PPL and hour bulding in the US in the same trip?

[7574ever]

Hello everyone!

I'm going to take my PPL course in the US (NAC or AAA, not decided yet) from november or so as the first stage in professional training. I was hoping to complete a 50 hour block after getting my licence, but I'm not sure if I would be able to do so in the same trip.

Any thoughts?

regards.

[BackPacker]

Technically, you should be able to do that. The only question is under which license you're going to build your hours, after having done the JAA skills test.

1. You can continue building hours on your "FAA Student Certificate". This does require that each flight is signed off by an instructor, that you remain within whatever limits the instructor set for you, and that you don't take passengers. It's also the easiest - no additional paperwork or special things needed.

2. You can do the hour building on an FAA PPL issued on the back of your JAA PPL. This is probably the most difficult to achieve in a limited timeframe. After having done your JAA skills test, you need to send the paperwork (including your log book) to the CAA at Gatwick, who will take their sweet little time (waiting times can be checked on their website) before issuing you a JAA PPL, and sending it to your home address. You then need to ask the CAA for a validation and take that to an FAA district office to get an FAA ticket issued, on condition of a valid JAA PPL. Or something like that. Very hard to do if you want to remain in the US and start hour building as soon as you've passed your skills test.

3. You can do an FAA PPL skills test, or even try and find an examiner who can do a combination FAA/JAA skills test. In that case, you obviously also need to do all the FAA ground tests. This gives you an FAA standalone PPL. To the best of my knowledge, as soon as you pass the exam, the examiner will give you a "temporary" (hand-written) PPL certificate, which is valid for 90 days or so. This takes care of the period until your proper PPL arrives from the FAA.

Solution 1 is probably the easiest, solution 3 is possible but will require some extra exams and some more money, but at least allows you to fly with passengers, and solution 2 will be very hard to execute, practically speaking, from the US within a limited time frame.

[Hufty]

Why not? It might be good to consolidate all you've learned while it is still fresh. It will also be a good confidence builder if you set out on a few long trips.

BTW you don't need to go to one of the JAA schools - if you are going to do a JAA CPL then you just need an ICAO PPL so an FAA one will do. You will get a better choice of schools that way. I have flown at one of the schools you mention and I wouldn't recommend them.

Just saw somebody posted while I was typing! "Option 2" is what I was talking about - just get the FAA ticket - the exam is easier and you don't need to pay the CAA a fortune for doing 15 minutes of paperwork.