Originally Posted by
Jarvy
Ok then, I have a JAA CPL(H) but now live in the US, does this allow me to fly here. No not without a licence issued by the FAA. So all this seems to be doing is fitting in with the rest of the world.
Yes, it does.
You can pitch up in the US with any ICAO license and a certified copy of your logbook and the FAA will give you a (restricted) FAA ticket based on your ICAO license (restricted e.g. if you don't have a night rating).
The only difference is instead of going through the process below, the ANO currently gives you an automatic validation without the hassle of paperwork.
The two snags here (aside from potential night restriction) are that it takes 2-3 months for the FAA to validate your license with the relevant authority, and if anything happens to your foreign license your are stuffed (e.g. you are in the US for 2 years and miss a flight test in your home country, or can't get your foreign medical renewed because you are in the US, even though flying and keeping current).
Validations also (in my experience) expire after 2 years so you have to go through the process again; hence getting an FAA ticket in the first place.
In the US you can even get a full FAA ticket passing the written and doing a flight test if you have >100 hrs (incl. relevant night experience) - hardly a burden.
I don't read what nigelh is saying as don't fly without a license, just that keeping up multiple licenses and type ratings across each jurisdiction is not particularly practical; it's a paperwork exercise and does not make you a better or safer pilot.
Law's and regs are fine, though it is important not to loose sight of the forest for the tree's, which is most often the case when broad sweeping regs are created without understanding or reviewing their real-life implications.
Do you feel safer standing on the apron next to your large helicopter on a
bright sunny day just because you are wearing a hi-vis vest?