Conversion from South Africa Licence to US Licence

[Tiffany]

Hi there=)
If i finish my CPL in South Africa and would like to convert it to other licence ( such as to US licence) . Will that be v. hard? how long will it that and what procedure i'll need to follow?

Tiffany

[Tinstaafl]

Tiffany, the requirements vary markedly depending on what licence you convert to eg USA, JAR/Europe, Australia etc.

Use the search function available in these forums & you'll unearth a very large amount of information.

[martin_cfi]

answer to your question

hi tiffany...i'll be breaf with the answer....it's not hard to convert your african licence into a FAA one.....there are a few steps to do....first you would need to get your cpl verified by the FAA headquarters in oklahoma....they only check that your licence is valid, true..and yoru medical is current....this done...they will be able to give you a FAA private pilot licence based on your foreign licence (all for free..no questions..no exams...nothing) with this in hand..you are LEGALLY able to fly in the US.,,,rent a plane..and do whatever you want(obviously you will need to do a few hours od dual with an instructor to get used to the difference)....this done...you are on your way.......now if you want to get the instrument rating or the commercial licence...then you will have to study for the written exam...and comply with the flight experience requirements and take the checkride with an examiner......so....bottomline..if you only plan do build hours for cheap prices....just get your FAA private and fly....(call me for this prices...i'm a instructor willing to help foreign pilots...as i am one of them) but if you want to build the career here..then you will need to spend quite a lot of money...to then realize you cant work here with no work permit.........so...there you go..any question......ask me..

[JoeCo]

Martin-cfi,

Great info on how to get an FAA private by converting a foreign Commercial. Could you help those of us (i.e. me ) on what it takes to get the FAA ATP?

I am aware of the D of J form that needs to be completed and sumited to the Oklahoma home office, but can you help we with that process and the remainder of the procedure? Is it as simple as submitting the form and going to one of the flight schools? Are there and hurdles to jump or hoops to go through? Any surprises you are aware of or have heard of that you can enlighten us with?

Regardless, anything will help, but seeing as how i will be time limited when I get to the US, I'm am really trying to avoid any unforseen circumstances.

Thanks and All the best,

Joe

[martin_cfi]

sure joe

i'll be glad to help you...however you ask me what it takes to convert to a FAA ATP....but it depends on where you are standing at......it's not the same...coming with a PPL than coming with a full ATP from your country.......so...if you tell me your background..i'll give you a hand on how to do it.............cheers

[Tinstaafl]

The short answer is that if you hold any ICAO CPL or ATPL and have the required hours then you will need a medical + pass the ATP theory exam + pass an ATP flight test. There is no requirement for training or instructor recommendation although I'd strongly recommend at least a modicum of training to famil. yourself with US procedures.

[JoeCo]

OK, so I will be entering with an ICAO ATPL and the medical is not an issue, but what are the exact hour requirerments? I do not believe it will be an issue, but I would like to make good and certain that I am not missing some trivial hour requirerment.

Thanks Again,

Joe

[martin_cfi]

ATP requirements

* 1500 hours total time as a pilot including at least
500 hours cross country
100 hours night
75 hours simulated or actual instrument
250 hours PIC which includes at least
100 hours cross country
25 night

there are a requirements of what you can count towards the 1500 as SIC, etc...but it's too long to describe here

so basically if you get access to a FAR AIM book...read PART 61.151 to 61.159

[JoeCo]

Thanks again Martin,

That looks fine to me. So can you describe the flight test? I can imagine it's your typical instrument type ride with engine failures and single engine approaches, probably some com failure. Did I miss anything?

As for the training school, any good recomends? My buddy went through All ATP's and said it was fine. Can anyone back that up or suggest an alternative?


Joe

[Captain Bug Smasher]

Joe,

Why not try ALL ATPS in Jacksonville FLorida? I did mine there and so did a few people I know. Another possibility is American Fliers in Fort Lauderdale.

Good Luck!

[martin_cfi]

joe

hey joe...you are basically right...that's the profile of the ATP checkride....dont forget probably an extensive up to 3 hours ORAL test before the flight...specially since you come right from another country..so the examiner may have you a little longer than usual JUST to make sure that you know the stuff.........(not because you are foreign...dont misundertand it....i am as well)
the flight part is the same multi-instrument checkride...vmc demo..single engie drills...approaches..etc....BUT it has to be done with a proficiency level according to th ATP rating....in other words....dont bust the numbers by more than "1" (whatever measure we use, feet, knots, DOTS) or you are history........( a little exagerated...but quite true if you read the PTS for ATP)

now regarding flight schools..well it's really up to how much money you want to pay.....ALLATP is a very good place with a nice reputation and a lots of schools in the country....HOWEVER you pay much more just for the name.....actually you can go to any local flight school....and do your atp there.....the breakdown will be something like: $ 300 to 500 examiner fee......$150 to 240 multiengine plane an hour.......$20 to 40 instructor an hour to get ready for the checkride (altought you DONT need 3 hours of instructtion within the 60 days...as you do in the other checkrides........i hope you dont expect to arrive in the US and schedule the examination right of the bat.....as you will find out later that you dont know much about US flying)
so consider doing at least 5 hours with an instructor.....

i wish i can help you on this one, but i'm not an MEI yet.. otherwise..i woulndt charge you for the instruction ( i like foreign people coming here and i help them)

so colorally....call ALLATP...or call "buddys flight school" (ficticious)
but after you decide where you go....i sugest start to study the ATP written prep book....(get it online) and the PTS for the ATP......

then come here...fly...pass the ride...get your temporary licence..and go buy a few beers and get a nice bad looking redneck girl....and have fun ( the good looking ones...are always taken)

anything else i can help you...just let me know

[JoeCo]

Actually All ATP's is exactly where i was thinking of going, however with 20 some-odd schools, how do you decide which one to go to. I suppose in theory they are all the same, but the reality is that one school will be better then the other. Regardless, could you comment on your experience with ALL ATP's? Anything will be helpfully.

I know that Florida will provide great flying weather, but I have been there so I was thinking about something a bit further up the East Coast. Maybe in the Carolinas? Any comments?

Looking forward to any replies,

Joe

[togabutton]

SA to FAA ATP

I arrived in the USA 2 years back with an SA ATP and got my FAA ATP in 2 weeks. Before arriving, I got one of the publications that give all the questions and answers (eg Gleim) and studied that -very easy since it has all the questions that are in the exam.

Also before departing SA, I did my FAA medical with an SA doctor who is certified - much cheaper.

I used ALLATPS for the exam... paid 295USD to spend the day on their computer doing mock exams, then at the end of the day used the same computer to do it for real and got 97%. It was that simple.

I then did a B737 type rating (with another school) which also amounted to my FAA ATP checkride and got my temp ATP licence on the spot. This gave me an FAA Multi-engine ATP with B737 type rating. The flight school aranged my DOJ clearance before I arrived in the USA. Beforehand, I also summarised my flight experience in the format used by the FAA and had my logbooks examined and verified. I only did it this way because I required a US B737 type rating for the job I was applying for in the US.

So in summary, yes you can go the route of getting a PPL in exchange for your foreign licence, but my method was easier. In other words, your hours and experience are recognised and qualify you to take the flight test/checkride as long as you pass the ATP theory and have a valid medical.

The flight test was very challenging (about 2.5 hours) as was the 2.5 hour oral exam, but the flight school had me well prepared.

You can do exactly what I did, by substituting the B737 sim I used, for a seminole or seneca etc and do the FAA ATP checkride in that. I would recommend ALLATPs again, because they are established and this sort of thing is their speciality. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Flying in the US is very enjoyable and simple, once you become familiar with the differences. Don't go with cheaper operators to try save a few bucks, because you will end up spending more.

To get single engine land added to my licence, I simply hired a C172 for 3 hours with a CFI (have to log 3 hours) who showed me some of the required test items and then signed my logbook. I then organised a checkride in the same C172 with an examiner and got the SEL added to my ATP. Again, I was grilled about US airspace etc and then did a very stiff test in the C172 at night - all single pilot IFR. By the time we did our final landing, I was on limited panel with magnetic compass doing a circling approach of an ILS localizer backcourse.

I did my ATP and B737 type in Dallas, TX and the single engine addition in Orlando, FL. I would also recommend Phoenix, AZ.

So it can be done. Feel free to PM me for further questions.

[Glassos]

Hi,

I did much the same as the previous poster. Arrived from SA with a ATPL and converted it to FAA ATP through ATP's. That was 18 years ago. Still flying here and loving it.

Mike

[nomoneynowek]

Togabutton, long time no hear....how's the island?

My experience is as above, but a few things to keep in mind.

Even though you do not need to get a ppl issued to take the flight test, you still have to go through the procedure of getting your license verified by the South African CAA.

Fill out the forms, submit them, and the FAA will get back to you with a letter confirming the validity of your license. You will be asked for this by the examiner.

ALL ATPS flight test is straight forward. Oral portion consists of describing the systems of the seminole, no more, no less. Flight portion is upper air work (steep turns/arrival and departure stalls/single engine work) and then multiple approaches. I ended up doing ILS/VOR/NDB/GPS approaches, some single engine, some with circle to land.

You get an ATP MEL.

For the single engine add-on I just did the comm single engine vfr test in a C177 at the local flight school. Basically like a RSA ppl test without the cross-country.

What you will end up with is an ATP MEL with Comm single engine priviliges. Unless they design some monster single engine aircraft weighing more than 12500lbs, that should see you right for most applications.

Good luck.