How.. just.. how do you convert a Canuck ATPL to an Australian equivalent?!
 

Help me out here, I’ve been trying to figure out how to convert a Canadian ATPL, to the Australian equivalent.

I feel to be stuck in some of of a Mobius loop, where I can’t write my CATSA conversion exams unless I have an ASIC.

I can’t get an ASIC unless I have an Australian ATPL.. and so it goes.

what is the process forward? Does anyone know? Really curious as to how others have done this.

thank you all!

Not sure if it has changed but when I did my you got an ARN and then to complete the training just had to apply for either an ASIC or AVID, you were not required to hold one to undertake training just to have applied and be accompanied by an ASIC holder when airside. You require a CASA licence for an AVID but not for an ASIC. It is a long and bizarre process, it took me 12 months to get a CoV issued to allow me to fly the IREX test due to CASA constantly coming back with more request for information, got there in the end though.

Conversion of Foreign Licences

For information on how to convert your licence, please refer to the Flight Crew Licencing Manual for all information relevant to your application.

As a general rule, with the exception of private pilots, applicants seeking to convert a foreign licence to an Australian flight crew licence must:

• Pass a CASA exam. Details of the relevant exams for each type of licence conversion are included in the guidance documents listed above. Additional information on written examination/s is available on the CASA website.
• Obtain an Australian medical certificate.
• Possess or pass an ICAO required (oral) English language proficiency (ELP) assessment. CASA has sole prerogative to determine which overseas ELP to accept. A minimum of ELP level 4 is required.
• Gain an aviation security status, this is done by passing a security check for either an ASIC or AVID.

The examinations/tests mentioned must be completed only in Australia with a person/persons approved by CASA. CASA does not accept nor recognise any foreign theory examination credit.

Note that all licences and ratings will be validated with the aviation regulatory body that issued the original licence you wish to convert.

To commence the process, you’ll need to apply for an aviation reference number and submit Flight crew licence application on basis of overseas civil qualifications form 61-4A part A (PDF 305.91 KB).

Not sure if it's changed but when I did mine I had to complete 3 Shuttle launches, verify life existed on Mars and prove I could fly inverted with no instruments in IMC at night.

......Welcome to the world of CASA.

I went through something very similar. One requires the other and vice versa. I cracked the code through Aviation ID. They were able to get me an asic which allowed me to proceed with the CASA process which is outdated to say the least. I couldn’t even do exams abroad when I did it but hopefully that’s something they’ve changed (unlike the 727 flight planning and perf and loading exams🤦‍♂️). Good luck.

Only 3 shuttle launches? You must have had prior Mercury or Gemini time.

Sounds like a walk in the park.
I had to :
- Courier documents to an authority , to be told "officially" what was written in an authority's published documents because you couldn't apply without a " Personal letter of requirements"
- Fly over to do the required exams.
- Wait for the results back at home because it would cost too much to sit there and wait for results to be issued at the authority's leisure
- Fly back for a flight test but, fortunately I managed to go early and complete a medical and had it issued before the test ( otherwise, no test).
- Immediately prior to the test, problems arose because I hadn't booked any 'practice time' to prepare (?).
I advised that I was an examiner on type in a few countries and perhaps, didn't need to 'practice'.
- The test was stretched to 4.5 hours by a type examiner and in front of the authority's inspector.
I then was told that my flying was excellent, all my approaches were to the letter and my experience was obvious ( I would hope so with 10,000 hrs on type) .
The examiner didn't answer my question as to why he found it necessary to stretch the time out if I was so good but, he did say that he wanted to see just how good I was and he then offered me a job on the spot ( a pay for interview?).
Don't know why he thought that I was interested in a job because I was a long time employee of a major airline on the other side of the earth.
- The company providing the test then started pressuring me to pay for the extra time, even before leaving the building ( and presumably the country).
The meaning behind the use of the the word "practice" was becoming clearer.

- One crisp new licence was delivered the next day but, only after I fronted the authority office at 10am and told then that I would wait ( it took 4 hours).

Not the end there.
Held that licence for a some time and then decided that I would apply for an EASA licence as it appeared that it was all going that way anyway.
I was told over the phone that if I did nothing at the 5th year ( expiry date), I would automatically be issued with an EASA Licence.

For some stupid reason, I decide to apply early.

- Another medical, a sim check and I was told over the phone that all was good, my new licence would be issued shortly ( it's only money ,I told myself).
- A follow up call resulted in the same answer.
- 6 weeks later, I get all the documents from the application back in the mail and was advised that they did not have any record of an English Language Certification ( like that was my problem) , the application was rejected.
The post date was between the two phone calls.
Funny thing, no mention of the state licence validity if it didn't have a language certification!
Well it was my problem, even though it turned out that the either the original testing examiner , the authority's FOI or both failed to submit the appropriate paperwork,they couldn't answer how I was able to carry out the test in front of the two ( supposedly) language and aviation examiners successfully without the ability to speak English.
- No problem I said, I can send you the level 6 Certifications from the other half dozen licences that I hold and the authority in those licences to carry out examinations for English, not to mention that I am a native English speaker and the fact that we are actually conversing by written and spoken English.
- Yes, that was acceptable in the past but, as it took 6 weeks to get the documents back to me, no longer the case.
- Another flight over to do an English exam and accepted as being at level 6.
Still not the end.
The documents were re- submitted but, rejected once again because the result certificates from the exam centre ( a Language University approved by the aviation authority ) were not 'certified' by the university that, they were the documents that they had issued to me ( including the required, certified copy of the government authority's own certification for the school to carryout said exam ? ).

In the words of the government idiot at the other end of the phone line when I complained from across the world at 4am ( my time), "How can we be sure that the test was carried out by an approved language authority if we only have a copy of our certification approving them without their certification that the copy is genuine"?
The language establishment was less than a mile from the authority office and it was this authority office that suggested the examination be held there in the first place.
Kind of like saying that your pilot licence isn't valid as a document , unless you certify that it is a valid licence, even though it was issued by the government authority that is now demanding to see it.
My reply was to suggest that he should head over to one of the grey filling cabinets in the corner of his office ( it would be the one covered with dust) , look inside and see if the authority did actually examine the language tester and issue their own certification. If they did, they may find that the certificates were in fact, identical. I suggested that the certificate numbers might even assist him, if had any difficulty.
Nope.
Fortunately, the language university certified, scanned and emailed copies.
I then printed them, mailed them back to the authority and, they accepted them ( copies of copies with no extra "certifications", umm).

I later thought, after14mths, the Medical and Rating submitted with the original application would now be expired.
This time I kept my mouth shut,I certainly did not want to tell them how to do their job.

Conversion to the State licence took 3 months.

The conversion to EASA ( the one that they were just going to issue if I did nothing) took 14 mths.

Ive been looking at this for next year, can someone answer me where the IR slots in?

The actual steps that need doing (post initial paperwork) I see that you do the two ATPL exams and you also need to do the IREX. But do you do the Instrument flight test they say you need to hold an ATPL as well? Is it just rolled up within the ATPL flight test as part of a conversion? And from the above I am assuming that doing at least the ATPL test on an FFS you're current on overseas is a lot more normal than the website seems to make out (where it says it "may be possible").

Basically trying to work out if its three exams and one flight test in a sim (with a decent amount of prep, practice and study obviously), or some infinitely more complicated thing where I have to go learn how to fly a DA-20 or something and basically do a piston IR again before I would then try and seek out an examiner and sim for the ATPL flight test?

Thanks for any help.

OK so...

You need to email CASA and fill out the paperwork, I believe you can do an AVID instead of an ASIC so that will sort you out for the id part of things...

Once paperwork is accepted you will be authorised to do AHUF and AOSA atpl level exams, IREX needs to be done as well.

Do that, pass it then you can book in the flight test and go from there...

[email protected] send your information to this email address (License type conversion wanted, ARN if you have one and any ratings you want to bring over as well)

Like others have said, unless it’s changed, the IR component is rolled into your ATPL flight test.

not what I was told... I was told by CASA that because I was never issued a CASA IR, I have to do my initial IR flt test in an aeroplane...

casually studying the IREX now while managing full-time work..... coming up to 2 years since I last landed a jet

As I said, unless it’s changed. The OP asked if the IR portion of the flight test could be done with the ATPL flight test. It used to be as that’s what I did.

As far as the IREX is concerned, in over 20 years of commercial aviation and more than a couple of Boeing endorsements, I’ve still never come across an exam or theory test that was as difficult. I found that a week long course and then taking the exam was the best bet, if you had no prior experience of Australia and it’s asinine aviation rules.

Just do the conversion in NZ if you have a type rating on airplane types that Air NZ has.

One ATPL Air Law exam and one sim test, done. Then use Trans Tasman.

Why would anybody wanna deal with CASA?

Foreign FAA ATP conversion to CASA ATPL ?
 

Hello,

My apologies if there is an existing thread. I currently live in Texas and work for a regional airline in the U.S. I am interested in converting my FAA ATP license to a CASA ATPL and applying for work at a regional airline. Is there anyone who has previously done this successfully? If so, how long was the process? What are some of the things to consider before applying? I tried finding other pilots in the past who'd done this but there seems to be a very difficult visa process. I had also read that I'd have to take all the written exams as well and possibly a flight test.

Thank you for reading and information in advance.

Just stay in Canada, we need the jobs here not another know it all Cannuck

You know, when you say that, you’re admitting that you don’t think you’re good enough to compete on your own skill levels!

Self evident skills already, Texas (clearly stated) is not in Canada!