American PPL ??

[rafhawk]

Hi guys. Im 16at the moment, and am hoping to get into the world of flying asap.
I have had an offer from my uncle in America of the use of his plane and his friend who is an instructor ( who owes him a favour ) as long as i pay for the 'gas'.
As i am not in a position to live in the states myself, i will have to return home after obtaining my licence. Can anybody advise me of what i have to do to use and American PPL in the UK?
Also, do i have to fly a certain amount of hours in the USA per year to keep it current.
Kind Regards, Rob.

[Henry Hallam]

I should jump at the opportunity if I were you!

I hold an American FAA Private Certificate (they call it a certificate instead of a licence) which I had to pay plenty of hard earned cash for, and it's perfectly valid in the UK.

The British CAA decide who is allowed to fly British (G-registered) aircraft and the Air Navigation Order says that anyone with a valid international licence (including an American certificate) may do so.
Contrary to popular belief, you may also fly a British aircraft overseas on an American licence.

There is no minimum number of hours per year that you have to fly to keep your certificate current. You do require a valid FAA medical, which you need to renew every 3 years, but this can be done in the UK.

You also have to take a Biennial Flight Review, which is an hour of ground school and an hour of instruction in the air, every two years. This can be combined with various other checks such as for an instrument rating etc, and does have to be taken with an FAA instructor. There are two or three suitably qualified instructors in the UK so it can be done here, but I see it as a great excuse to take a trip to the USA and do some flying!

I would recommend that you take a couple of hours of instruction when you get back to the UK to get used to the generally more congested airspace and slightly different radio procedures.