Light Sport Aircraft (LSA / RAAus) - A Cheaper Way to Fly

While looking for a cheaper alternative to obtaining a PPL in Singapore, I checked out getting an LSA license in Australia.

I visited Pathfinder Aviation and did a 1 hour trial flight in their LSA Jabiru J170.  They are based in Brisbane at Archerfield Airport.

This is the pricing for an RAAus (LSA) license with Pathfinder Aviation is below.

.
.	Basic Training in Jabiru 170 28 hours* x $199	$5,572.00
.	Before and after flight briefings Included!
.	Landing Fees included!
.	RAAus Student Pilot Membership	$185.00
.	Theory book and Log Book	$110.00
.	ASIC application	$160.00
.	CASA Class 2 Medical Examination with DAME	$170.00
.	CASA Medical processing fee	$75.00
.	TOTAL	$6,272.00
.
.	Passenger Endorsement	$1,194.00
.	Cross Country Endorsement	$3,980.00
.
.	GRAND TOTAL (Unrestricted LSA Lic.)	$11,446.00

It seems like good value compared to Singapore which is at least twice the price.

We flew the Jabiru east from Archerfield out to the coast over Stradbroke Island.  It was bumpy down at pattern altitude but once we got up over 2000' it was a beautiful day for flying.

How Much Does it Cost to Learn to Fly in Singapore?

So being based in Singapore options for flight schools are pretty limited.  Here is a summary of my findings.

I have never visited any of the Singapore flight schools, basically because they are so expensive.  They all operate out of Seletar Airport.  No flight schools in Singapore can teach navigation.  That means you will get a restricted PPL and would have to go to Malaysia or another Country to finish the navigation component.  There is also Singapore Youth Flying Club which is govenerment sponsored to develop pilots from youth for the air-force.

Singapore Flying Club

Entrance fee (non-refundable)	S$ 1,500.00
Flying Deposit (refundable upon resignation)	S$ 1,500.00
First Month Subscription Fees	S$ 100.00
TOTAL	S$ 3,100.00

Above is the cost just to get your foot in the door to the club.  They state that to get the restricted PPL you are looking at between S$20,000 to S$30,000.

They have one aircraft, a Socata TB-9C Tampico Club

Seletar Flying Club (SFC)

TYPE	ENTRANCE FEE	MONTHLY FEES	DEPOSIT	FLYING RATES IN-TRAINING	FLYING RATES OUT -TRAINING
ORDINARY FLYING NON-FLYING	$1000 NA	$80/- $45/-	$1500 NA	$315 NA	$290 NA
FAMILY FLYING NON-FLYING	NA NA	NA NA	NA NA	$315 NA	$290 NA
VISITING FLYING	NA	$100	NA	$365	NA

They do not state the cost of a full course but I assume it will be similar to Singapore Flying Club.  Not sure what aircraft they use.

Bottom line is it's ridiculously expensive to learn to fly in Singapore and that's why many people look elsewhere to get their PPL.

I will cover flight Schools in Johor Baru (Malaysia) in a future post.

If there are any schools or information I have missed please let me know.

Learning to Fly in Singapore

So I have finally decided to take the leap and learn to fly, something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I am living in Singapore and have spent a good amount of time researching what options are available for someone living here who wants to get a PPL.

This blog will track my progress as I learn to fly and might be helpful to others who want to follow their passion of general aviation in Asia.