That's it, I've made my decision.......I'm going for my PPL

[Guest Brett Campany]

Spoke to my instructor today and he's told me that about 15 to 20 hours should cover my PPL. So I'm hitting the books to knock over the PPL theory test first before getting into the flying side of things.

 

But I would love to have a chat to some of our more senior members who are PPL & RAAus instructors to get a good idea of what I'm about to go ahead and do. PM me a number if you like and I'll call from work.

 

Why am I doing this?

 

Well I've loved the training doing my RAAus certification and have gained a lot from it, but I want more. I also want to fly in CTA, night VFR and take more than one passenger plus I have a new goal.

 

I want to achieve my CPL and be paid as a commercial pilot before I'm 40.

 

It's a personal goal, something I should have done years and years ago but I'm on of those people who doesn't want to live life thinking "what if I had done this" so bugger it, I'm going to do it!

 

Wish me luck!

 

 

[pudestcon]

All the best Brett and Good Luck!!

 

We all need to stretch ourselves and have achievable goals, it's what makes life worth living I reckon so I give gratitude every day for the opportunities that I have and are there for anyone in this great country. All you have to do is reach out and grab 'em, have the will and it will come to pass.

 

Wouldn't be dead for quids:laugh: Being only in your 4th decade Brett, do you know what a quid is;).... Just kidding but an ol' guy like me in my 6th decade tends to live in the past a little:Flush:

 

Cheers,

 

Pud

 

 

[Simonflyer]

Good news Brett..

 

Its a bit addictive this learning/flying thing, and what a great addiction!

 

I personally thought i was coming into it too late a year ago at the age of 31, but the overwhelming response has been that if you are able to complete the training, work hard,build your hours and present well, there are many companies who are more than willing to take on-ahem-older pilots due to their life experiences, stability and reliability..In the most part guys in their 30's and 40's offer a lot due to their consistency and maturity, and can make particularly good instructors because they're not trying to get past the instructing to do "real" flying as so many young kids are..

 

It can be a long haul getting to the CPL, but the advice that was passed on to me, and i have taken on board is just to enjoy it, and not be in too much of a rush without going the other way and procrastinating either.The CPL subjects for me have been a mixture of "jees thats interesting" to " what the bloody hell does that mean??", but i like the challenge and it is so good to give the brain a workout...

 

Keep us posted and Il see you up there..:thumb_up:....

 

 

[mAgNeToDrOp]

Congrats Brett, admire your drive... have been contemplating it myself for a while now, about to turn the big 30 ;) Good luck and keep us posted.

 

 

[Al B]

Good stuff Brett. I'm going for it as well (PPL only that is) - I'd like controlled airspace, more passengers and aeros.

 

I'm still in the theory cramming stage. If the stars all line up, I'll hopefully be able to do at least part of my training in an aerobatic taildragger :big_grin:

 

Is it just me, or has the CTA endorsement failure prompted more people to go for a GA license?

 

 

[facthunter]

Progression.

 

Al B, the rejection of the CTA endorsement will no doubt have many re-assessing their horizons. The formal path doesn't have to be followed either. (Though it is the well established CAREER path and the ONLY way to go if you are moving in that direction).

 

The discussion of the actual Piloting of aircraft, levels out quite quickly, for most people, ( I am talking of technique here) but knowledge of matters concerning aviation in the broad sense, goes on forever. For instance, the perfect aeroplane has of course, never been built even if you narrow it down to specialised types for individual tastes/ markets . You can always improve it. Sometimes this may be by making it more simple, rather than more complex.There are more varied materials being used and so on.

 

Nobody ever understands all about weather. The physics of it is one thing and is the best starting point. When you move base or area of operation, the local knowledge factor takes a bit of time to get used to, and is worthy of great consideration.(as an example).

 

The "dead hand of aviation" is the rules that change constantly and hardly ever seem to capable of universal agreement on what they actually mean or how they apply. Perhaps this is an area where we should aim to achieve some progress. It can take a lot of effort to try to keep on top of it. Nev..

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

Thanks for the support guys, the main drive for this is because I've always wanted to work in aviation but doing it from the back end just isn't cutting it for me. I've always wanted this challenge and I'm in a good position where I work to get a lot of help from the guys who have don it already.

 

I think it's something that a lot of guys are going to go ahead and do because it's something they've always wanted. I don't think age should stop us. I know of a guy who started his cpl's at 41. There's still a number of years of flying to be had! It'll be a hard and challenging road but the reward at the end of it is well worth it!

 

 

[Relfy]

Good work Brett, keep us posted on your progress! I must say that since the CTA endo has been knocked on the head, I'm going to go the GA PPL line also, along with a few others I know.

 

 

[Simonflyer]

Until they(CASA) give us another option its the only way!!