USA: not another bit of regulation...?!

[tmmorris]

Went over to the states for a couple of weeks at the end of March. While there I rang the local FSDO to check whether I needed a BFR to maintain an FAA licence issued on the basis of JAR (I was wrongly advised last time I went that I didn't - I now know I do).

Anyway, the woman on the end of the phone told me that I couldn't fly in the US unless they had received confirmation of my JAR PPL from the CAA. But hang on, I said, your website says that this is necessary for new licences but there's nothing about existing ones: as far as I'm concerned I hold a current and valid FAA PPL. No, she said, you need to be 'on our database'.

After this I read and re-read the FAA website and the FARs in great detail and concluded she was wrong, so went flying anyway (and got that BFR done first!).

Anyone know the answer? Was I wrong?

Tim

[2Donkeys]

A BFR is required, even on an FAA Certificate based on the UK ticket.

No letter of authentication is required merely to use your based-on FAA ticket. However, re-authentication is needed if you wish to add a rating to that ticket.

2D

[WestWind1950]

yes.....

if you look at your FAA licence, you'll notice that it says that it's based on a particular licence with a particular NUMBER.... your JAR-FCL licence has most probably a NEW number... thus the FAA one is not based on it.... you have to get a new FAA licence based on the NEW JAR licence...

I know, because I thought the same... only flew once while over there, but with an instrutor, and still not sure if even THAT was legal :\

Westy

[tmmorris]

Thanks 2Donks - that's what I understood as well. Unless I get round to adding an IR that won't be an issue.

WestWind1950 - misunderstanding - I've never held a CAA licence, I belong to a JAA-only generation (PPL in 2001) so the licence numbers do indeed match.

Tim

[Speedbird48]

The information that you have been given on this thread is correct and the point about the licence numbers and the FAA certificate numbers matching is a very good one. If indeed they don't match due to you going JAR or whatever, you are back to square one and need to do the whole verification thing all over.

You are also required to have a valid Biennial Flight check before flying any airplane that requires the use of an FAA certificate.

Also the information on adding another rating is correct and once again you have to jump through the hoops.

It would be interesting to find out which FAA office gave out the bad info' and maybe that one could be avoided or at least that person in that office?

Regards.

[tmmorris]

To be honest I'm not sure which office I ended up ringing - I was trying to get the number from the phone book, which was hopeless. I THINK it was the one at Bradley International/Windsor Locks - it was that area, anyway... but they were the ones who issued the original PPL and were very helpful then (though it was before the new regulations came in).

Tim