Training in Argentina

[EternalSunshine]

Newbie, so if i post incorrectly go easy on me.

 

Was wondering if anyone here any information on doing a private helicopter licence and perhaps a commercial licence in Argentina. My intention was to go to Argentina to learn Spanish but then i thought that i may realise my second dream of learning to fly there aswell. Figured it may be cheaper to do than in Europe and since i would have the time i could do 3-4 hrs lessons a day.

 

Would anybody know schools around Argentiana ? Would I be correct in assuming that it is less expensive to do a course there? Is trainign conducted thru spanish or english.....i.e. is there some standard whereby training has to be done in english or something.

 

Anything that i should be aware of ? Is there any pitfalls in gaining a licence there........i.e. have to do alot to get a conversion to an EU licence.

 

Am i missing something...............( i.e. am i dreaming here:) )

 

Thanks....

 

***Update***

 

I was emailing a guy in BA who informed me that it takes 40hrs to do the PPL and 200hrs to do the CPL. Charging 450US$ an hour. Thought that was expensive.

 

The longer hrs required for the CPL is due to older 'Army' rules or something. He did say that there wasn't alot of commerical pilots in Argentina so might be beneficial in doing a course there.

 

Would love to hear some opinions.

 

Tnks

[propwasher]

From what I understand, the Argentine currency is pretty low in relation to the US dollar right now. The price of $450 per hour sounds awfully high - was that in a turbine?

About a hundred years ago I got my private license in S. America, walked into the US Embassy, and 20 minutes later walked out with an FAA private pilots license. Not sure what the UK rules would be - probably more restrictive.

Learning how to fly is a challenge - learning how to fly in a foreign language is a BIG challenge! Make sure your instructors have an excellent grasp of English.

A student visa will most likely be required - probably not as restrictive as the TSA here in the US but may require a background check before you commence flight training.

Also might want to look into what job options you have after getting the license in Argentina - as a non- citizen can you instruct? Many countries want to keep the jobs available for their own citizens and make it tough for a resident alien to find work.

I was learning Spanish while taking flight training and found the written exam (in Spanish) to be very difficult.

You might want to investigate flight schools in countries besides Argentina - that will at least give you something to compare with.

Best of luck, Kevin

[John90290]

Been down there a bunch of times and say without a doubt, a great country. That being said, it’s different down there and you might find yourself in an unsafe aircraft or airport in some areas due to lack of resources.

 

The article below is a good example. They lost their radar two months ago at their major airport and have yet to replace it…that’s their major international airport.. just imagine what might be happening at smaller municipal airports

 

 

http://in.news.yahoo.com/070518/137/6fytp.html

[EternalSunshine]

Tnks for the input. Yeah I thought 450 US dollars was expensive aswell. I do take into account the safety concerns aswell. Deserves more research.

[Lee]

only Buenos Aires has helicopters. the R22 is us$ 250 per hour and R44 is US$450 p/h, they got other jet powered helicopter and it is very very expensive. you need to speak and write spanish. if less than one year, forget the license. go to the States, they are same prices. befor u fly, u need the medico, it costs 50 pesos.

 

if u are non-white, good luck!

There are two school have helicopter in san fernando international airport, buenos aires. It would be easier when u have the airplane license. u can come here to learn the airplane, it costs US$50 p/h in santa cruz. the total may costs $3000 for the costs plus other costs for the corrupted officials. the other costs are minimal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newbie, so if i post incorrectly go easy on me.

 

Was wondering if anyone here any information on doing a private helicopter licence and perhaps a commercial licence in Argentina. My intention was to go to Argentina to learn Spanish but then i thought that i may realise my second dream of learning to fly there aswell. Figured it may be cheaper to do than in Europe and since i would have the time i could do 3-4 hrs lessons a day.

 

Would anybody know schools around Argentiana ? Would I be correct in assuming that it is less expensive to do a course there? Is trainign conducted thru spanish or english.....i.e. is there some standard whereby training has to be done in english or something.

 

Anything that i should be aware of ? Is there any pitfalls in gaining a licence there........i.e. have to do alot to get a conversion to an EU licence.

 

Am i missing something...............( i.e. am i dreaming here:) )

 

Thanks....

 

***Update***

 

I was emailing a guy in BA who informed me that it takes 40hrs to do the PPL and 200hrs to do the CPL. Charging 450US$ an hour. Thought that was expensive.

 

The longer hrs required for the CPL is due to older 'Army' rules or something. He did say that there wasn't alot of commerical pilots in Argentina so might be beneficial in doing a course there.

 

Would love to hear some opinions.

 

Tnks

[EternalSunshine]

Thank you for the information. 250US dollars is good value and i am sure you would be able to negotiate a good deal if you agree on the number of hours.

 

"if less than one year" What do you mean by that ?

 

I am white but why would non-white make a difference? Are you referring to negros or hispanics or asians....?

 

Interesting about the plane. Sounds very very cheap. Sounds too good to be true....have you got any more info on that?

 

If you have any further information on flying in argentina i would be grateful.

 

If my future plan was to work as a pilot in Argentina , would it make sense to do the courses in that country ?

 

(as regards spanish i would use the pilot course as an focus for me to improve and learn the language)

Edited May 24, 2007 by EternalSunshine