Just coming back to the original question.
Originally Posted by
pjharb
Hi all!
Before I start my PPL I need to make sure I make the right choice... I'm working full time in London but I believe I can get 4-6 weeks of unpaid time off, i.e. to fly to the US.
If I was to do my PPL in the USA:
1) Is it in fact cheaper?
Almost certainly not - the exchange rate isn't that brilliant nowadays, and the visa / permissions / travel costs will pretty much wipe out any cost savings per flying hour.
2) Would I eventually need to convert the FAA PPL to an EASA PPL?
Unlikely. You can fly day-VFR in the UK on an FAA PPL, all you need to do is get a UK based EASA examiner to sign a form confirming that you are sufficiently knowledgeable about UK airspace and RT procedures. Any ICAO PPL,including the American one, is fine to start a CPL course.
Putting the question the other way around, a "61.75" ridealong FAA PPL can be issued on the back of an EASA PPL and will let you hour-build in the USA.
3) Can I do the CAA Initial Class 1 here before I go? Or do I need to complete an FAA Initial Class 1 in the US?
If you are going to go EASA pro, you need an EASA class 1 before you spend any other money. To fly in the USA, you can fly on a 61.75 with an EASA licence, or you can get an FAA medical there. A class 2 (for commercial) cost me $150 and about half an hour.
4) I looked at getting an EASA PPL in the USA just because the weather is better and I would rather be there, but the flyaaa flight school in San Diego has some pretty bad reviews. Can you recommend an EASA flight school in the US?
I can't. I did a JAA PPL in Florida in 2000 with a school, long gone, who specialised in training for UK/European licences. The place was not well run, and the aeroplanes were very poor. I've heard little good about any other school in the USA training for European licences either.
Conversely, the USA has many excellent schools and FBO who serve a mixture of local and international markets.
5) If I get an EASA PPL here in the UK, how can I hour-build later on in the USA if I need an FAA PPL to do that?
Regulation 61.75 allows you to be issued an FAA licence off the back off an EASA licence and medical. There is guidance on how to do this all over the internet, just google it. It'll take a little money, and a little more time, a trip to an FAA office in the USA first time you go there to fly, and an FAA biennial flight review which can double as a rental checkout.
Thanks a lot for your help and apologies for the nooby questions. :-)
We were all noobies once.
G