Originally Posted by
cs03dmj
...so is there anyway to convert a JAA-PPL(A) to, and obtain a full FAA licence without stepping foot in America? Apologies if that's a particularly silly question, but I have my reasons!
I've been wondering the same thing (currently trying to decide whether to finish my PPL in the US and pick up both JAA and FAA tickets at the same time, or finish JAA here and convert to standalone FAA - the simple reason being that long term I'll be in the US and will let my JAA ticket lapse).
Anywho... from what I've gathered, what you need to do is
- work out what flight training you need to satisfy the FAA training requirements with a suitable FAA instructor and undertake that training
- pass the ground exams
- do the flight review and oral exam
The ground exams I believe can be sat at Flight Safety International in Farnborough. For the flight training you will need an FAA instructor. If I've understood the requirements correctly, as you already have a JAA-PPL, they do not need to be a JAA-FI (as they are not teaching a JAA rating and you already have the JAA-PPL), but in order to get paid they will need to be a JAA-CPL. I don't think there is a requirement for the aircraft to be N reg. Sean at Eagle Flight in Luton maybe able to help with further info, as I recall he has both JAA and FAA FI, and I'm sure there are others around too (WillowAir comes to mind as one). Searches on your favourite search engine may bring up others. The final part is the flight review and oral exam which needs to be carried out by a FAA pilot examiner. To do this in the UK they will need to be JAA-CPL in order to get paid. Not sure if there are any here or not. Probably the best thing to do on this is to contact the New York FSDO (International Field Office) and they will be able to advise you on whether there is a suitable examiner available or due to visit. I suspect though that a trip to the US will be needed. I'm not sure what the visa requirements are for this as strictly you will not be undertaking training - just a flight review. Probably best to check with the embassy, USCIS and TSA just to make sure. Again the NY FSDO may be able to advise.
The only other thing is that no matter where you undertake training (whether or not the training is undertaken in the USA) for a FAA certificate, you must register with the TSA if you are not a US citizen. This will almost certainly involve a trip to Flight Safety International as they are authorised to carry out the necessary fingerprinting in the UK.
Errors and Omissions exempt. Let me know if I've got anything wrong
