PPL exam charges

[Syncop8r]

Just got the receipt and confirmation for my PPL Navigation and Flight Plannning exam, on top of the the $59 I have already paid I have to slip a $20 to the supervisor at the exam!
Sheesh!

[pilotgallagher01]

Yup, that's ASL for you. Stung me the first time doing a PPL exam.
I see they have put the price up too? used to be $49 when I did my PPL, suppose that was last year..
Are PPL on computers yet? I did all my PPl exams on paper and you had to wait 7 working days to recieve your results, really annoying!!, however the CPL ones are done on computers which I find alot better, and you get your results at the end of the exam once everyone has finished!

[GlennAV8R]

QUOTE (pilotgallagher01 @ Jul 19 2010, 10:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup, that's ASL for you. Stung me the first time doing a PPL exam.
I see they have put the price up too? used to be $49 when I did my PPL, suppose that was last year..
Are PPL on computers yet? I did all my PPl exams on paper and you had to wait 7 working days to recieve your results, really annoying!!, however the CPL ones are done on computers which I find alot better, and you get your results at the end of the exam once everyone has finished!

Then of course there is the $99 to prove that you can speak english. I was born in NZ, educated in NZ, completed all my flight training in NZ, and before they would give me that little bit of paper, I had to talk into a telephone for five minutes to prove that I wasnt chinese.

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

Then of course there is the $99 to prove that you can speak english. I was born in NZ, educated in NZ, completed all my flight training in NZ, and before they would give me that little bit of paper, I had to talk into a telephone for five minutes to prove that I wasnt chinese.[/quote]

Another example of CAA blindly following ICAO

[HercFeend]

QUOTE (SA227 @ Jul 20 2010, 09:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Another example of CAA blindly following ICAO

ICAO only states that you demonstrate a certain level of English proficiency - which seems reasonable to me. It doesn't however insist on not applying any common sense as being demonstrated by CAA. A common sense approach for instance might be to, in a country where English is the first/official/primary language, accept a High School or higher qualification of some description in one of a number of subjects - English being one but others would qualify i.e. an art subject (History etc), a science etc etc. This would prove one's English language ability both written and verbal. Another way, and the system adopted by UK CAA, is to be continually assessed by your FI and during your test by the Examiner - if you canny speaka da lingo you dinny pass!

I don't think what is being demonstrated here by CAA is them 'blindly' following ICAO, following ICAO standards has got to be a good thing I would think, but more the CAA using language as another money making scheme.........

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

I don't think what is being demonstrated here by CAA is them 'blindly' following ICAO, following ICAO standards has got to be a good thing I would think, but more the CAA using language as another money making scheme........[/quote]

Good point. I've been dealing with another issue where CAA have been using the "because ICAO said" argument and got carried away

[GlennAV8R]

QUOTE (HercFeend @ Jul 20 2010, 11:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ICAO only states that you demonstrate a certain level of English proficiency - which seems reasonable to me. It doesn't however insist on not applying any common sense as being demonstrated by CAA. A common sense approach for instance might be to, in a country where English is the first/official/primary language, accept a High School or higher qualification of some description in one of a number of subjects - English being one but others would qualify i.e. an art subject (History etc), a science etc etc. This would prove one's English language ability both written and verbal. Another way, and the system adopted by UK CAA, is to be continually assessed by your FI and during your test by the Examiner - if you canny speaka da lingo you dinny pass!

I don't think what is being demonstrated here by CAA is them 'blindly' following ICAO, following ICAO standards has got to be a good thing I would think, but more the CAA using language as another money making scheme.........

Totally agree with all your points, very well said.

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

A common sense approach for instance might be to, in a country where English is the first/official/primary language, accept a High School or higher qualification of some description in one of a number of subjects - English being one but others would qualify i.e. an art subject (History etc), a science etc etc. This would prove one's English language ability both written and verbal.[/quote]
Agreed- Even though I was born and raised in England, hold an English passport, and graduated from high school, I still had to talk cr@p down a phone to prove I was capable of this. I was amused to talk to a Kiwi 747 pilot who was taking the test after me, after transferring from ANZ to Turkish airlines, he failed an English proficiency test in the US because the computer program that assess your voice wasn't used to his accent. Bizarre.

Last edited by ardypilot on Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[HercFeend]

I, in a sense, told the CAA in the covering letter with my license application that I wasn't doing their test ......... As I already held a JAR PPL I'd met the requirements - they didn't question my argument.