JAA PPL in the US, what possible beforehand?

[Deepb]

hi,

before you ask: yes, i read the sticky, and yeas i used the forum search.

I am thinking of doing an JAA-PPL and a FAA PPL in the US next summer.
Can i do the theory tests beforehand? And if yes where (i am based in austria), and is there any difference (for instance monetary) between making them in the US or in Europe?

What other things (other than the ones already mentioned in the sticky) can i do beforehand?

regards
DeepB

[B2N2]

Well, apart from studying you really can't do that much.
FAA PPL:
You used to be able to do written tests at N- flight in Egelsbach Germany
N-Flight (http://www.n-flight.com/)
Only ones remaining are England and France (Le Bourget).
JAA PPL:
As far as I know JAA member states do NOT allow you to take the written exams for the PPL in one state and the flight training in another.
All JAA flightschools in the US fall under the jurisdiction of the English CAA.
So unless you want to travel to England a couple of times to take the written exams.....

I'd say you're better of studying and taking practice tests so that you are ready when you get to the USA.

[XLC]

I did it all at EFT in FL. But some of the students there had already passed their paper exams in the UK, among others a guy who was based in Spain and went for his exams in the UK - as proposed in previous post. Both sets (paper and skill tests) do not have to be done in the same school, or regarding the paper exams in a school at all for that matter as there are some places where you simply go to only sit for the examinations. There might be a national requirement that you do both the theoretical and skill tests within the same system (the UK CAA in this case), but I am not sure it is a pan-European requirement.

The drawback of doing it all in the same place is that if you have a limited time it is intensive. Unless you can afford to go for say 4-5 weeks. The good thing though is that you are totally immersed in the right environment which will help. But in such case and as so many others have written do study all the materials before going to the US.

[Deepb]

@xlz: i know it is a little off-topic, but what was your experience with EFT?
you can also send me a PM if you dont want to talk public.

regards
DeepB

[Sam Rutherford]

Just my thoughts, but you're not going to be doing much flying at night - so you will have time to study then.

The reason? A lot of what you need to learn will be more easily understood if you are actually doing it at the same time.

So, my advice, enjoy the calm now, and just crack on with it day and night when you're out there.

Good luck, it's the beginning of something wonderful!

Safe flights, Sam.

[IO540]

You want to do the written exams and the medicals, plus TSA+Visa papers.

You will need a part 141 school, SEVIS, I-20 etc. Email me if you need a checklist for this stuff.

[Deepb]

what about the medical?
if i do a jar-FCL class2 medical in austria, at a doctor who is certified by austrian authorothies, is this medical valid for training wich an CAA school?

regards
DeepB

[BackPacker]

You need an FAA class 3 medical (which doubles as your student pilot certificate) to fly solo in US airspace.

If you have a half-decent medical facility, they might be able to check you for your FAA class 3 simultaneously with your JAA class 2. After all, most of the tests are the same.

[172driver]

You can find FAA medical examiners on the FAA website, medical section. Search for Austria, there are a few.

Re the study. I would subscribe to one of the online courses (Sporty's, etc), get the books and study before going to the US. Then sit the written exams asap after arrival. While Sam Rutherford has a point - a lot of the stuff makes a lot more sense once you've actually been flying - it is a lot and you'll be studying new stuff / reviewing the day every evening anyway. Don't overload yourself.

It might be a good idea to get a few hours in with an instructor in Austria, so the theory makes more sense. I know of at least one FAA CFI based in Austria, PM me if you want more info (although just to get a feel for the a/c and flying in general, it doesn't really matter if you go up with a JAR or FAA CFI).

On a more general note, it probably makes more sense to do the FAA license alone and then convert to a JAA one. This gives you a lot more choice regarding FTOs in the US.