Training in the USA as a british citizen

[asmith474]

Hi everyone. I'm really struggling with making my decision on where to study. As a british passport holder who wants to work abroad (preferably middle east) would it be better to get an FAA license in the states or should I get the EASA license. It also seem much cheaper to study abroad.
Any advice is appreciated.

[rudestuff]

If only you could 'get a licence' and go straight to the Middle East! The reality is that for 99% of people a middle east job will require plenty of previous airline experience. To get an airline job in the United States requires 1500 hours plus the right to live and work there. To get an airline job in Europe you can do it with 200 hours. By far the most sensible and cost-effective method is to go to the States as a student and get an FAA PPL and IR, then come home with about 175 hours and do an EASA CPL and IR conversion. There's no point in doing an FAA CPL because the only work you could do with it would be as a flight instructor.

[r10bbr]

dont forget the EASA ATPL

[asmith474]

thanks for the replys. could someone help me answer this. I have found a type rating program with the following conditions



Age: Minimum 20 years / Maximum 25 years
Must have flown 15 hours in an SE or ME aircraft in the last 12 months
Education: Minimum 12 years of successful education; aviation related degree will be preferred
ICAO Level 4 English or higher
Valid 1st Class Medical
CPL/ME-IR with 220 total flying hours + frozen ATPL/ ATP Written exam and MCC Course.
Has not already gone through this B737NG program

If i were to go to an American FAA course abroad would i have the necessary requirements for this course. I cant find information on whether the ATP written exam is completed before or after the 1500 hours.


rudestuff


Thanks for the advice. What is your opinion of USA pilot schools such as european flight training (EFT), florida flyers, 2fly that offer joint EASA and FAA training ?

[rudestuff]

It seems you've got two threads on this subject. Give us a link to the 'type rating program' you're looking at if you want specific advice. Generally the type rating is different for each authority, so an FAA certificate holder would have to do an FAA approved type rating etc.. as for FAA ATP you can do the exams before 1500 hours, but you have to do an ATP CTP course first. The one in question mentions an MCC which is an EASA qualification, so you'd need an EASA Licence.

[asmith474]

Here is the link

https://betteraviationjobs.com/job/flydubai-b737ng-type-qualification-program-november-2017/

Do you think an FAA/EASA joint course in the USA would be the best choice ?
I'm also looking at schools in Canada

[rudestuff]

Sorry to be the one to piss on your bonfire, but you need to forget about this one I'm afraid.

If you read it carefully, they're looking for people who are 737 type rated, or who are prepared to PAY THEM for a type rating, after which they MIGHT give you a job. It might be worth considering if you were already licensed, but by the sound of it you're 2 years away from that. Even then, the chances would be slim. You have to be realistic, hope to get some decent sponsored low hours deal, but assume that you won't - then crack on with getting the licence which will give you the most opportunities (EASA) and see what jobs there are when you're done.

The US tends to be the cheapest and quickest, I would suggest an FAA PPL/IR and hour building, then back to the UK for SE CPL and MEIR conversion.

[banjodrone]

Been there done that. As a general rule of thumb these days, always train where you can work. 20 years ago it was a different story, you could be more "adventurous" and training under the FAA system didn't carry the baggage it does nowadays. Looking towards the Middle East, Far East, Africa, Indonesia has also changed because you need plenty of hours to stand any chance, but that having been said, you do hear the odd story of a low hour candidate managing to blag their way into a position, and fair play to them. Nevertheless, the most sensible and pragmatic option is to train in Europe and when all the costs are added up, the best choice may even be your own country. Don't want to be a Debbie Downer but this is the reality. Getting an FAA private and hour building in the US is still an option and you can save quite a bit that way if you're disciplined in your budget.

[amrafi2012]

Hi Rudestuff and banjodrone,
What do you think about going to the US for CPL, building done hours as CFI and then coming back to Europe for the MCC. Considering the weather, money and time is it not worth doing it there and coming back? Of course converting the licence from FAA to EASA will definitely cost a good amount although not aware of the actual figure. However your input will be valuable.

Also is it not possible to get some work other than becoming a CFI with low hours in the US? E.g. skydiving, banner towing etc pilot jobs?

[spitfirejock]

I am curious to understand what banjodrone means by "when training under the FAA system didn't carry the baggage it does nowadays"?

Training in the USA for FAA or EASA is still a valid option today for anyone, but as is often said on this forum, how can you build experience (work) in the USA without a valid working visa afterwards?

The answer to this question is in fact quite straightforward, schools which have F1 visa authority can offer post training work legally, and there are EASA schools in the USA that have opportunities utilizing working visas such as E2 for example.

Please also consider that there are no differences where you train from a job perspective. Often such comments are made for reasons motivated by bias. Graduates from European schools get jobs in the US (assuming they can get a visa) and vice versa. I personally know many that graduated from a US school with their EASA licence and went straight back to Europe and landed a job, airline, instructor and other aviation jobs, to say otherwise is very misleading.

SJ