Flying in the States

[BUSH PILOT]

Hi all,

I'm heading over to the US later in the year and am hoping to do a little private flying while I'm over there. Just wondering if any of you who have flown there before might be able to enlighten me as to the main differences between their rules and ours! Or even just point me in the direction of something that might explain the basics for me.

Cheers

[djpil]

The Aeronautical Information Manual! (http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/) (Almost) all you need to know is in there.

This manual contains the fundamentals required in order to fly in the United States NAS. It also contains items of interest to pilots concerning health and medical facts, factors affecting flight safety, a pilot/controller glossary of terms used in the ATC System, and information on safety, accident, and hazard reporting.

This manual is complemented by other operational publications which are available via separate subscriptions. These publications are:

Notices to Airmen publication ... The Airport/Facility Directory ...

CASA, note how infrequently the AIM is amended and what a neat package of information is provided to pilots.

[compressor stall]

Have you been able to get travel insurance that covers PIC activities?

[djpil]

When I visited last year my insurance policy permitted bungee jumping and skydiving but no flying in aeroplanes unless RPT. When I queried this by pointing out that RPT operators don't permit parachutes I was told that they would cover the flight in the aeroplane that would take me skydiving.
I only did one flight in a Pitts S-2C and wore a parachute - when I got in I told Bill that I intended to jump. He started to beat me up so I chickened out and just did aerobatics.

Yes compressor stall, it is indeed an important consideration. I was actually a passenger above so had some coverage. I'd previously decided not to risk flying as PIC.

[Cloud Basher]

Bush Pilot,
Currently in the USA for another few weeks and have been here flying since February. It couldn't have been easier to get my Aus licence validated and US one issued. Just follow the steps on the FAA website and it will all go smoothly. One thing you have to do is apply for an IACRA account (this is not stated on the website I don't think. Gives you a password and username so that when you get here and have your licence validated, the validating officer simply types in your IACRA number, fills in the e-form and it is sent electronically off to the FAA. You are immediately issued a interim US PPL and you can go flying.

As for PIC insurance, I joined Amercian AOPA and got insurance through them. Was a bit of a pain with me not having a SSN (social security number) but when I rang them and spoke with them it was all sorted. I do have a US address for my six months here.

I have flown all over south eastern US, I am based in Fort Walton Beach. Done over 25 hours in a 310, a bunch in some 172's and T-41's, Beech Sierra, C206T, Debonaire, Baron and just this weekend I went for a fly in a Stearman. I have been lucky enough to become very good friends with a number of pilots at a local fly-in community and as such have met some poeple who own some very very nice aircraft and you get offered rides and to go flying every weekend. And if you have 25 hours on type then a lot of owners (after you have shown them you can fly) offer to put you on their insurance and you can fly their aircraft, so I have done some very cheap flying (normally just gas price and perhaps a bottle or two of decent Aussie Wine!).

Perhaps the best part is these aviators all like to have a beer at the end of the day, do lots of hangar flying and it turns out we all know a lot of the same people within aviation from around the world. Just yesterday in a small little backwater cafe, I had the pleasure to run into one of the worlds foremost warbird restorers. Absolutely amazing. This lead to the Stearman flight a swapping of business cards and he is going to come and visit me in Aus and we will take a trip out to Temora.

Flying the US the relatively cheap to, especially with the dollar at 75cents. However, to hire out a complex high performance aircraft (ie constant speed prop, retractable gear and 200+HP), or a twin most places require a CIR. The weather in the States is a lot different to Aus but if you only want to hire a 172/182 then no problems with the IR.

The US has awesome support for GA. Wherever you go there is usually an FBO (Fixed Base operator) who will marshall your aircraft and refuel it for you and put it to bed at night. I flew into Lakefront Airport with 5 pax in the 310 for a weekend at New Orleans and I simply pulled up, took our baggage out of the aircraft and the taxi pulled up right next to the aircraft and loaded it into the cab. I told the linemen how much fuel I wanted and put the control lock in and pitot cover on and then left! When I returned a couple of days later (couldn't fly the next day as the "Bourbon St." weather was too bad!) aircraft was parked out the front ready to go. Same thing at Sun n Fun when I flew in. Awesome service. Also lots and lots of on field restaurants so if you want to go for the ubiquitous 100 dollar hamburger (or catfish down here in the south!) there is lots and lots of opportunities.

Flying around is really easy, especially VFR, and you can generally pick up VFR flight following which makes it really easy, especially with lots of traffic around.

Anyway if you want to get anymore info, shoot me a PM and I can answer any further questions you have. Oh yeah, one more thing, make sure you give CASA as much time as possible to get your verification letter to the FAA as possible, I did't have any dramas, in fact CASA must have faxed it to the FAA the day they received my application as I had my FAA letter back from the FAA three weeks after I had sent it! But I have heard some stories of CASA taking up to three months to get it done. Make sure you nominate an FAA FSDO near you and then book a time with a Flight inspector dude to do your paperwork.

I hope this helps some.

Cheers
CB

[YPJT]

Cloud Basha, your story reads of some sort of aviation Utopia. :ok: Too bad we probably won't see anything like that in Australia in our life times.

Does the US have anything as painful as our ASIC regime?

[bushy]

Some years ago my wife and I stayed in Honolulu for a few days, and I was interested to note the waitresses in a restaurant all wore ASiIC type ID cards.
Get used to it. There is more of that sort of thing coming to Australia.
But I wish our authorities were able to do those things quickly and efficiently. Security people are there to prevent certain activities, but they don't seem to care if they stop everything.

[Cloud Basher]

YPJT,
It certainly has been aviation nirvana here for me. I don't think there has been a weekend where I haven't either hired an aircraft and gone flying myself or gone for a fly with someone to then be offered to "take her for a few laps yourself". No one has accepted any money off me for fuel either so yes it has been nirvana. And the people I have met have been amongst the nicest and most generous people I have ever met.

The US does not as yet have an ASIC card however as of 17 June they are implementing the same sorts of rules as us, where if you go anywhere "airside" onto an airport at any time which has RPT flights (even one per year) then you will need to be escorted to and from your aircraft anywhere on the airfield. They do not yet have a mechanism to issue all pilots with a card to allow them unescorted access and AOPA and EAA have not yet heard anything about any system. Me thinks the TSA has been speaking with DOTARS (or whatever they are called this week).

And I didn't answer you original question about rules. But don't worry about this, their rule are pretty much the same as ours (especially VFR). They do have a couple of different airspace designations, but guess what, if you have VFR flight following you don't even need to change freqs to the local approach or tower freqs, they just clear you with a code straight through the airspace! Couldn't be easier! Imagine getting a sqwark code from Melbourne centre, and flying straight over the top of Kingsford Smith at 3500 merrily going about your business! And as you look down below you see MD11's 737's 777's and F-15's, F-16's and F18's all merrily going about their business. they certainly know how to expedite traffic in this place, let me tell you!

Anyway as djpil said the FAR AIM is an excellent document that is kind of like our AIP, but much much more useable and as djpil said it only gets ammended (in its entirity at around US$9.00) every six months.

And going into Sun n Fun was simply awesome. The controller there on the ground sequencing aircraft from holding at Lake Parker to the airfield was not only awesome at his job, but also the nicest and funniest controller I have ever heard! Yeah R/T protocols might not have been exactly by the book but he was efficient and professional, whilst making everyone feel at ease flying in close company with other aircraft stacked three high and with five aircraft circling at each level.

The States certainly has issues but from my brief experience they certainly know how to look after GA.

Cheers
CB

[YPJT]

Me thinks the TSA has been speaking with DOTARS (or whatever they are called this week). DOTARS are now called Dept of Infrastructure blah blah blah but the real evil b@stards lie within and are called the Office of Transport Security. A more apt description would be the Office of Self Serving Prophecies.

[Unusual-Attitude]

This maybe less relevant now, but I went over there a couple of years post 9/11 to privately fly for a few weeks, and was informed by the US embassy that i'd need a 'special' visa if I wanted to do that, (who were still, understandably paranoid about any foreigner with a headset in his luggage).

Possibly worth investigating if you're taking all your own kit, handheld/headset etc, when they invariably take a look at customs and ask what your intentions are. It's a long flight back!

Like I say, maybe a mute point now, (as there was a very palpable sense of paranoia generally at that time, and particularly around the FLA FBO's which hopefully has abaited somewhat now!)

Just a thought.
UA

[BUSH PILOT]

Thanks all for the info, ought keep me busy getting organised for the next few weeks. Am looking forward to it!
Cheers:ok:

[Cloud Basher]

UA,
If you are not learning a new skill, ie PPL, CIR, ME, etc then there is no need for a special training Visa. It is just a direct transfer of your Aussie licence. But regardless if you hold a PPL, CPL or ATPL they will only issue you a US PPL. Anything else requires a security check. There is actually a loophole in their laws which does not stop people from training for and getting a US CPL however no school I have found would do the training regardless of the loophole! Interesting that one school even rang the FAA and the person they talked to said no, you can't, then rang the TSA and they said yes you can, then rang another FAA bloke who said well, legally you can but we wouldn't recommend it. Felt just like being home in Australia! (This was in January, loophole may now be closed?)

BP, also they do not have twin endorsements on make and type here. Just a general twin rating for all piston twins under 12500lbs (5700kgs). So as long as you have a ME type on your Aussie licence you just need a check by whomever you hire the twin from to fly it. (My check in the 310 was just as, if not more thorough, than an endo in Australia and required 5 hours for insurance reasons, so don't worry about the quality of the instruction, at least not where I did it anyway!)

Hope this helps.

Cheers
CB