JAA PPL(A) to FAA PPL? how do I do it?

[Sean H]

Hello all, Firstly i tried a search but couldnt get the exact answers i need, so here goes.

I have a JAA CAA UK PPL(A) which I gained in Florida.
I hold a JAR class 1 and 2 medical and a FAA class 3 medical.

I cant afford to fly at the moment and am aware that my SEP rating will lapse very soon so my JAA PPL will not be current anymore until after college when I have more money hopefully I will get it revalidated.

I have heard that the FAA PPL is valid all the time, its not like the JAA one where you need 12 hours in your second year, so what I want to know is how do i convert my JAA PPL(A) to a FAA PPL(A).
I am aware that if you want to hour build in the states you need a restricted FAA PPL but this is only valid while your JAA PPL is valid? is this true??

Thanks for the replys guys.:ok:

[BackPacker]

If you want a "piggyback" FAA PPL it's easy but it's based on the currency of your JAA PPL. If you want a standalone FAA PPL you've got to do the theory exams and a skills test.

The FAA PPL does not expire, but is dependent on having done a Biennial Flight Review in the last 24 months. Plus almost the same 90-day rule as a JAA PPL.

So if you're currently strapped for funds and have no outlook of doing even just a few hours in the next few years, for all practical purposes it doesn't matter whether you let a JAA or FAA PPL lapse.

Also, you've missed a bit of air law. To revalidate your SEP(A) class rating by experience you need 12 hours in the last 12 months before expiry, including one hour instruction. But you can also revalidate your SEP(A) class by exam, in which case your revalidation is only dependent on your ability to pass the exam, not on the hours you've flown.

The exam you do in that case is only slightly simpler than the exam you need to do if your SEP(A) class rating has been expired by so long that your PPL itself expired too (you can only have a PPL revalidated if you have a current class or type rating). So you could even consider just letting the whole thing lapse for a number of years, then, when you have funds available, do a few hours with an instructor again, do the exam and you're good again

Don't underestimate the FAA BFR: You cannot "fail" a BFR but if the instructor thinks you're not current enough he or she will not sign you off until you've had sufficient training. So it's not a cheaper way per se of keeping a license valid on a limited budget: both JAA and FAA have those safeguards in place to make sure that you can only fly if you're current and safe. And to stay current and safe, you simply have to fly regularly.

My advise: if you don't have funding to fly at least something like 12 hours each year, then don't fly at all.