Australian pilot coming to the US

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wishiwasupthere

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wishiwasupthere
Hello fellow pilots,
I am an Australian CPL holder who may be moving to the US for 3 years later this year. I am currently flying as a charter pilot in the Australian outback flying a combination of charter and scenic flying, all under the VFR in C206/C210 and GA8 Airvan (Australian built 8 seat utility aircraft). By the time I move, I should have somewhere near 1500TT, with about 1100-1200PIC, and about 50 Multi engine (BE58). I will be moving with my wife, who by virtue of the work she will be doing, will allow me to get a Visa that will give me the ability to work whilst I am in the US.

So my flying career doesn't have to go on hold for 3 years, I have been looking at the possibility of converting my Australian CPL to a FAA one, and once that is sorted, probably doing a FAA CFI course and hoping to find work as an instructor. If we do move, it will be to the Denver area. Is anybody able to give me an idea if with my experience, what my chances of picking up work as an instructor would be (part time, casual, full time I wouldn't really care). Failing that, how about flying skydivers? (we call that 'meatbombing' here in Aus!).

Looking forwards to any replies :thumbsup:

Cheers from Down Under.
 
Welcome to PoA! Afraid there's nothing I can tell you about job prospects in the Denver area, but we have a few folk on the board residing around there, so hopefully they'll be along with some info.
 
wishiwasupthere said:
Hello fellow pilots.....
Click to expand...

WELCOME TO POA!!

As Grant mentioned someone from the Denver area will be along to provide some feedback.

Got a chuckle out of the 'meatbombing' (the act of skydivers exiting the aircraft) I like to refer to them as 'meat missles' ( the crazy folks who jump out of perfectly good airplanes and hurl themselves at the ground).
 
All your logged time will count towards your US ratings. What you are missing for your Commercial rating is night experience, and in the US for your CFI you will need your Instrument Rating. There is no "Press of Weather" exemption for altitude and cloud clearance in the US for operating VFR in less than VFR conditions. There is no separate "Night Rating" in the US. It'll be rather simple for you, There is only one written per rating for the IR and CPL to do. The CPL air training is 10 hrs worth and much the same as for the CASA rating. The Instrument training is 40 hrs. CFI requires 2 writtens Fundamentals of Instructing and CFI. and one check ride. The Multi Engine rating is one checkride, no written.
 
By way of credentials, Henning who answered you, flew in Australia for a few years before returning to the US and renewing all his privileges a few years ago. What he says has the background of experience.
 
Denver has three Class Ds, Centennial (APA), Rocky Mountain Metro (BJC), and Front Range (FTG) with a fair bit of activity. APA and BJC are the busiest with several active training operations at each field. There are several pilot controlled airfields around and most of them have some training activity.

I trained at BJC and there seems to be a lot of turnover in instructors there. I believe you would be able to instruct immediately after earning the tickets. I suspect APA is similar but have no first hand knowledge. FTG is pretty quiet from a training perspective.

The Light Sport category is also an option but its a small market. The Light Sport CFI has fewer requirements since it's daylight VFR only.

Anyway, welcome to POA and Denver (if/when it happens). We don't have enough beer for you but I'm sure you'll make do. :D
 
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Another Denver pilot here - Clark forgets definitions - altho there are 4 towered airports in the area (APA, BJC, FTG, and we ignore DEN - the class B except for stayin out of the airspace) there are many non-towered airports with flight training. And probably much cheaper, too.

As of a year ago, the price of a written exam skyrocketed to $150 each. Incredibly insulting for the FOI exam (what - 10 questions total?)

There are two airports that cater to jumpers (LMO and 1V6) but 1V6 is an hour flight south (Canon City) which probably won't be convenient.

There's also Metropolitan State College of Denver (www.mscd.edu) that has extensive training facilities (Frasca, ATC, B1900 sims) but no flight - ground only. Not recommending it for you to take ground courses, but once you do, you can apply to teach there.

CFI turnover is rampant at many of the airports. A good CFI is invaluable. As for the night hours - I don't know if just an endorsement is needed on top of your Private rating or something else. Mark (midlifeflyer) is a CFII on the board and also lives around here.

Any idea when you'll be getting into town? We definitely should have another Colorado POA trip to welcome you!
 
AuntPeggy said:
By way of credentials, Henning who answered you, flew in Australia for a few years before returning to the US and renewing all his privileges a few years ago. What he says has the background of experience.
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Maybe. I'd wait for Cap'n Ron or Rotor & Wing to chime in.
 
rats - we all forgot about the TSA requirement
 
CapHenning is spot on.

But I'm posting because I really want to hear your impressions about the Gipps Airvan!
 
Thanks to everyone for your replies.

I probably should have mentioned in my original posting, I also hold a Multi Engine Command Instrument Rating which is a fancy name for an Instrument Rating in a Multi Engine aircraft, which is where my Baron time comes from. I also hold a Night VFR rating which I understand there is no FAA equivalent.

From my Googling of flight schools in the Denver area, I found that there seemed to be quite a bit of activity, and the comment from murphey re the high turnover of instructors is definately something that may work in my favour.

For bbchien, the Airvan is a great aircraft! From a passengers perspective, the cabin is roomy, the windows are big, and the aisle between the seats gives the impression of a larger aircraft. From a pilots perspective, its easy to fly (if you can fly a 172 you can fly an Airvan), and its got an overhead panel!! (I always thought that once I fly an aircraft with an overhead panel that I'd made it, but then I flew an Airvan and realised I still had a way to go!). The seat is a little uncomfortable though and often leaves you with a sore lower back, especially after sitting in it for 6 hours a day. They've bought out a turbocharged version of the Airvan which gives the engine an extra 20HP up to 320HP which would be fun to fly! For anyone who doesn't know what an Airvan is, here is the website of Gippsland Aeronautics (http://www.gippsaero.com/)

As far as timelines when this may occur, its all up to my wife's work but now I think I might have to up the ante on her! I've already excitedly told her of how cheap it is to fly in the US! For example, I was hiring a C172S in Aus for $240p/h and costs for something similar in the US seem a lot lower. Especially if the Aussie dollar remains around parity with the USD!!

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

Safe skies!!
 
Welcome to PoA, and welcome also (in advance) to Los Estados Unidos de America.

Where in Australia do you call home, now? I have family in SA - just curious.
 
Thanks for everyone's replies.

I probably should have mentioned in my original post that I also hold a Multi Engine Command Instrument Rating (MECIR) which is a fancy name for an Instrument Rating flown in a multi engine aircraft which is where I have got my Baron time from. I also hold a Night VFR rating but correct me if I am wrong but there is no equivalent rating in the FAA system.

It sounds as if doing an CFI rating in the US and picking up some work is a distinct possibility. Murphey's comment of a high turnover of instructors is promising too.

For bbchien, the Airvan is a great aircraft to fly. From a passengers perspective, its got a bit of room in the cabin, large windows, and the aisle in the middle gives it the feel of being a larger aircraft. For a pilot, its easy to fly (if you can fly a 172 you can fly an Airvan!), and its got an overhead panel! I always thought that once I fly a plane with an overhead panel then I've made it, but then I got in an Airvan and realised I still had a long way to go. For anyone thats interested in learning more about the Airvan, see http://www.gippsaero.com/. Interestingly, they've just bought out a turbocharged version which adds 20HP to the engine to make it 320HP which would be fun to fly.

In terms of timelines, its still no certainty that we would move to the US, but I'll certainly have to up the ante on the other half! I've excitedly been showing her aircraft hire costs in the US which are up to 50% cheaper then Aus, especially if our dollar remains near parity with the USD.

Safe skies!
 
Belated "Welcome to Denver" from me also, will be nice to meet you when you get here.

Everyone else covered the questions. :)
 
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