Matt,
There is yet another option.
The only (student) visa that allows limited work is the F-1 visa.
If I'm not mistaken there are 5-6 large flight schools that have the authority to issue F-1 visa.
This allows you to undertake FAA training from 0-ATP.
Since ATP requires 1500 hrs and your FAA CPL 250 you get to work the remainder.
Generally as Flight Instructor at the school where you took the training but with permission from the school you can also instruct elsewhere.
After a total of about 18 months you'll have 1500 hrs of which hopefully 200-300 Multi engine and an ICAO recognized ATP that would allow you to work anywhere that recognizes it without lengthy conversions.
Or you return to Europa-land for an EASA conversion.
Just make sure you log your hours EASA compliant.
In the mean time I have fairy tale for you to read.
None of it is true...of course
Once upon a time in a far far away land there was a flight school by the name of Fantasy Aviation Academy.
They have a nice clean website without the usual excess of necessary information that other flight schools seem to clutter their website with. A little intro video with a trustworthy accent available on every page.
Curiously their aircraft rates are dry rates. They do offer a link to a page with local fuel prices.
This leads to some questions as it appears this is where the "Death by a thousand Cuts" starts in our story as other schools use "wet rates".
Lets say that the local fuel price is $4.00/gallon. Training flight always burn more gas then the manual states because of all the climbs and descends and power changes. Assume 10 gallons/hr in your average 160hp single engine trainer. But the $4 charged is not the price paid as our Academy will have a local tenant rate at their airport and a discount for prepaid amounts.
For the sake of our fairy tale lets say they pay $3/gallon.
That's $10 extra that you pay per hour.
So are you limited to the endurance/range of the airplane for your cross countries and time building? What if you buy fuel somewhere else?
How is this reimbursed and at what rate? Is it reimbursed at all since you rent the airplane "dry"?
When you "wet" rent an airplane you usually get reimbursed at the local discounted rate the school gets as paying you back more would just be bad business.
The Fantasy Aviation Academy has some interesting courses mentioned. None of which break down the hours flown per type of airplane. They also offer an add-on course in an airplane that hasn't been in flying condition since the dawn of time.
The mystery deepens as Individual Courses require a small upfront payment and a refund is at least optional if warranted. The Career Pilot Program is excluded from any refunds.
This is potentially a big red flag. It is fully understandable that a flight school requires your account to remain positive at all times. They are a business and not a philanthropic institute. So if the account person goes home on Friday at 5pm your account will need to hold sufficient funds for your weekend of flying.
This could easily be $2,000 or more depending on lessons planned and contingencies.
Paying $10,000-$15,000 upfront could be a sign of a 'pyramid' business plan.
There is nothing, read nothing that a school needs to pay upfront for you to train. It is possible that your money is used for building rent, utilities, payroll and a host of other things that have nothing to do with your training. There may be no money to give back should you require a refund.
Since you will be training to be a Professional Pilot maybe you'll even sign a training contract that stipulates you will receive no refunds. Ever.
Keep in mind that life may interfere.
Death or serious illness of a loved one back home.
What about illness on you part?
Naturally you can always come back to finish but what if you can't? Don't want to?
Loosing out on $1500 will sting but loosing out on $15,000 or more will hurt.
Fantasy Aviation Academy knows what is good for you and encourages you to buy all course requirements through them
Makes you wonder what the mark-up is and if there is a perfectly stocked Pilot Supply store on the field. Who knows.
Maybe a google search will give you that answer.
Fantasy Aviation Academy does not list which airplanes are used for which portion of which course. Which means that aircraft of equal or lesser value may be substituted at no additional cost to you....
Or aircraft of equal or higher rates may be substituted at considerable cost to you. You may be strongly encouraged to upgrade.
Potentially another red flag. The 'cheaper' airplane may not be "available" for the duration of your course. You may be asked to fly with career instructors with an airline background and their hourly fee is 4-5 times the regular instructor rate.
But they are "worth it".
Fantasy Aviation Academy understands your a tight-wad student minding the money so they may have a great deal for you. You hear the insurance deductible on the aircraft is $5,000 so since you're a student you'll undoubtedly ding an aircraft during your tenure there. The Academy may offer you the option to buy off the deductible for the small sum of $3-$4/hr on top of your rental rate. Wow, isn't that nice of them. Because the alternative is like...wow..$5,000 out of your training funds
Till you find out our Fantasy Academy does not carry hull insurance as it is not required. A quick calculation leads to the conclusion they can buy a replacement airplane cash out of pocket every 8-9 months or so.
Therefore no insurance required.
Death by a thousand cuts.
You may have an instructor change during a course of training. This instructor may need to "see" certain maneuvers as otherwise he won't know fi you are proficient in them. Makes perfect sense.
Except it just added 3-4 hours to your course. And everybody else's course.
Death by a thousand cuts.
A good school will conduct stage checks during spaced intervals in your training to make sure you are proficient to carry on to the next level.
It is actually a requirement if you train under 14 CFR Part 141 but a good school will do it for 14 CFR Part 61 training also.
It's not unusual that you fail these stage checks as they are generally done by a more experienced instructor who may see flaws your day to day Instructor has over looked. You may have some exam-jitters too.
All of this is normal.
Till a lot of students start failing a lot of stage checks. This means that either the Instructors are not properly trained and standardized or it's part of a business plan.
Alternatively all the students could be potato heads that season.
Slim chance.
Death by a thousand cuts.
Your PPL may take a little longer. Well maybe you were not the Orville you thought you were. maybe your IR will take a little longer, maybe double.
Well, nobody said this was going to be easy so we just soldier on shall we?
Eventually you may realize that your carefully budgeted funds are no longer enough and you decide to drop the Multi engine add-on.
Then you may realize you do not have sufficient funds to even finish the course. Well what if you go to another academy with nice new shiny fast airplanes at a better rate where your remaining funds will allow you to finish?
Well.... Fantasy Aviation Academy can transfer your visa but they can't transfer your funds. See it says so right here on the website and on the contract you signed.
* the above is all a figment of my wildly disturbed imagination and bears no resemblance to anything in particular, past, present or future but hopefully there are enough Easter eggs for you to find your way out of the rabbit hole.
