Originally Posted by
Lalli
I hold US citizenship
How many hours should I have with PPL and IR in the States before returning back to Europe?
That US passport is your golden ticket. You are guaranteed a job in the US. You'd be insane not to at least start your career on the US. Think of it this way: Pilot is a global profession. You don't get to choose where you live. Especially for your first job. Wherever you live in Europe now, you WILL have to move so don't artificially limit your opportunities even further.
With a US passport and a dream you are already closer to an airline job than most people with an EASA fATPL.
In your position this is what i would do:
You should plan to start your training in the US, getting an FAA IR and enough PIC IFR hours (50) to qualify for a 'no training required' EASA IR and enough total PIC hours (100) to qualify for the CPL
Pass your ATPL exams.
Come (go?) back to Europe with 180 hours and get an SEIR and SECPL.
Now your exams are safe for 7 years. You have breathing space to assess the job climate because you're only 6 weeks away from being employable in the EU (MEIR and MCC). If the EU market still looks **** you can continue with this plan:
Go (come?) back to the US. Go to a school that specialises in CFI training and spend on 50 hours of cheap hour building and RHS training for your CFI and CFII. Once you reach 250 hours, take your CPL check ride (but unusually in the RHS) followed Immediately by your CFI check ride (normally RHS). You might have to wait until the next day to take your CFII, I think there's a rule about how many check rides you can fly in a day. The 'normal' route is to get a CPL then start training for thy CFI/CFII, but there's nothing stopping you doing that training before your CPL as it's training as required.
Anyway, you now have an EASA CPL/IR with theory credit good to go for at least 7 years, and an FAA CPL/IR with CFI/CFII good to immediately. That's your ticket to the airlines in the US (once you've got 1500 hours as an instructor) - and the Multi Pilot time you get in a US airline is your ticket to an EASA ATPL with type rating should you be daft enough to return.