faa ir

[macflea]

hi everybody
is there anyone willing to share their experiance of doing an faa me rating and an faa ir conversion to a jaa me/ir, whats is the difference,how many hours did it take you, if you were back again would you do it?
the reason why i ask ,i did my cpl training from scratch in the uk which cost me a lot of money,a heck a lot of money, went over hours with the bad weather.i have just returned from the states where i finished off my hour building to reach the magic 100 hours pic before i start the multi engine and ir.
after being in the states and experiancing how aviation friendly it is and cheap. i am reconsidering doing my me and faa ir there and doing a conversion on return to the uk.if i put £5000 aside out of £12500 for the conversion , £7000 would go a long ways in the states.
i really cant see any disadvantages?
what i would spend in the uk i would get double the hours in the usa .
the training is just as good , having watch their instructers at work in the sims
better weather, busier airports ,more atc comm
less time spent training
if you have done your me/ir training in usa i would be interested in your opinions.
cheers macflea

[-IBLB-]

I'm biased, but I say go FAA then JAA. I like the idea of having both JAA and FAA papers. It depends on what you want to do in the end I guess. Also, I think that living abroad for a while can be beneficial to you (anyone) as a person, besides your flying skills.

I've done FAA first, then JAA conversion. I had a lot of hours when I got back, so the amount of hours I've flown for my conversion isn't really representative I think.

Do remember that under UK JAA rules, there is still a minimum number of hours of training required, even if you would not need it.

Work out the exact costs. Make sure you factor in cost of living/transport, etc. If you don't specifically need an FAA license, you might as well let it depend on the money.

[AlphaMale]

Advise I have been given was to go straight for the JAA IR. But like you I think the FAA IR will be a benefit and the conversion of 15hrs (min) shouldn't be a problem.

I am possibly looking to do the FAA & JAA PPL / FAA CPL / FAA IR / FAA > JAA CPL ... fly home to the UK and then convert he FAA IR > JAA IR.

I think the £7k will go a long way in the states (especially with the rates at the moment) $14k will allow you to get your FAA IR (single) for $10k (accomodation and fees included) and you still have $4k for hour building/enjoying yourself/spare cash/Use it for a multi-IR?

Good luck.

[macflea]

thanks for the replies guys