Shon,
It would be a long message with a lot of details if I were to describe all differences between JAA training and FAA training.
I would say that FAA is more oriented towards general aviation and JAA more towards airline procedures.
For CPL :
- No soft field takeoffs and landings for JAA.
- Short field landings are more precise for FAA (100 feet). Also FAA does power-off landings within 200 ft. JAA is more relaxed.
- Both do stalls. JAA does turning stalls also that FAA only does for CFIs.
- No slow flight for JAA. FAA does that.
- No chandelles, lazy eights, eights on pylons with JAA. FAA does all that.
- No Vmc demo and lift/drag demo for multi-engine JAA. FAA does it.
- Partial panel work for JAA CPL. FAA does it mostly for IR.
- Navigation is the same. Arrival within 3 minutes of estimated ETA. Big difference is that JAA doesn't do pilotage; only navigation and dead reckoning. I would say that JAA navigation is more precise.
- FAA doesn't do diversions under the hood. JAA does it, which is very confusing because you are not supposed to continue in IMC without an IR !!!
- There is absolutely NO oral with JAA. FAA oral is harder, lots of regulations, aircraft systems, emergencies, etc ...
For IR:
- More accurate than FAA. 1/2 scale deflections instead of 3/4 for FAA. 5 deg on NDBs. FAA doesn't do NDBs anymore, it does GPS instead that JAA doesn't do yet.
- Single engine go-arounds and holds for JAA. FAA doesn't do.
- FAA does limited panel approaches that JAA doesn't do. That's a hard stuff.
- Again the oral is MUCH harder for FAA. JAA doesn't teach students to brieff approaches. No lost-com procedures. No questions on charts, approach plates, regulations, systems. NOTHING !
- Also JAA requires 50/55 hrs training while FAA requires only 40 hrs but there is a big difference. FAA requires 40 hours "hood time" while JAA is 50 hrs instrument training time. 1 hour "hood time" for FAA is usually 1.3 total fligth time. For JAA it would be 1.3 towards your 50 hrs. So, at the end of the day, 50 hrs JAA is VERY close to 40 hrs "hood time" FAA.
That's the BIG picture ...
