piloting abroad, by hook, crook, or...rental??

[denalipilot]

Maybe I've been reading too much Beryl Markham, but I think one of the neatest ways of combining some of my own personal interests would be to lay hands on a plane anywhere in comparatively-stable West Africa and see that land from the air, at the stick. I've heard that South Africa may be better set up for this, and also that prices are exorbitant. I also saw the giraffe-strike picture in another thread, but I'm not worried because I'm pretty sure that giraffe's not going to try THAT again...
My question is, does anyone actually have first-hand, recent experience in an adventure such as this that they would be willing to brag about- er..., I mean- share with the rest of us?
Australia sounds equally enticing, and I remember reading an AOPA article about renting in New Zealand, which made that country sound like a relatively easy place to do so.

Day dreamin'

Denalipilot

[N2865C]

I have flown in both Italy (C210) and Thailand (C150). Very expensive in Italy (but split with the passengers).... Thailand was, well..... very interesting. In both cases I just hired a local instructor to come along, officially acting as pilot in command and helping me negotiate all the local rules. (It's good to know that the local airport is closed for landings from 11 to 1 for lunch!). It saves a lot of paperwork and the instructor doubles as a tour guide. The instructor in both cases was not very expensive. Unless you are planning a long trip it's a good way to go. I came back with some great stories, and a real appreciation of how good we have it in this country.

[jrenwick]

John,

I've done a similar thing (a good friend acting as guide) in England, France, Germany and Ireland.

In France, some of the airports also close for lunch. The operator might become upset with you if you land right at lunchtime, and don't expect any services until after lunch!

In Germany you might have to pay a graduated landing fee based on how much noise your airplane makes, and whether you've invested in noise abatement equipment.

In Ireland you must have a flight plan for every flight, and you may not depart until you've obtained permission to land at your destination. Such permission might be withdrawn if something comes up and the airport becomes unattended (airports may not be used while unattended).

The airport at Swansea, Wales, is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. If you go to Cardiff instead, it will cost a breathtaking amount of money in fees of all sorts.

As I suspect is true everywhere, aviators in all these countries are wonderful people. But you're right, it really makes you appreciate what we have in the US!

[lowNslow]

In both cases I just hired a local instructor to come along, officially acting as pilot in command and helping me negotiate all the local rules.

This is the way to go unless you plan on doing some extensive flying in a particular country and want to act as PIC. By the time you pay for the checkout and go thru all the procedures to allow you to use your US airmans certificate (which in some cases has to be arranged WAY in advance) you will spend a fortune.

[denalipilot]

Thanks for the useful advice. Besides Beryl Markham, I'm pretty inspired by Lowell and Tay Thomas' account in Our flight to Adventure- Touring Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in their C180. Of course that was 50 years ago, in a different world, seemingly...

[Romeo Tango]

I am living in the UK right now (alas I had to button up my C170 for a while, at least I got my employer to subsidize a hangar for it).

Though I haven't flown yet, I have done a lot of research into it. It's a very simple process to get "qualified" with a test flight based on my FAA certificate. I'm not sure if being commercial/CFII helped, but they are quite eager to have me join their club as I bring new experience. I will also get a JAR (pan-European) private certificate as all I have to do is take two written tests (human factors and laws) and one practical test. Then I can fly across most of Europe without hassles. Other than paying, of course.

The big limitations in England are night flying requires training and an endorsement, and you have two levels of instrument ratings. An "IMC rating" gives you some limited options in less-than-VFR conditions (out of sight of surface, in controlled airspace with vis >1.5NM & <5NM, outside controlled airspace with vis <1.5NM, etc.)

An instrument rating is a huge endeavour, and you get almost no credit for your US instrument rating. All this can be found on the CAA (FAA equivalent website, search for LASORS)

[bsdunek]

Try this link: http://www.selfflysafari.com/

Looks like a great way to see some of Africa - but I think you need a lot of $$$!!!