Richard
The officers from Homeland Security defined course of study as any training with the goal of a license, rating, certification.
That's important to have defined. I still call it hearsay
If you do not want to have Visa Authority, you will still be able to teach J.A.A. in the U.S.A. and be a FTO, but you will only be able to train U.S. Citizens.
This is going to be a nightmare to administer, how do I know whether somebody is American or not?
I'll ask around today and find out if anybody round here (Arizona) has heard anything. If you say this rule was introduced in April then a lot of companies are in breach of the law.
Personally I think we will all eventually need a background check before we can fly an airplane here. They are just working out how to do it and get it approved by the special interest groups.
Thank's for your answers.
BEagle
Presumably someone with an ICAO PPL can use those licence privileges in the US subject to local approval - and thus 'build hours' as they are not seeking to obtain any specific licence or rating?
There is an administrative procedure where you present your ICAO PPL to the local FAA office, and you receive on the spot and free of charge an FAA PP-ASEL (Private Pilot-Air Single Engine Land) temporary airmans certificate. Your permanent cornflake packet certificate comes in the post. Your temporary certificate is well recognised and accepted everywhere.
Nobody here would recognise or accept a foreign licence - this is America, the rest of the world does not exist
I suspect Mayday was asking whether this administrative process was equivalent to gaining a licence/rating/certificate (which it is), but there is no training involved so I don't see why you should need a visa (given the hearsay definition quoted above
)