Candain pilot , how do I get into the UK?

[hibypassratio]

Hi All.

I'm a Canadian pilot. I've been flying corporate for over 2 years on a King Air 200 where we are required to always fly 2 crew. My Canadian ATPL will be completed within the month.

My wife, although now a Canadian citizen, was born in the UK and still holds a UK passport. We are considering a move to the UK sometime down the road. I'm just beggining to research this.

Questions:

1. How difficult and expensive is it to convert a CDN ATPL to the JAA? Is it any easier to convert after I have some airliner experience to convert?

2. With my wife a native citizen, how long do I have to wait before I would have the privilege of working there?

Any info appreciated. Cheers.

[jumpseat]

1/ Call the CAA
2/ Call the UK Immigration Dept

[My names Turkish]

As I understand it, there is no such thing as a "Conversion" of an FAA or Canadian ATP into a Jar one unless you have an exceptional amount of Widebody time. I stand to be corrected but you will have to do all 14 written exams and the CPL and IR checkrides. You will be given a good credit for your Canadian ones i.e, Minimum Training hours as required for the CPL and a minimum of 15 hours for the IR. This will cost a more than modest amount of money at UK prices although there are schools offering a JAA CPL in Florida.

Also on the subject of those writtens, even though you have commercial experience and the writtens passed for your Canadian CPL that really wont count for anything with the CAA exams. It is in no way a criticism of you, but more to do with how unecessarily difficult some of the exams are. A person I know had 1500+ hours on a Business jet and has had a very hard time getting passed the exams. It will also take a good perios of time anywhere from months to 18 months depending on the time you have available to study. Good luck and I hope others can confirm what I have said above.

[hibypassratio]

This is what I suspected, that I would have to do all the exams, etc.
This is a new line of thought for my wife and I. I'm just now starting to poke around the CAA site. I'm planning a visit to the UK consulate here in Toronto sometime this month.

[p290951]

You could contact the British High Commission in Ottawa.

www.britian-in-canada.org

[beamer]

Practice your British accent - Canadian pilots not exactly flavour of the month at the moment - nothing personal, just the usual -'come over here, taking our jobs' etc which of course is and always has been a two-way issue.

British pilots seconded to Canada last winter to fly Canadian registered aircraft had to sit Cannuck ATPL exams regardless of how long they had held a UK ATPL and their levels of experience which were VERY high in some cases. As a result do not expect any favours from the UK CAA in respect of foreign licences.

[flyhardmo]

hibypassratio

Im in the same boat so this is the info i have and advice i can give.
Turkish has said most of what you have to do.

YOu will be exempt from doing an MCC course if you have more than 500hrs of multi-crew time otherwise save up an extra £2000 or so.
YOu will only get exempt from the ATPL if you have more than 3000hrs on aircraft over 30tonnes. King Air falls a bit short of that im afraid.
You also have to do an IFR conversion with a minimum of 15hrs of flight, thats the expensive part but as turkish said you can try and do it in florida. The rest involves 14exams and i have been told to save up about £3000-6000 for the theory and another £10000 for the IFR. :{ I know it hurts. Bristol flights school has been recommended alot of people but if someone can recommend anything else i would also be interested.
Unless you are almost finished or you plan to return to Canada, dont bother with your ATPL cause it means squat to JAA.
Hope this helps and good luck

[hibypassratio]

Beamer, I never understod why there is not more recognitin of ICAO licenses from one state to another. I can understand the ill feelings though. The industry over her has really taken a beating over the last few years. Some people resent pilots from outside coming in and flying here. Locals didn't necessarily have the type ratings to fly, or in some cases the were actually aircraft leased with planes and crew from outside.

As I side, I would be going because my wife would be "going home". I'm still paying off 40 G's CDN for my training over here. The prospect of another 20 G's or so CDN is not encouraging. Needs must.

[tyfilou]

What you can do also instead of doing a Multi-IFR in Uk is to get a JAR-25 Type rating after a course in a CAA approved TRTO. The test would have to be conducted under a CAA inspector survey... These guys cost 1245 Pounds a day + trip and expenses...
But it works only if you already hold a valid ICAO ATPL!

Tyfilou
Canadian ATPL + 14 JAR CAA ATPL exams looking for the good type rating to go on and discussing with companies that refuse to answer cause i don't have the JAR Licence...

[hibypassratio]

Has anybody done the JAR ATPL in Orlando or elsewhere in the US? Is it significantly less money?

[604guy]

The college in CYQM, Moncton, does JAR in conjunction with a college in Bournmouth(sp?). Being Canadian dollars you may want to investigate what they may be able to provide. Might not be of any benefit but nothing ventured....

[mozzie]

Alternatively:

You could pitch up in Calais, wait for a truck driver with space in his overloaded container he's hauled from eastern europe, pay him a thousand $s or so to squeeze in the back with a sundry of different ethnic groups, hold your breath while you cross the channel and you'll be in blighty before you know it where you can claim political assylum which even from Canada will take the system 5 years to sort out. In the mean time you can avail yourself of the NHS, DHS and various other systems which will provide health care and money for your stay while you seek employment...

Anyway, that's how thousands of others do it.

Alternatively, dig into your past for a relative that came from the mother country and get a passport and Bobs your uncle (british I hope) and your in again!

NB: This is the UK not the US, everyones in with a chance...

[beamer]

Hibypass

I guess problem is that whilst a licence from Western Europe, North America, Aust/NZ and certain other countries is seen in one light - licences from others are seen in a different manner. There should be an even palying field here - seen from UK perspective,
if Yanks, Canucks, Aussies etc can ply their trade over here easily, why is the same not true in reverse. I would love to go and fly full-time in NZ for example - chat to NZ authorities - no chance, too protective of their own people - right or wrong.

I wish you luck in your efforts - mind you MOZZIE has a valid point in his response.

[hibypassratio]

604guy,

I know about the program @ MFC. I did my training there and instructed there for a couple of years. The JAR program has just begun, and I beleive so far they are just doing abinito training. Also, unlike the Orlando school, where exams can be done locally, the students fly back to the UK for all flight tests and perhaps exams. The ground schools are all distance learning with a few guys on staff approved for the instructional flying.

As I mentioned, my wife was born in the UK. If I understand what I read on the immigration site, I'm OK to move there and will have the ability to work, it's just having the licenses to work in the field I love.

Cheers.