Hi Bob & Rich,
Well it seems as if the world has really been spinning at a rapid rate since spending 3 weeks at Redcliffe in Aug-Sep doing the BAK/ PPL course. I originally intended to sit the PPL exam the following week but postponed it (or rather Lee postponed it for me) until today, Friday the 5th at 1 pm in Mackay. This gave me 4 weeks to consolidate the info in my head & recap the massive learning curve for this old head.
So passed at 80% & now my next task will be to do some flying!
I was originally considering flying RAA & converting to GA but I'm now thinking I'll just finish my GA PPL in a VH registered aircraft as Bob suggested.
Fantastic news Chris and a very solid pass to boot! Enjoy your flying now and please keep in touch. Maybe you should look at including Redcliffe in one of your PPL navigation exercises.
Congratulations Chris! Well done mate that is fantastic news. Now comes the other fun part - getting into the air again and getting your PPL ticket signed off. I agree with Bob - a Redcliffe navex would be a great idea. I'm in Germany again now but I'll be back in March but if you're down here sooner the gang will be more than delighted to see you again.
Good luck with the rest of the flying and thanks for the update.
I've believed for some time now that the type of flying that I wished to pursue was LSA registered with RA Aus. However I've also always believed that just because I chose to fly in a less regulated & economical environment, it did not mean that the flying skills & licencing standards should be lowered. The other point being that the only way an RA Aus. pilot can access controlled airspace is if they are a GA PPL min & carry a transponder. I intended to qualify for my RA Aus. pilot certificate then do a conversion course to a GA PPL. However it was Bob’s suggestion about finding an LSA that was VH registered that really got me thinking. So I have done considerable searching of the CASA register to find that the only choice in QLD that fits the bill is at the Redcliffe Aero Club, they have a relatively new Tecnam P2008 VH-MST that does fit the bill. Their Dual rate is also $93/ Hr. less than a 172.
So my next step will be to take some time off work again (3 weeks might do it) & finish my GFPT. I always learned more when I flew twice a week with very little time spent getting back to where I left off. I should be able to learn quickly flying every day.
Then I'll leave a little space & come back again to complete my Navs & PPL.
To think my journey with flying began in 1984 & will finally come to fruition!
