Info on Flying Instructor Course in USA
 

Hello eveyone

I have done CPL/IR license from Pakistan. My grand total hours are 196h: 45min.
Firstly, I want to do Flying Instructor Course from USA and along with it also want to convert my CPL/IR license to FAA. Can you tell me the whole process as what I have to do for it?
Secondly, I wanted to know if I do Flying Instructor course from USA, will I get the Flying Instructor job in any flying academy in USA. My main to reason to do instructor course is to get job in US in order to build my hours.
Thirdly, I have a Visit Visa to USA which is validated till 2018 and my immigration process in going on, my family member applied it for my family from Indiana State in 2005. I wanted to know if I come on Student Visa in US, will it affect my immigration process.

I gather you want permanent residence in the US, it would be better to check with these guys:https://www.uscis.gov/

You'll have to do it in the opposite order. In order to hold a FAA CFI you need to hold a FAA commercial. In order to apply for the FAA commercial you need to hold a FAA private. You'll also need an airplane IR. You can get the FAA private under 61.75 as a paper shuffle between your CAA and the FAA. Then you'll have to get the IR and commercial like any other FAA applicant. Training, written test, checkride for the IR and then the commercial. You'll need a total of 250 hours before you take the commercial checkride. Then there are two writtens and a checkride for the CFI. Don't know how it is now, a few years back ~75 percent of the initial applicants for the CFI failed the checkride. I've heard of the oral exam going for 5 or 6 hours before they even got in the airplane.

Thanks for the website @bedsted

Actually i want to know if i come to USA for conversion of my CPL/IR license into FAA CPL/IR and then go for Certified Flying Instructor course then will I be able to get job in USA as Flying Instructor as I will be foreigner ?

S.93 - I am not a visa expert, but it's my understanding there is a visa category that could allow you to become a flight instructor, then teach at the same school for a couple years to gain experience. Ask at potential schools.


I know more about the flying part...


The FAA will work with you to issue a private certificate based on your existing license. (Airmen Certification ? Verify the Authenticity of a Foreign License, Rating, and Medical Certification)


Before you can fly solo, you will need a flight review. This can likely be combined with your training.


You can take a written test to add instrument privileges to this Part 61.75 certificate. This certificate can be used for further training that will be fully independent.


You will have to train for the regular instrument rating. Much of what you already know will help. If you do the instrument add-on under part 61.75, then any training you do in actual IFR can be PIC. This 'real' instrument rating is a requirement for the commercial certificate and includes both a written and a practical test.


Although the training can overlap somewhat for efficiency, once you have the IFR rating you can begin the commercial training in earnest. Again both a written and practical test are required. At this point, you can fly N-registered aircraft fully independently of your Pakistani (?) license.


Flight instructor training requires a written exam on Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) and the CFI-Airplane written test. As mentioned above, the practical test for CFI can be pretty demanding. I've "heard" the FAA is a bit more willing than before to let an Examiner conduct an initial CFI test again. Ask how it works at the school(s) you contact.


If the examiner will let you fly the commercial test from the right seat, you can do the commercial training from that seat and have a huge head start on the CFI training. A really good instructor can help you develop a plan that takes what you have, minimizes wasted time/dollars, and fulfills the various FAR requirements as quickly as possible.


Good luck!

I stand to be corrected but to stay in the USA for more than 6 months you need a Green Card which can be difficult to obtain. This will allow you to work and reside in the US for up to 10 years (renewable).
As for FAA licenses, I always understood they were relatively easy to obtain compared to CAA, JAR-FCL.
Reading the other posts, it would seem that requirements have changed somewhat.

If you get an FAA private licence based on a foreign licence you will still HAVE to pass an FAA private flight test don"t ask how I know this.........

This is 100% incorrect.
There is a validation process that you must follow which consists of a paperwork shuffle between the FAA and your ICAO country. Once the validation process is completed you meet with an FAA checkride examiner or Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) present your papers to him/her for inspection and get an FAA Pilot Certificate printed out on the spot.

After that, in order to operate as PIC, you must conduct a flight review with a flight instructor, all FAA pilots do this every 2 years. FAA certificates never expire, but our privileges to act as PIC expire after 24 months unless we do this. Because of the way the regulations are written a pilot who has received an FAA Certificate based on a foreign certificate have to do this prior to operating an N-registered aircraft. This is NOT a test.

Silent,
Unless you have the right to work, (work VISA - there is a specific list of jobs that you can be granted a work VISA for, or a Green Card) you will find it almost impossible to find work as a flight instructor here. There are a few schools that let you get un-paid (i think) "work experience" as a CFI through a special student VISA permitting loop hole which they were grandfathered in. My memory on this isn't 100% clear so there may be aspects that I'm getting wrong. However, in general, it is very difficult to work as a CFI in the U.S. unless you already have the right to work here.