US Airmens' Certificate

[Hampstead]

Has anyone out there ever gone across to the US and picked up a US airmen certificate on the basis of a verified JAA PPL from a nominated FSDO?

I've just received the letter from the FAA confirming my JAA licence as current and valid and that I now need to book an appointment with a FAA inspector. I'm just wondering what happens when he/she sees you ?

H

[FlyingForFun]

No big deal at all - they check the paperwork is in order, and issue you the temporary certificate. The real one arrives in the post a couple of months later. You've done the hard work already!

(In my case, it took a little longer, because I wanted a duplicate of a lost certificate. The bloke I saw at the FSDO couldn't have been more helpful - he was extremely sarcastic about the lack of ability of the boys at Oklahoma. He went out of his way to double-check and triple-check that he'd done everything right because he'd never issued a duplicate based on a foreign license before - he "knew" that if he got it even the slightest bit wrong Oklahoma would throw it back at him, so he wanted to be absolutely certain that didn't happen. It took him nearly as long to explain that to me as it took to actually issue me with the license!!!)

FFF
---------------

[S-Works]

Not a lot, they ask you why you want to fly in the USA and then hand over the paperwork. Easy! The hardest part is finding the FSDO offices!

Converting it to a full CPL/IR, PPL etc was just as easy. The Americans still lover flying even after the past attrocities.

[spitfire]

In addition to the comments already made they may ask you to prove you can read, write, speak and understand the English language.

It is a very simple thing to go through.

[Arclite01]

Do you need an appointment even ?

I thought you could just turn up clutching your letter........

[Pete O'Tewbe]

You definitely need an appointment.

[S-Works]

Definately an appointment and you need to arrange it well in advance. If you get there and try and arrange it chances are the first free slot they have will be after you get home. A friend of mine tried this and was given an appointment that was 2 days after he flew home and no amount of pleading changed it.

He called 3 weeks in advance of his next trip and got an appointment for the day after his arrival. Fortunatly he is a regular US visitor on business.

[Speedbird48]

Hampstead,

Please check your PM.

Regards,

BaD.

[Chilli Monster]

Re the appointment:

I actually put on my form the expected date of attending the FSDO. I arrived on the Saturday, phoned them at 8.45 on the Monday morning and got an appontment for 10.30 the same day.

When I got there they had the copy of my verfication out ready to refer to - didn't need mine (and this was last week - not way in the distant past).

[knobbygb]

I had no idea you needed an appointment (despite having read the forms very thoroughly, I though :O ) anyway, turned up at the Fort Lauderdale FSDO at 11:00am without an appointment and was told to come back a couple of hours later. Went shopping, came back, and the guy did the license while he was eating his packed lunch - probably in his own time. Thanks. I think the key to it all was being VERY polite (they think we Brits are all like that Grant bloke anyway). I also got chatting about how long the CAA take to issue licenses and how much they charge. I think this amused/shocked him and bought me some pity. :uhoh:

That was 15 months ago, so things might have changed.

BTW, the FSDO's are not difficult to find (just put the zip code in mapquest and it'll tell you down to the nearest few feet). Thing is, they're usually on the other side of the airport from the pax terminal so a hire car is useful.