If anyone wants a short run down on my conversion from FAA to JAA, here it is.
My background information is:
FAA CFI & MEI; 1200 hours; airline experience
- Went distance learning due to need for flexibility regarding my full-time work
- Live in Scandinavia but did my training in UK due to cost
- Chose CATS while they were still at Cranfield because they broke it up into 3 sections with shorter brush-up courses; course content was adequate and got me through the exams, but the brush-up courses were just going through exams rather than actually learning something
- I used Aviation Exam as a tool to go through the style of questions, which was a great help because wording can be tricky; maybe 80% of the questions were similar, but make sure you understand the content not memorize the answer (that's the CFI in me talking
)
- I sat the exams in LGW in 3 sessions, with each session taking one or two full days of exams; I seem to remember that CATS' brush-up courses don't follow the exact order of the exams at LGW; I chose to do it this way so I could more easily plan my travel
- I think the entire theory part took me about 2 years (I worked full-time at the same time) from CATS sign-up to final exam; you can certainly do it in less than that if you have the time
- The exams are a pain, and the majority of material will not be used in everyday flying, but it's a way to weed out those who are not serious
- About 12 months later I went to the UK to do my CPL and IR; chose Bonus Aviation at Cranfield for various reasons
- Flew the IR training in about 16 hours; lots of small differences between FAA and JAA flying
- My experience at Bonus Aviation was great instructors, lackluster administration, and god-awful maintenance; I need to emphasize that I never felt unsafe in their aircraft (after instructing for 2+ years I have seen my fair share of shoddy aircraft), but their twins (read 2) went down for maintenance and were down for a long time (actually, they were flying for a while, then there were problems, flying again, problems again, etc.); I actually left the UK after 6 weeks with only my CPL and all IR training done, and planned a return for the IR exam, only to have it cancelled because of maintenance issues again; finally got the IR exam done, only to hear that the sole twin was down again
- I did the CPL training in a few days (maybe 5 hours); mostly preparing for the minor details and orientating myself with the area
- Flying at Cranfield was okay; there are basically 2 routes for the IR; coming from the US I just shake my head at the whole need to book beacon slots, but what can you do; Cranfield closed 2 times without notice while I was there for aircraft testing (great planning for users of the infrastructure); and East Midlands just decided to stop accepting training flights for 1-2 days
- My checkrides were pleasant experiences (partialled the CPL because I was 1 mb off on my altimeter setting
; worst IR flight I had ever had, but was within standards and passed), the examiners were thorough in their briefings and the procedures were straight forward
- If had to do the flying part again I would have gone elsewhere; the fact that I only flew about 20-25 hours and didn't get 2 checkrides done in 6 weeks is not acceptable, especially since weather was an issue maybe 5 days out of the 40 or so I was available; the main problem was aircraft down time
- The actual application process for the CPL and IR licenses was a pain and it took nearly 4 months because Bonus Aviation forgot to give me a form and some other missing documentation (the worst part is that there is no temporary license after the exam, so you can't fly, apply for additional courses (e.g. MCC) etc.)
* Just a clarification: I was informed that you can actually do your MCC course with an FAA Instrument rating. So, if you are waiting for the UK CAA to finish processing your IR application you are apparently allowed to do the MCC course based on your FAA accreditation.
Hope that helps some people see the structure of the process. Distance learning as a method was not new to me, but you must be dedicated and disciplined. I probably spent 1 hour a day and a few hours on the weekends to go over the material and questions; and I have already had nearly all of it before, although I have been out of daily flying for nearly 10 years. Don't forget the light at the end of the tunnel while you study for the exams!