Testing and Revalidations

The CSI of the academy is a SA CAA Deginated Examiner (DFE) and can conduct the following list of skills, part or all of which may be conducted on our FSTD (Simulator). In addition to our in-house DFE, there are several other DFE's operating in the Western Cape (See CAA website for contact details) and all of these DFE's have access to our FSTD for purpuses of conducting skills testing.

It should also be noted that all DFE skills testing happens outside of our academy processes and should be arranged directly between the student and the DFE of his/her choice. (Our Front Desk can assist with this and the coordination of available slots on the FSTD)

 

DFE Initial Skills Testing*

  • Initial CPL Issue
  • Initial Night Rating Issue
  • Initial IF Issue
  • Initial CPL/ IF Issue
  • Initial ATP Issue
  • Initial Multi-engine Rating
  • Initial Multi-engine IF Endorsement
  • Initial Instructor Rating (Grade III)
  • Instructor Rating Upgrade (Grade III to Grade II)

* Parts or all may be done on the simulator but some will be done in an aircraft - check with your DFE

 

DFE RevalidationSkills Testing*

The DFE's listed above may also be used to do your annual revalidation skills testing (Licence/rating Renewals) Although it is not a legal requirement a present, we strongly reccomend that pilots should undergo an appropriate amount of recurrency training prior to the skills test. (Also note that the recurrency training ideally should be done by an instructor other than the DFE that will be conducting the skills test)

  • Single-engine IF Revalidation Tests
  • Multi-engine IF Revalidation Tests
  • Grade I and Grade II Instructor Revalidation
  • CPL Maintenance of Competency Skills Tests
  • ATP Maintenance of Competency Skills Tests

* A significant part of your test (or all of the revalidation test in the case of an IR or IR/CPL revalidation) will be conducted on our simulator but some revalidation testing (such as VFR CPL) may require flight testing. 

Ad Hoc Training

Ad Hoc FSTD Training

We can accocomodate various types of ad-hoc FSTD training on demand. Examples:

  • Remedial training for a student struggling with particular aspect of his/her flight training
  • Part 135 operation procedural line training
  • Brush-up on non-common procedures in SA (such as DME/ARC, NDB and CDFA approaches)

 

Simulator Practice

All simulator credits allowed by SA-CAA and the CAR's are based on you doing training with an approved instructor on an approved simulator. However, if you are simply wishing to hone a particular skill or practice a new procedure, we invite you to book a 'solo' session on our simulator. The supervisor will set you up but will not provide instruction.  Specify the mode that you wish to fly in when you make your booking:

  • FNPT II in Seneca Mode (Twin)
  • FNPT II in Arrow Mode (Complex Single)

We also have a non-CAA approved FNPT I equivalent simulator available for practice. You MAY NOT receive instruction or log the hours on this simulator but it is a cost effective way to practice a particular procedure that you may have difficulty in mastering

 

Multi Engine Training

Course Overview

This course will provide you with the ground, simulator and flight training that you require to obtain your initial Multi-Engine Class rating. You will receive your flight training on our FNPT II Simulator that is modelled on a Seneca II but you may conduct your flight training on any multi engined aircraft. If you are the holder if an IF Rating, you combine this course with our Multi-Engine IF Endorsement (CN-AR-MIF)

As this course involves a significant amount of flight training in an aircraft, you may elect to ensroll with one of our partner schools that offers multi engine training and in such a case, they will still make use of our simulator for the training elements thatmay be done on an approved FSTD

In certain exceptions (such as owner training in specialised aircraft), our academy will conduct the antire IR course. In such a case, the following training plan applies

 

 

Entry Requirements

  • Must be the holder of a valid licence (PPL or higher)
  • Must have at least 70 hours Pilot In Command (PIC) time

 

Training Plan

  • 10 Hours Class Room Lectures
  • 12 Hours Instructor Briefings/Debriefings
  • 5 Hours Simulator Training
  • 5 Hours Dual Aircraft Training
  • Skills Test with a Designated Flight Examiner

 

Course Duration

This course would typically take full time student about 1 to 2 months to complete.

 

Study Material Required

Our training generally follows the modules described in the book “Transition to Twins” by Dave Robson from ASA. We strongly recommend that you acquire this book and do some home studying prior to commencing the course (Available from our Pilot Shop at the airfield)

The theory exam is based on the Seneca II or the aircraft type on which your skills test is conducted.  A Pilot Operating Handbook of the Seneca II will be available for use but you may also acquire a handbook from the Pilot Shop.

 

Multi Crew Training

 We offer two types of Multi Crew Cooperation (MCC) Training Courses...

 

MCC for Initial ATP

This MCC training forms part of our training course for your Initial ATP and covers all the essential basics of operating in a multi-crew cockpit envorronment and covers MCC produres applicaple to:

  • Normal Operations, including use of checklists, scan flows and callouts
  • Non-normal Procedures, including the use of the QRH
  • Emergency Procedures, including memory items and workload sharing

It must be noted that the MCC training of this course (Initial ATP) is not type rating specific, nor is it to the level required for a full MCC Certficate and merely designed to meet the competency requirements of the Initial ATP Skills Test.

 

Full MCC Certification

We also offer a full MCC Certification course, at the end of which a Certficate for Muti-crew Cooperation will be issued and the notification to SACAA as per form CA 61-09.20 submitted for the licence endoresement.

The course complies to requirements of Document SA-CATS 61 Appendix 20. The syllabus is comprehensive with at least 15 to 20 hours of FSTD training in the roles of PF and PNF with a similar amount of ground briefings and training. The course is desgned to ideally accomodate two pilots simultanously and this will also assist in sharing the costs.

Note that a pilot that has undergone our Inital ATP training will be credited with 5 hours ground and FSTD training towards the MCC Certficate.

All our MCC training is done by highly experienced airline pilots and is an ideal preperation for a future airline career. Our MCC course is done on a turbine simulator but is not type specific and should not be contrued as a type rating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instrument Flight Training

Our academy focusses on the ground school and simulator aspects of pilot training. As an Instrument Rating (IR) also requires significant training hours in an aircraft, these IR courses will typically be conducted by our Partner Schools according to their training plans and using their instructors.

In certain exceptions (such as owner training in specialised aircraft or IR training using Multi Engine or Complex Single aircraft, our academy will conduct the antire IR course. In such a case, the following training plan applies:

 

Course Overview

This course will provide you with the ground training, flight training, exams and tests that you require to obtain your Instrument Rating (IR). You may obtain your Instrument Rating as a PPL or a CPL and enjoy similar instrument flying privileges. It should be noted that all the theoretical exam subjects for a PPL/IR and CPL/IR are identical except that in order to obtain a CPL, one extra subject (Aircraft Technical and General) must be written. Thus, if a student with a PPL writes the extra subject and meet all the other air experience and flight training requirements, the Instrument Rating and CPL Skills test can be combined and in subsequent years, all annual Instrument Rating revalidations will automatically also revalidate your CPL – a worthwhile option to consider.

During or prior to starting this Instrument Rating course, you need to obtain a certain amount of air experience (explained further below) and you may do this on your own or under the Hour Building Guidance programme offered by SFA.

The IR flight and simulator training hours that you will do are limited and should be done as close as possible to your Skills Test at the end of the course. We thus recommend that you attend ground school and complete all the examinations for the theoretical subjects before you commence simulator training.

 

Requirements for the Issue of an Instrument Rating

  • Hold a valid licence (PPL or CPL)
  • Class 1 Medical Certificate
  • General Radio Telephony Certificate
  • Pass all the Theoretical Exams
  • Have completed the hours of training and experience required for an Instrument Rating
  • Valid Night Rating
  • Pass a Skills Test with a Designated Flight Examiner

Air Experience Required for IR

  • 50 Hours cross country as Pilot In Command (PIC)
  • 40 Hours instrument instruction (with a maximum of 20 hours on a Simulator)
  • If the initial IR is on a Multi-Engine, then 5 of the 40 hours must be ME IF training

 

Training Plan for IR

Our Modular Training Programme (MTP) consists of the following IR training:

  • 174 Hours of Classroom Lectures on the following seven theory subjects:
    • Meteorology
    • Flight Planning
    • Radio Aids
    • Navigation
    • Air law and Procedures
    • Instruments
    • Human Performance

 

  • CAA conducted exams for all seven theoretical subjects (75% pass mark)
  • 32 Hours Instructor Briefings/Debriefings
  • 20 Hours Simulator IF Training
  • 20 Hours of flight IF Training
  • Skills Test with a Designated Flight Examiner

(Note that the 40 IF training hours above include any PPL and Night Rating IF training)

 

Course Duration

Assuming that your night rating and other air experience are already in place, this course would typically take a full time student about four to six months to complete and a part time student should try and complete the course in no more than eighteen months to two years.

 

Study Material Required

  • We use the AVEX Study Notes for the IR ground lectures of the theoretical subjects.
  • For the Radio Telephony Course, we use ‘The Pilot’s Radio Handbook’ by Dietland Lempp

The following publications are not compulsory but recommended for the serious student:

  • The Air Pilot’s Manual’ Volume 5 (Instrument Flying) by Pooley’s Publishing
  • ‘The Instrument Rating Flight Manual’ by David J Howarth  (This publication is supplied with a very useful interactive IF training CD)
  • ‘Understanding CARS and CATS’ by Phillip Marais

(All these manuals and publications are available from the Pilot Shop at SFA)

  1. Courses