Hmm, seems like some sour grapes amongst the 'established' airmen if you ask me. Just because you spent 60k on your 'frozen' ATPL, why should other, some may say brighter, people be disadvantaged in the same way?. .. .That can't be me you are talking about as my ATPL cost me £16,500. I am not talking about the past. It might have been very sensible for people to go to the US and get a PPL Night and Hour Build. Not disputing that. Its not the same thing to say that you want this unfair anomaly of international aviation regulation closed. As it will be if the French have their way. Which will be good for UK GA and for Wannabes trying to find work as a FI.. .. .Beagle, there is no need to join a flying club in the UK to do the JAR ground exams. There is a guy in Bournemouth who does them for around 300 quid for the lot in a few days. US Flying clubs offer these exams as part of the course, so will adjust their costs accordingly. Secondly, FAA Lazergrade exams will set you back about $75, and an FAA PPL skills test around $150, so at the end of the day, all people will do is go to the US, train for the FAA PPL, and the day FAA skill test is passed, do the JAA skill test with a JAA examiner (as you are given your FAA licence straight away, unlike the uk), and hey presto, two licences for little more than it would currently cost for the JAA licence.. .. .But who wants 2 licenses? Why not just save the airfare and accomodation and use the airfield down the road? Most students who are bright enough to go on to the ATPL and a career can pass the JAA PPL exams with nothing more than a second hand set of Trevor Thom books, a PPL confuser book of questions, a few questions to their FI and £10 per paper at their local school (its what mine charged).. .. .Secondly, FAA BFR is no big deal. Just need an hour with an FAA instructor, in any aircraft, in any country. I'm sure a few of those are available in the UK who will be happy to do it for the price of a few beers....in fact I know of quite a few. And if your FAA licence is 'invalid' due to lack of BFR in two years, again, all you need is a check flight with an instructor to re-validate.. .. .WWW, in fact there are FAA schools in the UK (and Europe), and in fact I did my FAA IR ground exams with one. You can do the FAA GFT, BFR, IRC, etc etc you only have to look in the back of Pilot of Flyer to see people offering FAA ratings in the UK....although you will pay UK prices for the aircraft hire. . .. .Yes I suppose there are. They must employ, ooo, all of six instructors between them.. .. .By the way, as you don't seem to have flown in the US before, maybe you should try it, you never know, you may enjoy it.. .. .I am sure I would. Lots of my friends who have done it say its a great place to fly. But thats not the discussion. The discussion is about the rather dry field that is regulation of flight training. Perhaps the best deal for everyone would be for JAA and FAA to combine and extend common rights of abode and work to all EU and US citizens. That way I could quite happily teach any one of half a billion people to fly in any one of 17 countries.. .. .WWW. . . . <small>[ 28 March 2002, 16:12: Message edited by: Wee Weasley Welshman ]</small>