Trip abroad

[Brad2523]

Hello!

I'm very soon to finish my PPL - just a few lessons from my skills test so looking forward to joining your ranks... The boss has just told me that I'm off to the NBAA show in Orlando and my question is simply;

How easy is it to hire a Cessna or robin for an hour or two with an instructor? Really just for the experience. I will have my PPL by then but think I'd like to have someone with me so I could enjoy an hour or two of looking at Orlando from the air.

Would I need to take anything with me or is it really as easy as booking in a slot at a club in advance and just turning up? If anyone has done this before it would be great to hear your experiences.

Thanks in advance :-)

[DeeCee]

I've had several flights like that. I just went to the nearest airport and enquired at the club. No problem to fly with an Instructor. They didn't even look at my license.

[BackPacker]

I will have my PPL by then but think I'd like to have someone with me so I could enjoy an hour or two of looking at Orlando from the air.

As you are from the UK I assume you're training for an EASA or UK National PPL. That will not do you any good in the US. In order to fly an N-reg in the US, you need a US-issued (FAA) PPL. So it's not a matter of "I'd like to have someone with me" but rather "I am legally required to have someone with me".

The easiest way to make that happen is indeed to simply book a lesson with an instructor. If it's just one "trial" lesson, then you don't need to bring any paperwork, and no TSA or visa is required.

If you don't want the company and experience of a licensed instructor on board, you have two options:

You can get an FAA PPL that's "based on" your EASA or UK National PPL relatively easily, but it's still a fair amount of paperwork to go through, for just an hour or two experience flight. Search "piggyback PPL" or "FAR 61.75" for more information.
https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/

Or you can go the whole way and obtain a standalone FAA PPL. This will require some lessons as there are bits in the FAA PPL syllabus that were not covered in the EASA/UK PPL syllabus. Plus a written exam (only one) plus a flight test. You will also need TSA clearance and possibly a visa.

[Brad2523]

Backpacker - it is an EASA PPL, so yes your right, as the aircraft won't be European so would need an instructor! :ugh::ugh:

Going the trial lesson route sounds best then, just didn't feel like it should be so easy!

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I contact the local club, tell them I've got a PPL, say that I want a joyride that's legally a flying lesson, with me doing the flying and the instructor doing the boring foreign radio and the nav.


This has worked for me in Canada, Australia, Slovenia, New Zealand, Jamaica and the Canaries. (If I've remembered them all.) Some places want to see your licence or passport or something, others don't care about any ID at all.