Will the FAA recognise an Australian Sport Pilot Certificate?

[Spode]

I'm currently in Australia and have an Recreational Aviation Pilot Certificate. I am going to spend some time in the USA next year (Miami) and want to keep flying (Foxbat/Valour).


But I have a Pilot Certificate which seems to be the same as the FAA Sport Pilot Certificate. So not a PPL, so I am not sure there is any formal international recognition.


Does anyone know if converting is possible, or has anyone done it?


If needed I will retrain over there as I think it is a lot cheaper, but I am hoping I don't have to do much more than the local exams.


I am trying to find a specific sport Pilot contact at the FAA but haven't found it on their website yet, they seem to let you complain about things but don't really have an email for general queries.


Thanks for the help.
Ryan

[creweite]

I assume that you want to rent a LSA for flight in the USA. As far as I know there are no operations renting that sort of aircraft in the area. The airports close into Miami are Hollywood/North Perry, Opa Locka and Tamiami (now Miami Exec) I fly out of North Perry, Class D under MIA Class B and abutting Fort Lauderdale Class C and Opa Locka Class D. A towered airport with friendly people. Two N/S and two E/W runways. No scheduled air traffic, light aircraft only. Banner towing and flight training. Several fight schools on the field.

Try contacting the Florida Aero Club, which is a social organization, they may be of help to you. The North Perry Chapter membership person is Jim Scroggins who you can e-mail at [email protected]

[Spode]

Thanks for the pointers, I will contact them. Cheers, Ryan

[BackPacker]

FAA validation start page:

https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certifi..._verification/

61.75 states:

§61.75 Private pilot certificate issued on the basis of a foreign pilot license.
(a) General. A person who holds a foreign pilot license at the private pilot level or higher that was issued by a contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation may apply for and be issued a U.S. private pilot certificate with the appropriate ratings if the foreign pilot license meets the requirements of this section.

(b) Certificate issued. A U.S. private pilot certificate issued under this section must specify the person's foreign license number and country of issuance. A person who holds a foreign pilot license issued by a contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation may be issued a U.S. private pilot certificate based on the foreign pilot license without any further showing of proficiency, provided the applicant:...

So in short, you need an ICAO PPL or higher to be issued a "based on" FAA PPL without further tests.

The first link contains an e-mail address. I suggest you contact them to see what needs to be done in your case. I suspect you'll need to do the FAA PPL written and FAA PPL practical exam (plus maybe some prep, plus an FAA class III medical) to be issued a standalone FAA PPL. Which, for the long term, is a better proposition than a "based on" FAA PPL anyway.

Also, read the link about Australia at the bottom. The problem is with privacy laws as they are, the US FAA cannot simply contact the AUS CAA and ask them if your license is valid. You need to give the AUS CAA permission to divulge your details to the US FAA.

[B2N2]

Why don't you do it right and get a full FAA PPL?
You'll have most if not all the requirements met if you've kept a decent enough logbook.
As previously stated a foreign sport pilot does not transfer over as you need at least a PPL.
What you're probably missing is 3 hrs night and 3 hrs basic instrument flying.
If you tell us how much TT, dual received, solo and XC time you have we can help you figure it out.
Under FAA rules all flight times counts as long as it's an aircraft that has a registration number.
A c150/c152 is probably closest to what you fly now.

[Spode]

Thanks for all the advice. I have decided to get a PPL.


So far I'm 5 hours into doing a full PPL here in Australia, in a C172N. The gap is the theory exams and 2 hours of instrument flying, and of course learning how to fly a heavier aircraft and passing the flight test, which will mean doing some cross country again to get the standard right. I think that I could do the whole conversion for 10 hours if all keeps going well, but I will just keep going till I'm done. It's good to have refresher training anyway.


I'm loving it. My 230 hours of sport flying are helping a lot and get recognised, so in reality once I am to the right standard I will be okay.


Once I am complete I will apply to the FAA to convert it then visit the USA to get checked out to actually be able to use it over there.

[BackPacker]

Once I am complete I will apply to the FAA to convert it

You cannot "convert" your AUS PPL into an FAA PPL. You can only get an FAA PPL issued "on the basis of" an AUS PPL.

Technically that process can be fully done outside of the US but it's incredibly cumbersome and it needs an FAA designated-something person to help you close to where you live. The most practical way of doing things is to sort the paperwork from abroad, but nominate an FSDO in the US to handle the final phase. Obviously the FDSO that you nominate should be at the place where you'll be arriving/staying in the US. Your first port of call upon arrival is that FSDO then, who will issue you with the temporary "based on" PPL. The final one (the laminated plastic card) will arrive in the mail in a few weeks.

The other thing to consider is that a "based on" FAA PPL is useful for a flying holiday, but not much more than that. If you intend to fly N-regs regularly, it's much better to get a standalone FAA PPL. With a "based on" FAA PPL you're building a house of cards.

get checked out

There's actually a bit more involved than just a quick circuit with some stalls and steep turns thrown in. For your FAA PPL ("based on" or "standalone") to be valid, you need to have done a BFR in the last two years. By law, the BFR is *at least* one hour groundschool, and *at least* one hour in the air. And if the instructor thinks you're not up to scratch, he can extend that time as required, until you're at the required level. (Technically it's not an exam, so you cannot "fail", but the instructor will not sign you off until you're at the "pass" level.)

AFAIK most people who show up in the US for their first BFR take quite a bit longer than those two hours. Not because of basic aircraft handling, but because of the different environment: legal, charts are different, flight services are different, R/T is different (and much faster and accented than what you might be used to) and so forth.

Any FAA instructor (a "CFI" in FAA terms) can do a BFR. So if you want to keep your "based on" or "standalone" FAA PPL valid while in AUS, you can simply find an FAA-licensed instructor in AUS and do the BFR with him/her.

[Spode]

Thanks BackPacker, that is my understanding of it too. I have booked 3 days beforehand to ensure I have enough time for the BFR and getting used to the controlled airspace which will be a bit different. 3 days may be too much but I can always start the holiday earlier if I am done earlier and there are lot's of places to fly in Florida anyway.