Originally Posted by Merritt
3) turn up at FDSO office in US and get grilled for 2hrs
I don't think this is normal, although I suspect there is variation between FSDOs.
The FAA inspector that saw me explained that all the checking had been done at head office prior to my arrival and he was only concerned with two things - was I who I said I was and can I speak English. The former was achieved by means of passport and the contents of my wallet and the latter by engaging me in a conversation along the lines of "all muslims are probably terrorists, even if they don't know it yet". Unsure what my response was supposed to be, I was non-commital and tried to bring the conversation back around to the weather. It took about 15 minutes, but would have been quicker if he hadn't been training a new member of staff.
On the medical issue, I believe that if you fax a copy off to Oklahoma with your license then it will be validated but if you don't then an FAA class 3 may be required. Perhaps this explains the apparent inconsistency?
Finally, the FAA and CAA are both responsive to accelerating the validation process if necessary (i.e. 5 days before travel to the US). Both sides blame the other for being slow, but the FAA did concede that the CAA are one of the quickest. No idea about IAA.