Does it work?

[VNA Lotus]

Hi everyone,

I have a french licence, and I'm thinking about the FI rating, but in Spain with Aerofan for example. Cheaper.
To become FI in UK, do you think it will be ok ?
I mean, the FI rating is it really the same training in any JAR countries ? do countries teach the same way ?

for example : the problem with the French CAA, they told me : "with a FI rating passed in other country (jar), even with a CPL licence, you won't be paid because the rating will be on your PPL and not your CPL! You have to get a french FI to work and be paid in France..."
:ugh:

[ERIK C]

You want to go the cheap way or the shortest way?:8
If you want to be an FI in the UK, I would suggest to get your FI licence in the UK. Actually, I would do it in the school I would work for after qualifying. Check out FI sponserships, some schools will pay for your FI training in the UK and bond you.:ok:

[VNA Lotus]

thanks Eric!
Yes I know only Cabair... do you know any other FTO like that ?

[DFC]

If that is the French position, transfer your CPL licence to the country where you are doing the FI rating while you are resident there.

When you have the CPL with FI rating, transfer it back to France if you are going to work there or the UK (if you want) if going to work there.

The UK is an "odd" (for want of a better word) place. Everyone rushes to specify that they have a UK Jar licence rather than simply a JAR licence and as the Prime Minister said in Parliment they very much try to have British jobs for British people even if it is illegal.

That is why many people recomend that you do the course in the UK if you want to work there.

Regards,

DFC

[AlphaMale]

Check out FI sponserships, some schools will pay for your FI training in the UK and bond you.

Is there any chance you could let me know who these schools are?

I've not started my PPL 'yet' as I'm looking to save the cash for PPL/ATPL/CPL and then possibly a CDL and a small loan for the IR & FI.

I've only heard of Cabair offering the sponsorship/bond and that has been taken off their website so I guess they are not going to go ahead with it or they are full?

Failing the above the US 'Pro Courses' seem like a good deal where 1,000hrs of instructing is done.

I live in South Wales so I guess I am fairly limited with schools is my area (Cardiff/Swansea/Bristol/Gloucester), I would say Exeter but I think Oxford is closer at 2hrs drive :bored:

If there are more schools offering this 'sponsorship' it will enable me to start my training slightly earlier.

Thanks.

[flybmi]

VNA Lotus,

Do you currently have a French CPL, or just a PPL?

[Whopity]

The JAA FI rating should be the same in any JAA State but its not. To cover 125 hours theoretical training and 30 hours flight training will take a minimum of 19 working days, typically thats 4 weeks. In most cases add another week for contingencies and you have a realistic minimum time.
If you are offered a course in less time then something must be left out. To be able to instruct you must know how to brief, that means understanding as well as presenting the brief. Look at the schools briefing material and match it to other well established material.

There is good and bad in everything, everyone wants a good instructor, nobody wants a bad one. As the method of instructing varies from State to State there is merit in obtaining the qualification in the State where you want to use it or you may have to learn it all again.

[ERIK C]

I was a holder of a Belgian JAA CPL and did my FI course in the UK. Turned out Belgium doesn't recognize FI courses from any other JAA member State. I was given two options: do the FI Skill Test again in Belgium with a belgian examiner or convert my license to a UK JAA CPL. I went for the second option but it took more then two months to do so. Meanwhile I couldn't start instructing. Hopefully EASA will solve this kind of administrative problems! :confused:

[LEVC]

my sugestion is that you transfer your licence to UK and then do your FI rating wherever you want, UK CAA will add a rating done in Aerofan or any other JAA-FTO (i know it´s been done without any trouble), but as our colleague says , if you want to instruct in UK it´s better you do it there even if it´s a bit more expensive, the way instructing it´s done differs from state to state, and being familiar with how it´s done in UK will help you getting a job afterwards and you´ll be familiar with the area too (most of the jobs for FI in UK are around London), and even more important , you´ll be improving you English, language will be the main concern a UK employer will have when it comes to offer you a job.
i did my training in Spain, and the FI rating in Aerofan, in my opinion good value for the money, but this has been discused previously in tis forum, do a search on old threads.
As far as i can tell UK CAA has a fair play policy about licence and ratings recognition (JAA related stuff), and the filter for foreign licenced pilots will be on the side of employers, what i mean is that the UK CAA wont give you any trouble, in fact there isn´t any paperwork or administrative thing to be done to work in UK with a JAA licence (i did and called them to check, answer was :if you hold a jar licence you are entitled to work in UK, period)
the same aplies for other EU countries, exceptions are France and Norway, both will make very difficult you work, although not impossible (i did too, but took me several months to get licence validation in France).
Beware, DO NOT START FI RATING OUTSIDE FRANCE UNLESS YOU TRANSFERT YOUR LICENCE FIRST, french dgac wont recognize the rating and chances are you have to do it again and lose the money.
Apart from UK,another country where the CAA works very well is Portugal, no troubles there , i´ve been told they are very helpful and efficient unlike other CAA´s.
As stated in te previous post, I hope EASA takes over soon so we´ll be safe and out of the reach of all this bunch of lazy bureaucrats full of crap.
Bonne chance et bons vols