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Personal Experience - Hamish Joyce Flying in Australia
Having spent most of my professional flying career working In Australia, I thought it timely to share my experiences in the hope that it may help younger pilots in their quest for those elusive hours.
Whilst it has been a few years since I was in “grass roots” GA, I have kept an attentive eye on the scene, JUST in case everything went pear-shaped and I had to return.
Whilst we all bag the Aussies and some of their ideas and practices, they do have some good rules and systems.
Firstly, and especially so for the younger pilot, CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) have quite reasonably said that once you have a PPL, then you are type rated, or as the Aussies call it-“endorsed” on every piston engine single engine aircraft with a MTOW of not more than 5700kg. Of course, this does not include those aircraft with more complex systems, such as retractable landing gear or a constant speed unit. However, once these type ratings are included on your licence, you may then fly any single piston engine aircraft. The reasoning behind this, I assume is that ALL single engine aircraft will tend to react the same way once an engine fails. Common sense would dictate that you, as a professional pilot, do some of your own research into each different aircraft type you fly. Personally, when I was in the situation where I was flying a few different ones, and not constantly, I had a book of pertinent figures for each aircraft which I had made up. Things like MTOW, BEW, Fuel capacity and burn, T/O speeds etc.
Many operators, despite the fact that you are legally allowed to jump in their C210, will require that you have 10hours or so, on type. So….if you are planning on heading across “the ditch” then 10 hours on C206/207/210 is highly recommended. If an operator is interested in hiring you, he/she will no doubt interview you and ask you questions about the type of aircraft they operate, and take you for a quick test flight in one.
Secondly, the Australian ATPL does NOT require a flight test. It also does NOT require a BGT (Basic Gas Turbine) exam. There are 7 exams which are stand alone results, but a pass of 70% in each and 80% in AIR LAW is required to have a “frozen” ATPL. Once having passed all the exams and meeting the pre-requisite hours, then you can take your log book and licence to CASA and have it upgraded to an ATPL.
As your first job will invariably be in a piston single, then a Multi engine instrument rating is not of much use to you. A Night VFR rating is essential!
Having said that, it will not hurt to have the instrument rating. It may also be of some benefit to you to do the rating at an Australian flying school, as this is a good way both to get to know the territory, the people and may even lead to a bit of casual work with the company you spend your dollars with. In Australia, it is also tax deductable! Which leads to another point: turn up with all the boxes ticked! What I mean by this is to have converted your licence and ratings, have an approved Dangerous goods awareness course done, and an Oz Medical (class 1). Get yourself an ASIC card, a TFN (tax file number – similar to the IRD number here in NZ). A RELIABLE mobile phone is a MUST, and whilst I do not think that they are the BEST company, TELSTRA does have the best coverage in OZ. They have some VERY good plans and will give you a free phone if you sign up for a 2 year term - do your own research, you WILL have time! CASA can, and normally do, charge premium rates for a VERY slow service. Do Not expect to apply for a licence and have it prepared overnight. Normal processing times are anywhere in the order of 2-6 weeks!!!!
A big way of moving up in the world of GA is by word of mouth. Virtually NO operator will advertise for pilots, as they do not need to. Keep your ear to the ground and your nose clean. Friends will keep you informed of rumours, and facts, about who is leaving, and which company needs pilots. You will also hear about which companies treat their pilots, and their aircraft well… and which treat their less well.
I am sure that the same is true of GA here in NZ, but in Oz, the scene is about 50-100 times bigger!
Although times have now changed since I was applying to airlines, it was always critical to have 500 multi engine command time, and the elusive 1500 total time, which would give you enough total time for your ATPL. Nowadays, regional airlines will accept applications with a bare commercial licence and instrument rating!
Many GA companies will like you more if you have 200hrs Twin time. Most companies will ask that you pay for each type rating that THEY require you to have – again, tax deductable! and almost all will require that you fund your own instrument rating renewal.
Breaking into the Oz scene is not THAT difficult, and once in, word of mouth is your career path. Make sure that word of mouth about you is positive! I have seen a few careers stalled because the pilot was known to be not liked.
Many of the places that the less experienced pilots tend to gather to look for that first job are in towns like Darwin, Kunnunurra, Broome, Mt Isa, Alice Springs and Ayres Rock (Uluru). In each of these towns, there will be quite a few pilots hanging around looking for that elusive first job. So be prepared to hang around doing non flying jobs, such as bar work, pizza delivery driver or working in a garage pumping fuel. Either way, whether you are flying or not, you will find out that the centre and north of Oz has two types of weather … unbearably hot - Or frustratingly wet!
During the months of NOV-MAR, it is known in the north as “the wet season” … not a lot of employment or tourist flying goes on then. HOWEVER, it is important that you arrive in your chosen location prior to the start of the “dry season” (imaginative, aren’t they?) and be known and available once the employment rush begins in late Feb/early Mar.
Australia has such a range of weather that you will find the experience invaluable! From 45C days to massive thunderstorms, fog, snow and icing in flight to smoke from bushfires, and dust storms up to 20,000’. Throw in congestion at major airports and the experience is complete.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time flying in Oz, and although you won’t get rich off the GA scene, it was an invaluable life lesson for me. I have flown a range of single engine and multi engine piston aircraft, all with varying degrees of working reliability. As my hours and skills grew, I moved into more sophisticated turbine twins starting with the Bandeirante, then the Metro and finally the SAAB 340. I have seen much more than Australia than I had ever intended, nor even knew existed. Some places I would love to re-visit…. Some, I am not in so much of a rush to do so.
If I had to sum up in a few short sentences what I had learned, and what would be most valuable advice for the young pilot to fly in Australia, it would be:
- get the ATPL exams done ASAP
- have a reliable mobile phone
- never “burn your bridges”
- ensure all your paperwork and ratings are current and accurate
- LISTEN to your peers… then decide what is useful and what is not
- apply for EVERY job you want – then decide which one you will take IF you get offered more than one.
- be professional, happy and likeable at all stages to everyone
- don’t believe any rumours about a job, or aircraft type or promotion until you are actually sitting in the aircraft flying it!
- be prepared to pay for everything! CASA charge some exorbitant fees for administrative bureaucratic nonsense.
- do your homework about each operator you intend to fly with. Know things such as the routes they fly, the aircraft and the amount of pilots needed etc.
- get yourself a CHEAP and reliable car. Do NOT go and buy a fancy European imported car, or an impractical sports car which will not cope with desert conditions. Holdens and Fords are made in Oz, and there will be a plethora of spare parts and mechanics for them.
Every Friday in the newspaper ‘the Australian” there is an aviation section which includes job ads. Sometimes there are no jobs… sometimes there are a few. The job ads are reproduced on the Australian Federation of Airline Pilots (AFAP) website, www.afap.org.au.
CASA has a website, www.casa.gov.au which has many pointers as well as online documents and forms.
Tax File Number application forms can be picked up at any Australian post office.
The four main mobile telephone providers are Telstra, Vodafone, Optus and 3. They will also do mobile broadband packages.
Briefing material and flight plan lodgement is thru a website/system in Oz called NAIPS http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/brief/ … you will need to register for this, free of charge.
Important also, is to keep an eye on the scene back here in NZ. There are some GREAT opportunities for us, and some great companies to work for. Remember… Qantas is NOT the be all and end all of aviation!
Hamish Joyce
hrwjoyce@bigpond.net.au