[quote]It was my understanding that the french are not happy about FAA licences based on the licence from another state and they wont let you fly an "N" aircraft in france on a UK PPL<hr></blockquote>
I am delighted to confirm that the French have no problem with the operation of an N registered aircraft where the commander has an FAA licence secured on the basis of a valid foreign licence. This, provided that the underlying licence is current and appropriate to the type/class being flown, and the FAA BFR is current. This assumes that the aircraft is purely being operated on a Part 91 basis - which in the vast majority of cases, it will be.
Should you encounter any such problem, the FAA FSDO in Frankfurt would doubtless be delighted to hear from you.
There may however be a crossed wire here, lying behind your concern. Whereas, a UK PPL-holder is entitled to fly an N-reg aircraft in the UK, without the need to obtain an FAA licence, he is not entitled to take that aircraft abroad without first obtaining an FAA licence, albeit on the back of his own UK licence (JAR or otherwise). Hope this clarifies.
[ 26 February 2002: Message edited by: 2Donkeys ]</p>