FAA CPL/ME/IR to JAA ATPL

[Kotka]

Hi,
I graduated from a 141 school in the US with CPL/ME/IR and CFI,CFII. I currently live in Finland. I need to convert to JAA ATPL to work in EU. I have both US and Finnish citizenship. I went and got my 1st class JAA medical here in Finland but the conversion process here is too expensive for my pockets.
I am thinking about doing the conversion in Florida at FlyEASA but the IR portion in Spain at Aerodynamics Malaga.
I would like to hear your opinions and advice on the cheapest route.

[Jerry Lee]

Give a look at Egnatia Aviation in Greece. Their MCC course is not expensive, too.

[zondaracer]

I personally would not go to FlyEASA for the CPL. It might look cheaper on paper, but you have to compare it with doing your CPL conversion in the UK since you will also be paying all the UK fees.

http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...ease-help.html
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...-fl-avoid.html
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...ly-2011-a.html

First of all, I recommend that you perform a search of EASA on this website and see what people say.

Next, doing the conversion in the US looks like it would be cheaper, but it really isnīt. You donīt have to worry about getting a visa, but you still have to get an airplane ticket and lodging, and possibly a rental car. Now, the schools in Florida charge for ground instruction before and after the flight. My experience is that in Europe, they DONīT charge for this ground time usually. Just the flight time.

Also, you might think that you can get it done faster in Florida because of the weather and whatnot, but I had two friends do the CPL conversion in Florida and it took a month. The school was just too unorganized and had too many students. I did my conversion in the UK and it only took me 12 days despite the fact that the weather is crappier in the UK compared to Florida. Plus I didnīt need a car in the UK, and I stayed at a self catering B&B type place, a bit cheaper than what I would have found in the US.

Another issue about Florida... there is a well known examiner who is infamous for failing/partialing students on their flight tests. It is believed that he does this in order to collect a retest fee. I cannot confirm or deny this, just what I have heard.

As far as Aerodynamics Malaga... I can fully recommend them! I had a good time there and the staff were super friendly. I didnīt pay a penny more than the advertised price and I got a first time pass. If you are already pretty proficient on instruments, then it shouldnīt be a problem for you. Best of all, they were really quick. I was done in under two weeks. It was also a bit cheaper than if I had done the IR conversion in the UK. Plus, the schools in the UK wanted a month to complete the IR conversion, so when you add up lodging and all that I saved money by going there.

I recommend you read the following threads
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...on-school.html

http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...5-figures.html

http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...rsion-jaa.html

http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...g-florida.html

I have heard that there may be cheaper alternatives such as Greece, Poland, Iceland, and Serbia (maybe Malta as well?) but I didnīt really research any of those so I canīt say. Someone else might be able to comment.

Have you done your 14 exams yet? I know that Finland allows you to take a theory course in another country and test in Finland, and that they also accept exams from other JAA countries.

[Kotka]

zondaracer,
Thank you for the reply and links. I have not done the 14 exams. Any recommendations?

[zondaracer]

Bristol Groundschool. I got all first time passes and I feel they focus just right on the right subjects. I haven't been anywhere else so I can't recommend others. There were a couple Finns at BGS when I was there.

[redsnail]

I'll second Bristol Ground School. I didn't go there but my husband did. He said it was one of the best theory schools he'd ever been to.

(ex Ansett with 7000 hours inc 737 and 146. Now with easyJet)