PPL Conversion in San Francisco

[Downwind to Roll]

Hi all,

I'm going to be spending a couple of weeks in San Francisco this summer and would like to be able to use my PPL. As I have a JAA PPL, I've been told its a relatively simple process of getting it converted to a CAA one, allowing me to rent a U.S. registered aircraft. As far as I know, I simply have to bring my JAA PPL to a 'FAA Office', show it to them, and they'll issue me with a 'Temporary Airmans Certificate'. After that, I'm guessing, its just a matter of a check flight on type with the flying school before being allowed to rent the a/c...?

I've a few questions though : Does anyone actually know WHERE this 'FAA Office' IS in the San Francisco area ? Ive checked the net but am getting confused by the multitude of different offices and branches they go on about

Does anyone have reccomendations for good, reputable flight schools in the San Francisco / Bay Area ?

And lastly, any words of wisdom about flying in the US as opposed to the UK ?

Thanks,

Downwind to Roll

[GoneWest]

Downwind - hi - welcome to PPrune.

'Fraid you won't like the answer to your question...

Click on this link (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=60273) for redirection to another thread that has been running for some time (about a month).

Read it carefully - it tells you what the new procedures should be (but they aren't).

The "bottom line" is that, at the moment, you cannot convert your licence anymore. Consider, I say again, consider doing an FAA "skill test" (called a "check ride") at the San Fransisco school.

[Downwind to Roll]

Gone West - thanks for the link; I suppose the 3 hours tuition + skills test doesnt sound so bad, at the very least it would always be a useful chance to gain cexperience of an unfamiliar environment; its just a pity that something that should be simple should end up so contorted !

[Keef]

And remember, to do the FAA PPL, you now need a visa. And for that you need the form from the US school, and so on.

I did my FAA PPL (just for fun) last March. No big problem, but you DO have to learn the "ground reference maneuvers" - S-turns along a line feature, turns around a point, and flying round a box. Not diificult if you have a PPL and some experience already.

_________________________________

DO we need a B2 visa to rent an aeroplane and bimble off around California now, or not?

[ihoharv]

can't speak to the FAA (or INS) legal stuff but if you have to get to the FAA FSDO it's actually in San Jose 50 miles south of San Francisco.

The Bay Area has an abundance of airports and flying clubs. Closest to SF proper are San Carlos (20 miles South) and Oakland (10 miles East), each with a couple of good schools. Both close to or in Class B and C airspace.
Rates are around $70-90/hr wet in well maintained Cessna/Piper/Katana type stuff, and several have taildraggers if you want to see what your feet are made for...

A bit farther afield are Napa County and Sonoma County (recently renamed Charles Schultz after the eponymous local creator of Peanuts) if you want to stay in the wine country region and take advantage of less cluttered controlled airspace.

The instructors tend to be young airline captain wannabees but are, for the most part, well scrubbed and behaved.

Have fun!:cool:

[Wycombe]

Pity for DTR that things seem to have changed.

In '98, I was in the Bay Area on an extended business trip from the UK. Popped into a Club at Palo Alto Airport (about 25 miles S of KSFO) and was told I needed to go to the FAA Office at San Jose, to get the "Temporary Airmans Cert".

Once there, I was dealt with very efficiently by the FAA staff, and the whole thing took about an hour.

The airspace around the Bay Area is crowded and quite complex (even for someone who normally flies in SE UK) but I found that if you were "on the ball" on the radio, VFR clearances were readily given to, for example, cross the KSFO overhead at 2000' (with all 4 runways in use below you :cool: - not something you could ever do at EGLL!!), then route out over the Bay for an overflight of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate - fab

I flew a 172 at Sundance Flying Club, Palo Alto Airport (who had some PA28's aswell, and were very friendly) - was signed off solo after a 1.5hr check.