Hi,
As a previous post said, you are just 10 hours short of meeting the requirement for an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate, however, you need to make sure you meet the the cross-country, Pilot in Command requirements also, I'll come back to this later...
There were a couple of innacuracies with the previous posts relating to training required for the FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate, and although innocent enough can be pretty misleading. However, the rest of the post was very good, and highly recommended.
First of all, the 3 hour requirement refers only to training received specifically for the practical test. This is part of a broader 20 hours of training required under Part 61 for the Commercial Pilot Certificate. The requirements can be found under Part 61.129 and include:
250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least:
100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.
100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes at least--
50 hours in airplanes; and 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes.
20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in Sec. 61.127(b)(1) of this part that includes at least--
10 hours of instrument training of which at least 5 hours must be in a single-engine airplane;
10 hours of training in an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is turbine-powered, or for an applicant seeking a single-engine seaplane rating, 10 hours of training in a seaplane that has flaps and a controllable pitch propeller;
One cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in a single-engine airplane in day VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure;
One cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in a single-engine airplane in night VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and
3 hours in a single-engine airplane in preparation for the practical test within the 60-day period preceding the date of the test.
10 hours of solo flight in a single-engine airplane on the areas of operation listed in Sec. 61.127(b)(1) of this part, which includes at least--
One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and
5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower
Taken from:
FAA FAR Database search
Other useful Parts to search would be Part 61.65 - Instrument Rating Requirements, 61.56 - Flight Review, 61.75 - Private pilot certificate issued on the basis of a foreign pilot license
From my experience, and I have flown with a lot of JAA Pilots, the pitfalls of FAA requirements will usually be - 50 hours of Cross Country, and 5 hours solo night VFR, and the cross country qualifiers. For anyone coming over to do FAA Flight Instructor Certificates and Ratings I'd recommend starting to take notes on everything you do from the minute you arrive. You will have a lot of knowledge, however there are shortcuts, and ways of doing things that are unique in the US. As a start, try to organize your current lesson plans in the order of the FAA practical test layout, or even better, the Regulatory requirements. This allows you to go through the regulations and make sure that your notes are complete, then by using a syllabus this allows you to order your notes in a logical order.
Secondly, If I were in your position, I would try to convert as much as I could. It is a relatively simple process, but a little time consuming. For example, the FAA will convert your JAA Commercial into an FAA Private without any checkride or proficiency demonstration. You can fly in the US under that license and build US PIC time (even with an instructor giving you instruction) if required to meet FAA commercial requirements (Night, Cross-country, etc.) If you meet some of the cross country requirements, bring proof that the airfields are 50 NM apart - ie an Aeronautical Chart. I also suggest buying another logbook for FAA logging of time, as the FAA definitions are different, I would log flights in the US in the JAA logbook using JAA definitions of logging of time concurrently.
The FAA will convert an Instrument Rating also, if you complete the Instrument Rating Foreign Pilot Airman Knowledge Test. There is a requirement to fill out an
Application for Verification of Authenticity of Foreign License, Rating and Medical Certification. The questions come from the same database, however the Test consists of 50 Questions (as opposed to 60 questions) and emphasizes Weather, Weather Reports and Forecasts, and FARs - US Regulations.
After this, I would then suggest an FAA Commercial Single-Engine & Instrument Checkride. This will cost between $250 - $400 depending where you do your training. The Practical Test Standards for all the FAA Certificates and Ratings are available for download
here
Hope this clarifies the Conversion process, and Commercial Pilot Certificate Requirements. Find an Instructor in the US that is creative, and knowledgable of the Regulations, and Conversions. This will save you a lot of money in the long run, and keep you focused on getting your CFI. Good luck