Any Australian Pilots in Canada - Licence Conversion...

[auspilot]

Hi there,

Just curious to see if there are any Australian pilots on this forum that are living in Canada and had their Australian licence converted.

I have been reading over the Transport Canada website with all of the information but was curious to get some first hand knowledge from someone that's been through the process.

For any reference I am currently sitting on just over 1,000 hrs, 50 command twin, 300 command c208, atpl subjects completed.

Thanks

[pilotboy99]

I'm a Canadian that came back home with a lowly Aussie PPL. When I returned to Canada I needed to do a couple of additional hours of 'instrument time' in order to satisfy the requirments of a Canadian PPL. Although I doubt it if this would be an issue for you cpl-types.

Regards

[Grummanman]

Basically you have to do the whole thing again, regardless of your experience. It will take about a month or so of study, exams and flying. And a few grand. Your foreign licence exempts you from having to do a CPL course and training but you have to pass the flight and theory tests.

You have to get a medical first (obviously), once you have that you can sit the theory exam at one of the transport canada offices. It's only 1 exam vs the 7 for a the Aus CPL, so a little easier. That said, there will be a lot of things you need to learn that you won't have covered in Australia.
Polar navigation, more detailed questions on Icing. Remember the weather systems all spin the other way in this hemisphere. Also do some reading on warm fronts, occluded fronts ect. the kind of stuff we don't see at home very often.

Once you have that in your hand it's off to a flying school to do the flight test, pretty much the same as the CPL ride was at home. Radio calls change slightly but not enough to bother you, just listen to how others phrase things and you'll be right.

It's a bit of a pain to have to go through it all again but kind of necessary IMOH, you will learn a few things you didn't already know.

Any aircraft ratings you have on your Aus licence e.g. the 208 or floats, twins, ect they will transfer for you once you have the licence providing you have 50 hours PIC in the last 12 months on that type.

Instrument rating you have to do again from scratch.

hope that helps, enjoy it.

[Meatservo]

I like Vegemite; it's hard to get here in Canada.

[Grummanman]

haha golden.

Marketplace IGA on Nelson st Vancouver has it.

3 times the price as home but breakfast toast just isn't the same without it.

[couchsurfer]

It depends on what you are looking to do when you come to Canada, i.e fly VFR for a season or two, or jump into a small airline or IFR charter company.

If you are just looking at blasting around in Canada for a bit and heading home, it might be easier to sit Canadian CPL law, do the flight test, medical in Vancouver. Good to go. I notice you have van time, they are very popular here.

If you hold a New Zealand or Australian Commercial Pilots license, a current instrument rating, and meet the minimum ATPL requirements, the simplest and most cost effect way of doing this is heading to the USA to sit an accelerated ATP course consisting of one exam, medical and flight test in a twin engine aircraft. There are companies that will get you done in a week, providing you have studied for the exam before arriving in the USA. Then you can convert your FAA ATPL to a Canadian one. Similar to the Trans Tasman Mutual Agreement back down under. I would estimate the whole thing at $3,500 plus flights, hotels and play money.

Here's the company I used.
http://www.atpflightschool.com/programs ... p/atp.html

Flight Time per FAR 61.159 Requirements:

1,500 Hours Total Time:
500 Hours Cross Country Time
100 Hours Night Time,
75 Hours Instrument Time of Actual or Simulated Instrument Time:
50 Hours Must be in an Airplane
250 Hours PIC Airplane

The first thing you do is apply for a FAA Commercial Instrument Certificate based on your Foreign Certificate accompanied by an FAA Letter of Certificate Verification

http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificate ... rification
The FAA will confirm your credentials with CAA / CASA and issue you the Certificate, this can take a a couple of months, so start studying for the ATP exam and planning your trip in this time.

Once you sit and pass your FAA ATP check ride, you can convert that to a Canadian ATPL by taking a medical and a 25 question exam on the differences between Canadian and FAA IFR.

This will give you a Canadian ATPL, with a instrument rating for two years from the date you sat the FAA ATP flight test in the USA. Plenty of time to find a job up in Canada.

Any questions let me know.

[Caracrane]

Would ask to have my canadian atpl converted to Australia instead. Got about 11000. Any job there ? Tired of canadian aviation.

[Results may vary]

Hey guys,

So, how about a fresh NZ CPL with around 250TT? Keen on coming over, doing a float course then hopefully doing a season or 2 somewhere there. Are there any minimums for converting and, is it just the air law exam or 1 exam covering everything?

Cheers

[Ramjet555]

I converted a foreign licence to both Canadian and US a long time ago
and I have not seen anything that would indicate any changes.

First, your Aus Qualifications are not worth a brass razoo here.

And some but not all of your experience is worth every penny.

First exam you need a certified log book, proof of experience, and a medical.


First exam is the Instrument Written called 'Inrat' ,
and it will require around 100 hours of study.

Then you need to do the Commercial Written, allow around 10 hours to brush up.

To fly, thats the easy part, just find a job, and do a PPC with a combined IFR ride
and then you are working, provided of course you have that necessary
work permit but Transport Canada won't care about that.

If you run into an "immigration officer" expect to have your license and work permit
scrutinized.

Getting a work permit is not a topic for this forum.

Same goes for any other country

If you hold an instructor rating, that will cost you 15 hours duel and 15 hours ground school

assuming that is all that is needed to get the recommendation for a flight test.

[couchsurfer]

Hey guys,

So, how about a fresh NZ CPL with around 250TT? Keen on coming over, doing a float course then hopefully doing a season or 2 somewhere there. Are there any minimums for converting and, is it just the air law exam or 1 exam covering everything?

Cheers

Just the one exam for the whole shabam. It's not like NZ where you need Met, Nav, HF, Law, Airtech and Radio exams just for a PPL.
When you get to Canada, get a job working on the dock for a float company, during your first Summer Season (May until October) get your license converted and your float endorsement. You should still be able to log a few hours when they are ferrying aircraft between fishing camps.

Not sure if your a dual citizen, but if your between 18-35 you can apply for a 1 year working holiday.

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ne ... spx?view=d

If you came up here for a year, worked as a dock-hand for a Summer then at a ski resort for a winter, worst comes to worse you might not do a whole bunch of flying you'd still have a blast and meet some great people.

[Results may vary]

[quote]First exam you need a certified log book, proof of experience, and a medical.


First exam is the Instrument Written called 'Inrat' ,
and it will require around 100 hours of study.[quote]


What is acceptable for proof of exp and is the testing officers sticker enough to certify a logbook?

And I take it that the Inrat exam is only for people wishing to have an IFR rating?

Cheers

[couchsurfer]

First exam you need a certified log book, proof of experience, and a medical.


First exam is the Instrument Written called 'Inrat' ,
and it will require around 100 hours of study.

What is acceptable for proof of exp and is the testing officers sticker enough to certify a logbook?

And I take it that the Inrat exam is only for people wishing to have an IFR rating?

Cheers

Your CPL flight test sticker will count as logbook certification. INRAT is IFR, I wouldn't worry about converting your IFR over until you get around 1000 hours TT.

You can sit your Canadian Medical in Auckland, Here's the link
http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/c ... &s=1&l=554


Booked those flights over yet?