Australian ICAO CPL/MECIR to FAA CPL/MECIR

[FlyingDumbells]

Hi Guys,

I currently hold Australian CPL with MECIR and I am interested in converting my license to an FAA one due to a recent job opportunity on a N registered aircraft outside of Australia.

I am unfamiliar with the process so I am looking for advice from people who have done the same thing or who know what one has to do to convert the license.

I have 237 hours as well and I read in the FARs that you need 250 total for a CPL.

anyways if some of you lot can advise me on the best/quickest possible way of converting then awesome.

Would also like to know how much it cost's roughly?

hoping the conversion process isn't a pain in the a:ugh:se!

cheers!

[Tinstaafl]

The conversion is relatively easy. At least, not much more difficult for someone learning within the US.

* Find a school. It will likely need to be one that's approved for doing the paperwork for foreign students.
* Pass the TSA insecurity crap.
* Do the FAA CPL theory exam
* Do the FAA Instrument Rating exam
* Gain the hours needed to meet the FAA CPL & IR minimums. Note: Not just the 250 hours total for the CPL but also the subtotals *and* also ensure you've met specified criteria in your flights eg minimum nav distances, dual training etc for CPL & IR. Review the FARs (online) under Part 61 to see what you need.
* Do at least the minimum number of hours required (and you need) with an FAA instructor to get recommended for the CPL & IR flight tests. Note that the FAA CPL includes manouevers that aren't done under Oz's system so you'll need some training to get those correct.

With your experience you'll really need to compare your logged hours with the FARs carefully to make sure you meet each & every requirement. It's easy for a flight to seemingly meet a minimum distance, for example, but because there was, or wasn't, a landing in the right place the flight doesn't count for that purpose.

[MarkerInbound]

There isn't a FAA "conversion" above the PVT level except between the US and Canada. So as Tinsaafl says, 2 written "knowledge" tests and two checkrides. With 237 hours there will be no problem getting to 250 for the COMM checkride.

[FlyingDumbells]

(d) Aeronautical experience for the instrument-airplane rating. A person who applies for an instrument-airplane rating must have logged:
(1) Fifty hours of cross country flight time as pilot in command, of which 10 hours must have been in an airplane; and
(2) Forty hours of actual or simulated instrument time in the areas of operation listed in paragraph (c) of this section, of which 15 hours must have been received from an authorized instructor who holds an instrument-airplane rating, and the instrument time includes:

Hey thanks for the replies...another question then.

Does that mean that I have to get 15 more hours sim time from an FAA instructor? I have over 40 sim total from my Australian training.

[galaxy flyer]

No, none of the 40 hours has to be in a simulator, but you must have 15 hours of instruction in instrument flight with a CFI-I, that is an instrument instructor.

[MarkerInbound]

Simulated doesn't necessarily mean a simulator. Hood time or foggles count. And 61.41 will allow some of your Australian instruction to count if they can figure out the Down Under equivalent to a CFII.