FAA PPL Conversion

[Mister Geezer]

Hi all....

I am looking to get a FAA PPL issued based on my current JAR ATPL, which was issued in the UK.

I am have all the forms I require but I am a little confused as to what the process should be.

I know I need to contact the UK CAA for them to verify my licence first but after that, can I arrange an appointment at a FSDO or do I still have to send the paperwork to the FAA and then follow that up with a visit to a FSDO?

Also, my Class 1 medical has been downgraded to a Class 2 as my last medical was more than a year ago and I am not using my ATPL for commercial privileges at the moment. Will a Class 1 that is downgraded to a Class 2, cause any problems with the FAA.

Many thanks! :ok:

[S-Works]

The paperwork has to be completed for both the FAA and the CAA and then submitted to both. The FAA then contact the CAA who respond and send back a confirmation that your details are correct.

When the FAA have this they will write to you and tell you to make an FSDO appointment. You do this, turn up at the appointed time and collect the temporary certificate. With this in hand you had for a school and do a BFR and that validates the certificate. A few months later the plastic certificate is issued.

Your class of medical or licence type does not matter, you will just get issued a PPL 61.75 certificate. It is up to you to keep the underlying licence valid as well as keeping the certificate valid with a BFR.

[Ebbie 2003]

The medical issue is quite simple, the FAA isn't interested.

Your 61.75 issued licence is only good if your licence against which it is issued is valid -you have to have a class2 medical that goes with your licence - when it expires so does your EU licence and hence your 61.75 PPL licence is invalid.

You also need a current flight review for your EU licence and the a current FAA flight review.

For the record if the bill before congress that will allow flying on the basis of a driving licence in lieu of the present FAA clas three (airplanes under 6000lbs, less than seven seats) one would need to surrender the 61.75 if one wanted to fly medical free under an FAA PPL

[Gomrath]

For the record if the bill before congress that will allow flying on the basis of a driving licence in lieu of the present FAA clas three (airplanes under 6000lbs, less than seven seats) one would need to surrender the 61.75 if one wanted to fly medical free under an FAA PPL
A 61.75 holder is not required to hold a FAA Class 3 medical but is required to hold the relevant medical from his home country.

one would need to surrender the 61.75 if one wanted to fly medical free under an FAA PPL

That is a contradiction. The 61.75 is the FAA PPL (based on a valid foreign license)
A 61.75 holder would not be able to surrender his certificate as he would then not be eligible to fly an N reg within the US.

The proposal before Congress will not apply to an overseas pilot holding a 61.75 as they do not hold as US Drivers license which is what the proposal refers to as being the required alternative.

[md 600 driver]

gomrath
what will a forign faa ppl holder require for a medical will he be allowed a us driving licence ?

[Silvaire1]

Just as a point of reference there is no such thing as as a US Drivers Licence. Driver Licenses within the USA are issued by individual states, in a similar setup to that with Drivers Licences issued by individual countries within the EU. This could create a legal issue on FAA ability to regulate flying based on state driver licenses, but I for one really do hope they can eliminate the Class 3 medical for FAA PPSEL pilots.

I would imagine that this development would have no effect on foreign pilots flying on FAA Pilot Certificates issued on the basis of a foreign pilot's licence - seems to me they'd continue to need whatever medical their foreign pilot's licence requires.

[md 600 driver]

Silvair

I have a FAA ppl not a based on licence

But if I can't get a us driving licence I will still need to get a class 3 medical

[3db]

Does anyone have a link to the congress proposal. I have a FAA PPL but lost my medical way back in 2001. I can still legally drive in the UK. So it seems as if I just have to obtain a state issued USA driving license to start flying again?

[patowalker]

New bill would expand driver?s license medical - AOPA (http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2013/December/11/new-bill-would-expand-drivers-license-medical.aspx)

Proposed legislation would cut 3rd class medical requirement for many GA pilots ? General Aviation News (http://generalaviationnews.com/2013/12/11/proposed-legislation-would-cut-3rd-class-medical-requirement-for-many-ga-pilots/)

EAA News - Proposed Legislation Would Cut Third-Class Medical Requirement for Many GA Pilots (http://www.eaa.org/news/2013/2013-12-11_proposed-legislation-would-cut-third-class-medical-requirement-for-many-ga-pilots.asp)

[3db]

Thanks Patowalker for the links. I hope the bill makes it to the law book.

[alland2012]

For clarity regarding the issue of a US drivers licence to a foreign national and any future changes in the requirement of a class 3 medical for flying.

Getting a licence is not has straight forward as you think, years ago regardless of what country you belonged to, you simply walked into a local driver test centre completed the written part followed by a quick run out in the car up and down a couple of the nearby streets and walked out clutching your shiny new state issued licence. Been there done it and when it expired I tried to renew and was turned away. If you don't have a residents visa in your passport you don't get a driver licence issued,

My wife and I own a vacation home in Florida and as we are over there 4 times a year for 6 weeks at a time we own a car there rather than pay out for hire cars each trip, because we hold British drivers licences our US motor insurance premium is almost double that of a US driver licence holder, I have tried all ways to get around the issue and get a US licence but keep hitting a brick wall.

I have a FAA PPL, Own property there, pay my state property taxes,allowed a bank account, and can out drive most of the local immigrants who are let loose on the roads and granted US licences, but it amounts to nothing, no residents visa no licence !

[3db]

Link below states non residents can get a driving license - at least in Florida. Don't yet know how it works in practice. Could be as alland2012 states, you can't get one in practice. If they change the rules to allow driving license in place of a 3rd class medical, I will certainly try to get a USA driving license.

Florida Drivers License - Non US Citizens (http://www.dmvflorida.org/drivers-license-nc.shtml)

[S-Works]

I have a valid Florida drivers licence. Took the test at the DMV and drive round the block and reversed into a parking space!

[Level Attitude]

FAA PPL issued based on my current JAR ATPLDue to the different formats an EASA Licence has a (slightly) different
number to a JAR Licence.

Might I suggest you should first obtain your EASA ATPL otherwise,
when you do convert, your FAA PPL will no longer be valid and you
would need to go through the process of getting it issued again; this
time based on your EASA ATPL.

Of course you would need a valid Class 1 Medical in order to apply
for an EASA ATPL.

[alland2012]

I have a valid Florida drivers licence. Took the test at the DMV and drive round the block and reversed into a parking space!
Years ago that's just what I did I walked into the Driver Licence centre in Daytona Beach and left 40 minutes later with my plastic FL licence.

Tried to do the same thing last year at the office near our vacation home over near Lakeland and got told all I could have was a licence that was valid until the date of my current US stay was up, and I would have to renew again on each visit, at $75.00 a pop I declined.

I wondered if I just had a jobs worth member of staff at the Lakeland office, so tried another office in a nearby town, and hit the same brick wall....

I may print off 3db link and go wave that at them when I go back next month, it would certainly make things easier for me with a Florida licence as far as motor insurance premium.
As far as flying and my FAA class 3 medical goes I only renewed last July so I'm good until end of July 2015

[Silvaire1]

I think the issue relative to past practice is that many states have passed Voter ID laws, and a state driver license typically serves as acceptable ID for that purpose. Therefore state driver licensing agencies have been under pressure to limit driver licenses to residents. It really doesn't make a tremendous amount of logical sense, given that many foreign, permanent US residents aren't eligible to vote but are eligible for driver licenses... But it's seen by most as better than a national ID card that inevitably would put your whole life under Federal Government tracking and control.

[3db]

Alland2012, if you do show them the info from the web site I would be interested to know how you get on. When I looked at the process, it did not strike me as very simple - but most things government only make sense to other government officials in my view, regardless of Country or government involved.

[alland2012]

3db, yes sir when I am back in Florida during Feb. I will check with the Driver licence office regarding the content of the link you found and I'll report here with what they said.
However having jumped through quite a few hoops when dealing with US government and State offices in the course of property buying, taxes ect, I can say federal/state employees do appear to work to their own agenda depending on which side of the bed they get out of on any given day regardless of how the official process is supposed to be followed ....:rolleyes:

[3db]

Thanks alland2012. I would like to get back flying after having had my medical pulled for type 2 diabetes in 2001. Strange, but the UK CAA will allow me to fly (I obtained a CAA 3rd class about 2007) but the cost/time of converting and the UK weather did not make it attractive to convert from FAA to CAA, particularly as most of my flying was in the USA.

[Capt.Rad]

When I FAA PPL issued on my foreign license, would I get all ratings listed on my license ? Such as ME & IR ?

Thx