Aopa (US) just posted
this which is good news for those of us who visit the US to rent and get checked out on existing licences.
I think this rule is the first sensible thing they have done since 9/11, since up to now it has still been perfectly possible for visitors with an existing FAA certificate and travelling on a visa waiver to pitch up at a flight school and get training or even a flight test without anyone asking about their status in the country.
Pity it took the bureacratic and arrogant TSA 3 yrs to work that out. It would be nice to think that the training visa nonsense could now be abolished.
Well done AOPA, who specifically refer to the 85,000 resident aliens with licences in the US. I don't suppose the interests of those of us who simply visit the US were high on their list of priorities, but it looks as though we can still look forward to our flying vacations after all thanks to their efforts.