Applying for J-1 with 60 hrs

[dreamflyer]

hi everbody
was planning to apply for a J-1 visa with a PPL and 60 hrs of flying.am i eligible to apply for the J-1 or is there any rule which says that flying hours should be less than 60 hrs.would be grateful for any kind of advice on this matter.
cheers
dreamflyer

[radarnose]

Dreamflyer,

I am not sure but i am affraid that you are not eligible for a J-1 visa since you are not permitted to work on a ppl.
You need a least a cpl to be allowed to get paid for your flying according to the Federal Aviation Administration Regulations.

You might be able to get a M-1 student visa trough a flight school to train for a cpl or cfi but if they grant you a J-1 visa after graduation...I doubt it.

Things have changed considerably since 9-11-2001 as far as visa for aviators is concerned.

Later

[Crepello]

I assume Dreamflyer's looking at getting the J1, going to the US to do the CPL, then flying professionally for as long as the J1's valid.

I looked into this several months ago and got a variety of answers. Some said you're ineligible if you've more then 50hrs TT, others 100hrs TT or 50 hrs PIC, others that there was no time restriction provided you've no further tickets than a PPL. So, be careful to verify your info before making any big decisions.

I couldn't find specifics on any US embassy website, not through the INS. Never got around to contacting them directly. Dreamflyer, if you find out anything definative, do let us know!

[SkyRocket10]

Official line from immigration is 50hrs max with PPL, unofficial line is you can get a J1 visa with many more hours as long as the flight school you attend are willing to swing it.

Contact flight schools in US who offer JAA training to discuss, good bets are; Comair or EFT