{"id":35709,"date":"2019-10-31T22:05:52","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/ucheba-na-chastnogo-pilota-v-sredizeme-pereezd-i-zhizn-v-novozelandskoj-derevne\/"},"modified":"2019-10-31T22:05:52","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:05:52","slug":"ucheba-na-chastnogo-pilota-v-sredizeme-pereezd-i-zhizn-v-novozelandskoj-derevne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/news\/ucheba-na-chastnogo-pilota-v-sredizeme-pereezd-i-zhizn-v-novozelandskoj-derevne","title":{"rendered":"Training to become a private pilot in Middle-earth: moving and living in a New Zealand village.","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Training
\n
\nHello everyone!<\/p>\n

I want to share a rather unusual experience and add to this wonderful article<\/a><\/noindex> bvitaliyg<\/a><\/noindex> about how to reach the sky and become a pilot. I will tell you how I moved to a New Zealand village near Hobbiton to take the controls and learn to fly.
\n<\/a><\/noindex><\/p>\n

How it all started<\/h2>\n

\nI am 25 years old, and I have worked in the IT industry for my entire conscious life, with no involvement in aviation whatsoever. I have always enjoyed my job, but in recent years my personal development increasingly lagged behind my professional growth, and the pace of city life motivated me to change my environment.<\/p>\n

Aviation seemed like an appropriate challenge. I had never sat at the controls, knew nothing about flying an airplane, had a limited understanding of English, and did not have significant savings. <\/p>\n

Flying courses in Russia didn't attract me since general aviation in our country is in a significant decline, and not much has changed since the USSR. I saw no demand, no supply, and no prospects.<\/p>\n

I was not interested in studying in the USA due to a sense of it being conveyor-like. In the States, a pilot's license is literally held by every third person, and some obtain these licenses in just 2-3 weeks, despite the standard duration being 2-3 months. It's even faster than getting a driver's license, but at a much higher cost.<\/p>\n

I wanted to study in an English-speaking country, so the options in Europe were also limited. Life in the UK seemed excessively expensive and complicated regarding visa restrictions.<\/p>\n

I settled on New Zealand. An English-speaking and developed country with stunning nature and friendly people seemed like the perfect place for study. I was also a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings and knew that the trilogy was filmed there. I found a private school located 20 kilometers from the Hobbiton filming site, near the town of Matamata.<\/p>\n

\"Training
\n<\/p>\n

English language<\/h2>\n

\nThere were no strict requirements for English language proficiency. It was expected that one should be fluent enough for understanding and conversation. For a private pilot license, no specialized aviation English was required.<\/p>\n

I had to enroll in English courses in Moscow. I even managed to find a New Zealand teacher who conducted IELTS preparation courses. In two months, I was able to raise my level from 6 to 7.5 and successfully pass the interview with representatives of the school. Formally, a level of no less than 6 was required, but I didn\u2019t have to take the exam, although some New Zealand schools require it for admission.<\/p>\n

Money<\/h2>\n

\nThe private pilot course on the Cessna 172 at my school cost about $12,000. This is considerably more expensive than American schools but significantly cheaper than Australian ones.<\/p>\n

Overall, the cost of the Private Pilot License (PPL) course around the world varies from $7,000 to $15,000 depending on the country of study. The Commercial Pilot License (CPL) course is significantly more expensive, and a full course from scratch to an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) with the ratings required to work in an airline costs about $60,000.<\/p>\n

The cheapest option is in South Africa, where it is possible to complete training for as little as $7,000. Considering the visa-free travel between Russia and South Africa, this option may indeed seem appealing to many. <\/p>\n

There is an opinion that studying to become a private pilot or a recreational pilot is a rather dubious investment, as the costs cannot be recovered directly since you cannot earn money with this license. Of course, you can go step by step, obtaining licenses as funds become available, but this is much more expensive and takes longer.<\/p>\n

Many prefer to save money and study in comprehensive Commercial Pilot License (CPL) courses, or, if finances allow, immediately pursue an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). <\/p>\n

It should be understood that aviation, in terms of career, is a very complex, lengthy, and expensive affair. Even after obtaining the maximum ATPL with the necessary ratings and having the theoretical possibility to work in an airline, no one will readily hire you without experience. It\u2019s fortunate if, after several years working as an instructor, you are invited to a hypothetical Costa Rica to work as a second pilot for a regional airline at a very modest salary. Everyone understands that the United States produces thousands of pilots each year who need to compete and accumulate flight hours. There are ways to convert an American license and fly in Russia, but this is also expensive and tedious.<\/p>\n

Initially, I didn\u2019t consider aviation as a way to make money through flying. With a basic private pilot\u2019s license, you will significantly diversify your resume, no matter what you do. Aviation provides skills and experience that cannot be measured in monetary terms and ultimately makes you an interesting person and a sought-after professional.<\/p>\n

\"Training
\n<\/p>\n

Visas<\/h2>\n

\nAt first, I thought that obtaining a visa for New Zealand was straightforward, but it turned out to be more complicated than I expected.<\/p>\n

A tourist visa will suffice for a private pilot license, but, firstly, you cannot work with it, and secondly, to obtain it, you will have to transfer the entire amount for tuition from Russia in any case. With a student visa, it\u2019s much worse, since you will have to transfer not only for tuition but also for several months of housing and various other expenses. As a result, it becomes unacceptably expensive.<\/p>\n

At the bank, I was assured that a SWIFT transfer takes a few days, but in reality, a law was recently passed in Russia that requires all operations and transfers over 600,000 rubles to undergo thorough checks. They cannot be withdrawn properly or transferred abroad. The money took over a month to arrive.<\/p>\n

Moving and Housing<\/h2>\n

\nIt should be noted that the importance of housing is significantly underestimated. The fact is that most airfields where training takes place are located far from populated areas. New Zealand is a prime example; our school was located 10 kilometers from the nearest village with a shop and 200 kilometers from a major city.<\/p>\n

The school assured me that it would be extremely difficult without a car, so all students buy one as their first priority. The cost of a car in New Zealand will add several thousand dollars to the overall cost of courses. I managed to arrange to rent a room in one of the houses on the airfield premises. This allowed me to avoid buying a car, but added a lot of other problems.<\/p>\n

\"Training
\n
\nThe main issue was that I had to live practically in complete isolation from civilization. Over the months, I clearly realized that there is no country in the world whose atmosphere and way of life differ more from Moscow than New Zealand. Nobody is in a hurry at all; startups do not thrive in the country, and workaholism is not welcomed. <\/p>\n

Shopping trips have always been real adventures. I had to walk several times, which meant 10 kilometers one way and 10 kilometers back with bags. Here, I want to thank the New Zealanders who were always ready to give me a lift. If you stepped onto the road, every second car would stop. This is how I met a whole bunch of wonderful people.<\/p>\n

As for the living conditions, the situation was far from comfortable. Most of the students at the school were Indians, and Indians are not always the cleanest and often consider their housing very temporary and not worth much attention. My neighbors were guys from India, Malaysia, and Tibet. They were nice and easygoing on their own, but the cultural gap between us was enormous.<\/p>\n

I want to mention the temperature in the house separately. I arrived in May, just before the start of the New Zealand winter. The winter is certainly not like in Moscow, but the temperatures can drop below zero for extended periods. In homes, no one had heard of central heating, so your main companion will be the heater, and the average morning temperature is barely above 10 degrees. Excessive use of heaters will incur additional and significant costs on top of the rent, which was 200 New Zealand dollars per week.<\/p>\n

I can't say that the difficulties with living conditions went smoothly, but at the same time, I had no reason to regret my choice. New Zealand is a completely unique country in its attitude towards people and nature. Here, you forget all your problems; you simply rejoice every day that you are alive.<\/p>\n

\"Training
\n<\/p>\n

Studies<\/h2>\n

\nBefore arriving, I expected that I would face a huge amount of theory before my internship. It turned out to be exactly the opposite; from the very first day at school until the start of theoretical classes, I had several weeks of practice.<\/p>\n

The practical sessions were structured as follows: we had an internal online schedule where instructors assigned themselves a student each day. The school specifically required instructors to take different students so that no one would get used to a particular style and become complacent. Most of the instructors were British with a rather heavy accent that was hard to understand, but there were also New Zealanders. <\/p>\n

\"Training
\n
\nOn the first day, we were issued a logbook where we recorded our flight hours and the exercises we practiced during the flight. Before each flight, the instructors gave a brief briefing, explaining the forces acting on the airplane, what happens in the air, and how to react in various situations. At the end of the briefing, there was a short oral test to assess our understanding of the material, after which we would head to the airplane for pre-flight preparations, and then take the controls to practice the maneuver.<\/p>\n

\"Training
\n
\n\"Training
\n
\nIn general, there is nothing more complicated than school physics in the theory for a private pilot, but there is a lot of information to memorize. Much of it becomes habitual quickly, while some aspects require daily practice.<\/p>\n

It seems to me that the training program is standardized, and the exams are somewhat similar to those in Europe and the USA; however, New Zealand tends to prepare pilots more for the Asian market and is not particularly popular among the rest.<\/p>\n

Our school took flight safety very seriously but emphasized independence from the first day and discouraged reliance on the instructor. On one hand, during every pre-flight preparation, I had to drain fuel into a test tube and check its quality 11 times. On the other hand, I was performing solo landings as early as the second day of classes. <\/p>\n

As rightly noted, bvitaliyg<\/a><\/noindex>, aviation is not just about flying. It's about emotions and incredible responsibility. I don't recall ever feeling what I experienced while piloting the plane solo. We flew over the Hobbiton filming location, approached waterfalls and mountains of the North Island, practiced different maneuvers in various weather conditions, and even learned how to recover the airplane from a spin. <\/p>\n

I have always been captivated and inspired by videos and stories about flying, but I absolutely agree that no video can convey even a small fraction of the sensations felt during a minute at the controls. This will stay with you for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

\"Training
\n
Source: habr.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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