Getting an FAA temporary certificate - very efficient service

[knobbygb]

If there's anybody about to apply for an FAA license issued on the basis of their UK JAA PPL, don't be put off by the paperwork and the quoted 60 day timescale - mine took 14 days :)

Dec 27th - Received my shiny (not) PPL from the CAA
Dec 28th - Sent application off to Oklahoma City and the £15 fee to the CAA
Jan 6th - Received Email from the FAA confirming application in progress and that they'd contacted the CAA for verification
Jan 10th - Received Email from the FAA to say my temporary certificate has been issued and is ready to be collected at my designated FSDO (Fort Lauderdale).

So, including time in the post that's 9 working days, whichever way you look at it a very efficient service from the FAA. I sent an email asking a few extra questions and they answered with all the info I requested just 10 minutes later - at 6:30 AM Oklahoma time :eek: :confused: Cost (FAA side)? - NIL. Thanks - I'm most impressed.

The CAA should be ashamed of the way they operate.

[Fly Stimulator]

It's reassuring to know that it's so quick.

Does anybody know if there is an FAA FSDO anywhere in the UK or nearby in Europe?

I want to get the FAA licence so that I can fly a friend's UK-based but N-registered aircraft in Europe, so going all the way across the Atlantic to pick up the piece of paper would be a little extravagant. Sadly I don't have enough time off from work at the moment to be able to take a few days and actually fly in the States to make it worthwhile, though I'd love to do that later on.

[slim_slag]

The CAA are solidly on the critical pathway for issuance of your US certificate, so if you think it was a quick turnaround, you have to give the CAA some credit for that :p

And if the worth of a licence is dependant on it's "shinyness", you are going to be one unhappy camper when you see the FAA ticket :D

Have fun in Florida, and don't go messing with the weather you will find out there.

cheers from one who knows which regulator is the better

[Genghis the Engineer]

FS, for my own reasons I've the same problem as you. I've been trying to get some form of answer out of FAA (such as picking it up from the US embassy) but as yet haven't got a response from them.

I am told that there is an FSDO a 10 minute taxi ride from NY-JFK so if you don't mind expending a day and the cost of a cheap return to NY that may be the best way to do it. Inelegant it must be said, but it might work.

G

[andrewc]

You have to go to a specific FSDO in the US...there are
no European issuing places since 9/11.

When I did it recently, the FAA took ~3 weeks and were
very good about keeping me in touch with progress.

So yes, CAA could do with a bit of public service ethos,

-- Andrew

[BEagle]

DON'T blame the CAA for the time their service takes or the cost! That is totally down to the legacy of the Thatcher-greed era which requires the CAA to be entirely self-funding. You can't expect the airlines to subsidise GA, although arguably they ought to since virtually none of them contribute anything material towards ab-initio pilot training.

Personally I think that the CAA has improved its service over recent years; however there is scope for further improvement - particularly for those who don't have access to their website.

[knobbygb]

I'm not knocking the CAA for things that aren't their fault, but some of it is.

I recently(?) Emailed them with a query about the Skills Test. They took nearly 2 WEEKS to reply to the Email, and the reply basically said "Put your question in writing, we don't give electronic replies to questions". This I did - 2 months ago and have heard nothing since.

About the FAA temporary certificate. I just noticed a note at the bottom of the email that basically says your medical must not expire before the expiry date of the temporary certificate (6 months) or the certificate will not be issued. My medical expires about 10 days before this, so it might not all be as simple as I first implied... Anyone who's done this know the answer? Can I renew my medical a few months early?

[Tinstaafl]

You can do a medical anytime you like. It has the effect of resetting the clock, that's all.

[knobbygb]

Just an update to let anyone who's bothered know that the license issue went OK, (eventually) took about 15 minutes.

One important thing to note which I wasn't aware of: The FSDO's require you to have an appointment with an examiner who will issue your license. I wasn't made aware of this so had to hang around for 4 hours until one was available. There was nothing on the website of either the FAA or the individual FDSO to indicate this. Just beware if you are only allowing a short time, between flights, for example and call ahead for an appointment.

Apart from that - no problem. I have my temporary FAA license just 4 weeks after my CAA was issued - and a very impressive photocopied piece of A4 paper it is too!

[Fly Stimulator]

Thanks for the update. I'm going through the same process and it seems to be going equally quickly.

I sent off the FAA and CAA forms at the start of last week. On Monday I had an email from Oklahoma to say it had been received, and yesterday another to say it was all approved and should be ready to collect from the FSDO next week.

Pretty impressive I thought.

[18greens]

Its good to see this has been resolved. I tried to get a licence issued last october and it was no go. I applied within the 60 days but the procedure had not been sorted out. The irony was the application form was waiting for me when I got back from the states.

Anyone know what this extra paper pushing achieves?

[Fly Stimulator]

Just to say that I completed the process of getting my FAA Airman's Certificate on Friday.

There was a bit of a delay since I was waiting for the Teterboro FSDO to contact me while they were waiting for me to contact them, but once that was sorted out I booked an appointment with them and a flight to New York.

The process of collecting the licence was very easy - 20 minutes in the office while the inspector checked my licence and log book and that was about it. You will need to fill in an FAA form 8710-1 (http://av-info.faa.gov/data/form/8710_1.pdf)

Altogether a pretty straightforward process, though it's a shame it can't be done at the embassy here. Still, it was a lovely weekend in New York, and the Leonardo exhibition at the Met was excellent!

[Hen Ddraig]

Not a difficult operation.
Sunday:- Faxed forms to FAA and CAA
Monday:- FAA emailed acknowledgement of receipt of application
:- CAA billed credit card
Wednesday:- FAA emailed notice of completion and despatch of letter of authorisation to nominated FSDO

Next stop Rochester FSDO