Originally Posted by custardpsc
The issue is that because it us your initial lfaa licence you will need tsa which most people then interpret as requiring a visa too.
The guy is going for a Commercial certificate - common sense would suggest that it would be prudent that he gets a visa - it would be a shame to be 'caught out' and subsequently banned from re-entry to the United States based on not spending a couple of hundred bucks on the Visa.
As for your comment that the need for a TSA application is interpreted as requiring a Visa..
TSA are not responsible for the immigration status of an individual, What they do however is the check with the USCIS on that status and they will cancel the TSA application if the USCIS come back with a negative response.