FlyingInIreland

Hi everybody,

I was wondering what the general opinion is from all Pilots & Student Pilots with the IAA and their exams.
What i find crazy is:

(1)They dont hold many sittings in the year. The Location was only the Gresham Hotel in Dublin, but heard they now having stiings in Weston and Cork Airport?

(2)The method of testing is so out of date, its like it is from the 1930's.

(3) Takes 15 working days to get results by post.

(4) exams in Canada are 40% the price of what the IAA charge


I dont have any information about the other JAA/EASA member states and how they go about doing their examinations. I would be interested in finding out.
From my own experience of training in Canada, it was so much more flexible, helpfull and efficient.

I know Canada is a very large country, but you can take exams in many places, including inhouse with your fligth school. You can ring up today, and get an exam sitting tomorrow or the next day!
The exams are done with computer, so you just click and click pick your answer and submit to finish. When you click on the screen "submit", by the time you get up from your desk and get to the reciption, they are printing your results off! no waiting for 15 working days on post!
Also, I did some ATPL exams a few weeks ago and the IAA had 3 invigilator keeping an eye on 6 students! such a waste of money.

And also, they moved their headquarters from Hawkins st, to the Old times building on D'olier st, and yet they rent a room in a hotel form exams?? why did they not build a examination centre in their new head quarters and stop wasting money renting a hotel room! and from my last exam sitting, their was so much noise in the hotel from shouting kids in the room across from our exam room. crazy!!

and finially, the price they charge! €115 per IAA exam VS $40-$60 aprox for ransport canada.
rip off ireland

I know. The IAA fairly take the mick when it comes to exams. The CAA system is much more efficient.

They make less a big deal about them.

And they make you wait so long if you have to do a resit!
I did my PPL in the States in 1991 and enquired about their exam system. I was told that not only FAA exams, but all Government or State exams must be available to be taken by the public, on any working day, ie; any day that the Government was open for business, not just six days a year. All flight schools that wanted to hold FAA exams simply had to have a lockable room available, with a lockable container and a PC and printer to hand.The examiner was regarded as adult enough to issue exam papers and make sure the student didn't cheat.All exam questions had to be in a body of knowledge in the public domain and the questions were rotated every eight weeks, which also coincided with the renewal cycle for sectional charts and other associated airmen's information such as Approach plates.The FAA are also mandated by law to issue all licenses or adjustments of same by a maximum of 120 days (it rarely takes that long). They are even obliged to publish how long it takes a Field Office to process the paperwork (20 minutes per application on average) and how much it costs the FAA to do so.$2 in 1991.
So far, we appear to have an exam system that hasn't changed since Pontius was a pilot and EASA appears to endorse it and the IAA continue to rip us off on costs.
next time the IAA come waving the GASCI flag, bring this up.
regards
Stovepipe

Hi Wilco & Stovepipe

Thanks for your feedback and opinion I think things will never change unless we all as pilots write to the IAA and demand changes. At the end of the day it will be for the good of everybody not just us pilots.

As i said, they seem to know how to waste money very well and turn around and charge us crazy prices not just for exams, but also licence fees, flight test fees, C of A etc.

We are in a recession, prices have come down in general with all goods and services except the IAA fees.
regards
Rob