Known pitfalls of licence conversion.

[Otto Throttle]

I'm currently considering leaving the warm and loving arms of the UK to pursue work overseas, as my present employer has decided they may no longer have a need for my services.

As a JAA (soon to be EASA) licence holder, I am seeking advice from those who have trodden this path previously about the potential pitfalls of conversion to ICAO or any other local variants of licence, assuming I can find an airline gullible enough to take me on.

What should I watch out for, and how straightforward did you find the process?

[smiling monkey]

I hold licenses from 3 different ICAO country's licensing authority and each license conversion I've done has its own unique set of requirements. It usually involves passing Air Law for the country you wish to operate and may also require further passes in theory subjects, depending on your experience. It often involves a checkride either in the real aircraft or sim, again depending on the licensing authority of the country you wish to operate in.

[Otto Throttle]

Thank you. Doesn't sound too bad - I expected at least 1 or 2 exams. Are the various CAAs as 'helpful' as our own, or can things progress fairly quickly?

[ElitePilot]

Having copies of you're ground ATPL subject passes may be needed and can help to exempt you from taking subjects again locally. Any documentation like MCC and course completion certificates too for box ticking purposes.

[EMB-145LR]

I did JAA to FAA. I had ATP mins, so it was just a case of doing the ATP written and then ATP checkride in the sim. If you haven't got ATP mins, I believe you have to do the Commercial and Instrument written, followed by Commercial, Instrument and Multi checkrides in an actual twin.

[LindbergB767]

Otto
Example. Vietnam. Air law exam plus sim check
Hong Kong. Air law plus performance plus sim check
Japan. Air law exam plus full course on aircraft plus Jcab Sim check
And most of the other country are similar
And usually the airlines you work for will provide ground school and support

Good luck

[twentyyearstoolate]

From ICAO or FAA to JAR (EASA) you only need to do the following exams:
Human performance
air law
AIRFRAMES §SYStems
Instruments
Met
gen nav
Power plant
Radio Nav
Mass & Balance
performance
Flight planing
Physiology
Electrics
Principles of flight
Ops procedures

Plus Radiotelephony, plus an approved Sim check!
:ugh::ugh:

Pretty insulting in how Europe regard the rest of the world!

[PigeonVoyageur]

I would think that it depends on the number of hours experience. If somebody just got an ICAO fATPL licence (e.g. from South Africa) with just the bare minimum of about 200hrs, to convert his licence to EASA, he would need to re-sit all ATPL exams - plus re-sit the CPL and ME/IR exams. However if he cumulated 1500hrs flight time and had unfrozen his ATPL, I think that to convert to EASA he would just need to pass the Air Law exam with a sim check.

[vfenext]

Sorry pigeon, there are no exceptions. Regardless of hours you do the lot!!

[BANANASBANANAS]

You may also wish to ask yourself how important it is to you to keep your UK EASA licence either current or, at least, easily renewable. Recent changes to UK licensing rules mean that you run the real risk of having to retake UK ATPL IR theory exams if you operate on a non EASA but ICAO licence for 7 years and then wish to return to EASAland to work again.

[PigeonVoyageur]

You're right. Just checked the JAR-FCL1 document.

[Pilot Chris]

Make sure you check the required hours for each country's licence: in some places, even if you hold an ICAO CPL/ ATPL, if you did not complete the same number of hours e.g. PIC, Night PIC, PICUS, Cross Country etc etc that are required for an ATPL in that specific country then there may be a problem.