Hi all,
Been seeing quite a few "silver streaks" in the sky...so was wondering if somebody could give his two pence on flying schools in Switzerland.
Of course the only constraint/important requirement would be that courses should be in English.
Inputs would be highly appreciated on the time/finances required before one gets a license to get into a cockpit of a 2-4 seater.
-Dave.

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Are there no pilots around?

Time depends on your free time. Finances - around 13-15k.

Thx!
So I could finish the course in 1 month also, assuming I have 30 days off from my employer (wishful thinking though )??

Hey, check out my post in the sports section, I is a pilot.



Plenty of flying schools / flying clubs around. Not a cheap hobby. Where do you live?

Around Zürich ...

- Speck
- Kloten
- St. Gallen (Altenrhein)
- Grenchen

... and some other GA airport on the southern End of Lake Zürich whose name eludes me ...

Thx for the post mate!
I live in Zurich, and am pretty flexible on travelling upto 2 hrs from there.
One estimate I got from a person was something like 18k chf, plus the fact that i have to do some minimum flying hours in a preiod of no less than 2 years...
would be great if i could get some more concrete details w.r.t websites of flying schools, etc.

Wishful thinking as you have to coordinate with your instructor (easier) and with the weather (more difficult).

If you want an el-cheapo fast-track solution you should consider the states (Florida). Cheaper gas, cheaper insurance, cheaper rental hours, cheaper instructors.

Hourly rates on Warrior IIs are in the vicinity of 300CHF now

If you Google 'flying schools site:.ch' you will find sites like this.

If you do elect to learn in the US, ensure you specify that landing should also be part of your training.

we dodgy foreigners learning there could end up with Homeland Security knocking on the motel door at funny hours otherwise

That aint's so easy, my friend, for 2 reasons:

- FAA license is not valid in Switzerland, has to be transfered, which takes time and costs money.
- U.S. xenophobia / paranoia has lead to a tedious application process that foreigners have to undergo before beginning flight training in the U.S.

So while it may be cheaper to train in the U.S., it might not get the OP what he wants.

Any idea how the Swiss Aviation Academy is?
http://www.swiss-aviation-training.com/
They seem to declare they're the official school for SWISS pilots...

Alright, here is some info to get you started (Google is your friend):

Grenchen http://www.fliegen.ch/
PPL Training http://www.fliegen.ch/ausbildung/ab_mf.html
Flat rate CHF 13'350

Fehraltorf / Speck http://www.fgzo.ch/
PPL Training http://www.fgzo.ch/home/navigation/motorflug.html
Their estimate CHF 17'165

St. Gallen / Altenrhein http://www.pilotenschule.ch/
PPL Training http://www.pilotenschule.ch/ausbildung.htm
and http://www.pilotenschule.ch/document...fo2007_007.pdf
They have free info nights - August 22 is the next one
Their estimate 12 months * CHF 1'600 per month

I hope that's enough to get you started. I have a U.S. (FAA) Commercial pilot certificate with Instrument rating and I am in the process of getting it transferred to Switzerland / converted to a JAR license.

I would suggest:

1. Call the places I listed. Pilots speak English, and so do flight instructors. I don't know how good your Swiss German is.

2. Go to an airport and hang out. Best way to meet folks, do an intro flight, get a feel, meet an instructor, feel them out. All airports I've been to here have a nice restaurant / outdoor sitting area.

The JAR license has 2 completely different pilot tracks ... Private and Commercial.

- If your goal is to fly for a living, go Commercial from day one (Swiss Academy or similar).

- If you only want to poke holes in the sky and in your wallet, go Private and check out a local flying school at an airport of your liking.

No worries, the TSA has already come to the rescue:

===Alien Flight Student Program (Student)===https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/

As Shorrick Mk2 said it is more about the weather. I learnt to fly in the UK and the number of times my flight was cancelled due to bad weather was crazy.

Also don't forget you will need to do ground exams which I struggled with. They may be multiple choice exam, but there is so much to learn that I think they quote something like 100hrs of revision time? It took me a whole year to pass all the theory exams (the maximum time allowed) and about 2-3 years to get my flying hours up. I take my practical test in a couple of weeks time in the UK to gain my private pilots licence in helicopters.

Cost can vary due to number of hours flying (45hrs min for a licence) and also factor in costs of landing at airports (which can be expensive especially if you are learning landing technics). Also allow for club fee's which usually cover aircraft maintenance and insurances, plus your costs traveling to and from the flying club.

Oh and learn to fly helicopters (as I am), it's way cooler being able to hover, fly backwards, turn on the spot etc.

75 hours TT, Instructor rides, Alps flight and instructor checkout, right?

i.e you just need to have more than 75 hours time in total? That's cool!

I have an FAA license and would dearly love to be able to fly around Switzerland.

Any idea if there's any need for a fresh medical or is my FAA medical certificate (class 3) valid?

Ah, you also "just" need to pass the checkride. Like passing another exam, really. There used to be a legislation exam involved, don't know whether that's still the case - maybe tomcat can comment.

Some info here:

http://www.bazl.admin.ch/fachleute/f...prungmarke3_65

And in this checklist:

http://www.bazl.admin.ch/fachleute/f...Mps2go6fo&.pdf

(I hope the long URL works)

Basically to get a JAR PPL:

-JAR Cl 2 medical (Dr. Leon Sze in ZH comes recommended)
-2 written exams (subject 10, air law and subject 40, human performance)
-Proof of radio license (you can get it from the FCC if you have a U.S. license)
-Min. 100 hrs total experience
-Skill test (checkride)
-Lots of copies and paperwork

IR add-on requires min. 100 hrs PIC, written IR exam and IR checkride.

I posted some details, AFAIK you need 100 hrs, written test, new (JAR) medical and checkride.