Hello,
Who went through the EASA - FAA PPL conversion (verification of foreign license) lately?
After all the paperwork with CAA and FAA done and after receiving the verification letter, the process used to be like this:
1) Make an appointment in the designated FSDO (the one you elected when you sent your form 8060-71 to the FAA)
2) Go to the FSDO with your license and medical and get them verified, a process that usually took about 20 min. Then get your FAA certificate printed (the plastic one sent to your home address in about 3 months)
3) Do a Biennial Flight Review (now just called Flight review) and you are done, you can legally fly N reg ac according to the privileges of your EASA license.
*this process done by the FSDO, checking your license and even sending you the plastic license was totally free of charge.
Having everything I called the FSDO which I chose, they told me that they no longer do conversion process and didn't even told me how to proceed, they told me to call the airman certification office in Oklahoma. The office told me that this is the FSDO responsibility and asked me to contact them (infinity loop?)
I found out that now what is being done in some places is the following:
1) You call one of the Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE) that work in the region covered by the FSDO that you chose and then this DPE will do what the FSDO used to do.
2) Take the Flight review and your done.
The question is: This process used to be free. Now, the DPEs that I've talked with, want $250 for this service (checking your license, medical and ID and printing the provisory FAA certificate).
Is that a new procedure in all FSDO in USA or just a way that some of them found to get money out of a process that was free of charge?