Basair has been responsible for helping many overseas licence holders obtain their wings in Australia. By far the best way to see this huge country is from the air, and if you hold a pilot licence from another country, the conversion to an Australian licence is relatively simple.

The following information is for pilots who wish to obtain a temporary validation of their licences for a short stay in Australia.
If you would like information about converting to a full Australian licence, please click here.

Types of conversions

If a holidaymaker simply wishes to fly in Australia for a short period of time, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) will usually issue the visitor with a "Certificate of Validation" upon application

. This issue is normally dependant on the visitor holding an ICAO licence. The licence issued is essentially a "permit to fly" for a period of three months, and is endorsed accordingly. A medical examination is generally not necessary, however the applicant will require a full check flight prior to flying in Australia (see later). A validation of an overseas licence will take between one and three weeks to complete - depending on how well prepared you are when you arrive in Australia. We will generally need to spend around half a day with you arranging the licence conversion paperwork, as well as briefing you on Australian procedures as well as navigation differences. You will then need to complete the check flight, and probably a familiarisation flight.You will need to purchase some basic documentation for your flights in Australia. The minimum documentation includes:

Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).
En-route supplement.
Maps and charts for the areas in which you want to fly.

If you wish to have these documents sent to you before you arrive in Australia then you can order them at http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/publications If a longer stay is required, then you can obtain a "Special Pilot Licence" which is based entirely on your overseas licence. This licence requires the same checks as the Certificate of Validation, but it will be valid for a longer period of time. A foreign pilot obtaining a Commercial Licence validation in this fashion will have the licence endorsed "not available for hire or reward". This means that you cannot work using your Commercial Pilot Licence. To remove this restriction, a full licence conversion is required.

Key study areas

The main areas to study before arriving in Australia are:

Flight rules and procedures - Australia basically follows the ICAO airspace model, but we do have some airspace that is unique to Australia (e.g. GAAP procedures). Bankstown Airport follows GAAP procedures.
Navigation - radio navigation is not the preferred means of VFR navigation in Australia since navaids are few and far between. We do not have VORTACs, and the main emphasis is on NDBs rather than VORs. The population centres of Australia are separated by vast distances, and therefore so are the navaids.
Meteorology - you may not be used to some of the typical weather conditions in Australia. Almost all types of weather can be experienced - and it may not be as you expect! Much of the coastal strip is tropical or subtropical, so summers can be characterised with rain in the afternoons - often from thunderstorms. The middle arid regions can be very hot during the day (approaching 50°C during the day) and yet very cold at night during summer. Snow does fall in Australia - but is generally limited to the alpine regions. Despite this, snow often falls in Canberra during winter, and can be experienced along the Great Dividing Range as far north as southern Queensland. You can find out more at the Bureau of Meteorology at http://www.bom.gov.au.

Full licence conversion

If a pilot wishes to hold a full Australian pilot licence then a few simple steps need to be taken once a visitor's licence has been granted. Firstly, a medical examination is required with one of the approved medical examiners. For a Commercial Pilot Licence applicant ophthalmic and hearing tests are also required (contact Basair for details). Once the medical is complete, an applicant will have to complete a theory exam and either the Private Pilot Licence or Commercial Pilot Licence flight test.

The check flight

Once a licence has been granted on the basis of a foreign pilot licence, all applicants are required to undertake a check flight prior to being able to fly in Australia. The purpose of this check flight is to check both the pilot's ability to fly the aircraft, their navigation skills, as well as their understanding of Australian procedures and airspace structure. Depending on your skills and experience the check flight will generally take around two hours.

Please note that you will generally require some familiarisation flying in the local area to get used to our procedures and navigation prior to taking the check flight. Remember - we have wide open spaces with few navaids and so visual navigation is very important!It is also important that you do as much study and familiarisation on Australian procedures and requirements prior to arriving in Australia. The more study you do, the easier your check flight will be.Basair instructors have helped pilots from the USA, New Zealand, Britain, France, Austria, Germany, Argentina, Africa and Canada complete this check flight, so are well prepared to help you complete the flight with confidence.

Reference

Civil Aviation Safety Authority web site
Aircraft available for hire through Basair
Information about tourist areas around Sydney
Information about tourist areas in Australia

Converting your overseas licence for flying in Australia.

Types of conversions

Key study areas

Full licence conversion

The check flight

Reference

Converting your
overseas licence for flying
in Australia.