UKFT JAR Compliant MEP? [Archive]

silverknapper

5th Jan 2011, 20:39

Hi

I have searched for this but no real luck.

A friend is looking to do an MEP to fly G reg machines in the UK, and into Europe.
He has come across this on the web, and it seems to good to be true. $3250 for the course and test. They seem to go to great lengths telling us how the CAA approve etc etc, even reproducing letters from them.
I assume its an FAA licence? Thoughts appreciated.

SK

BillieBob

6th Jan 2011, 08:25

This organisation has a long history of misleading advertising - use the search facility to find out more.

There is no such thing as a 'JAR-compliant' multi-engine rating - one assumes that what is on offer is an FAA multi no different from any other school in the US. As for the 'recognition' accorded by the UK CAA, this is no more than an acknowledgement that an ICAO PPL gained at UKFT has the same status under the ANO as any other PPL issued by any other ICAO member state. Note that the letter goes on to say that UKFT chose to 'voluntarily withdraw' from JAR-FCL training and that the ability to continue to provide CAA (not JAA) ratings and JAR-PPL skill tests is based solely on Mr Sinah's examiner authority.

UKFT holds no approval from the UK CAA or from any other JAA member state (unlike the FTOs in San Diego that the website seeks to denigrate) and the training it provides gets you nothing more than you would get from any other flight school in the US. The only advantage that UKFT has over any other FAA school (if indeed it is an advantage) is that the owner holds a JAA FE authorisation.

If your friend wishes to gain an FAA multi rating then by all means look at UKFT alongside other FAA flight schools. He can, of course, transfer an FAA multi rating to a JAA licence when he has completed 100 hours as PIC in the class. If, on the other hand, he wants a JAA MEP rating then UKFT is not the place to go.