FRIDAY,
Currently anyone that wants to fly N Reg Aircraft in the U.S.A. and has an FAA Licence issued on the basis of their European Licence is fine, but they cannot add any new ratings to the Restricted PPL.
For pilots looking to fly N Reg Aircraft in the U.S.A. that do not have an FAA Licence issued on the basis of their European Licence will need to get an unrestricted FAA Licence. Fortunately, the flight requirements for the FAA PPL are similar to the JAA PPL. In most cases anyone coming over to fly will need to take the FAA Written Exam, which can be done prior to coming over to the U.S.A., and then have an instructor give 3 hours of instruction in prep for the PPL followed by the checkride.
From my experience, most pilots average 2-4 hours with an instructor to feel comfortable flying in U.S. controlled airspace. Therefore this rule is just adding a written and a glorified Flight Review, i.e. Checkride and gives the pilot a full FAA PPL with all its privileges.
Take Care,
Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.