of Massey, if his daughter is rather spunky as you said I would very much like to get to know this guy hahaha

Thanks for your views anyhow its good to get different people's perspectives.

~KAG~

[mailman]

Some good conversations going on here aye.

I think once you are in the aviation business Zeek you will find it an interesting, if not frustrating, place to be. Maybe worth having a chat with a few flight instructors to see what they think the business is like.

When I was flying in NZ pretty much every instructor I ever worked with had to fund their own training (on the rare occassion when their work paid for the training they were then bonded back to the flight school/club).

But yeah, Im living my flying life through you now

Regards

Mailman

[ZK-KAG]

Yeah good point,

In the end I want to fly, best office I could ever imagine!

As long as I get there I want to fly.... ....That deep passion can not be tamed