Using my new PPL in California
 

Having received my PPL paperwork this morning - I am now 'official'...

I have just read the article in Octover Pilot mag regarding renting overseas and funnily enough I will be in Sanfrancisco / San Jose in November with work so would like to get up for a few hours whilst there.

The article refers to getting my paper work checked and validated by the CAA so that the USA will allow me to fly? Can someone elaborate on what kind of checks are required? Do I just call FCL at the CAA? Do I need to contact the FAA before I go out there?

Also - what about insurance whilst I am there? I seem to remember reading that UK CAA PPL holders are rarely ever covered by US insurance policies - is this correct?

Anything else I need to know before going??

Cheers

Steve

Congrats on the PPL.

FAA.gov will cover all the requirements for foreign license/medical etc.



I can suggest several places to fly out of (rentals) and of course, places you must fly to - if you don't have sorted already!

Thanks... I will take a look at the web site but would appreciate any comments from UK PPL holders that have done this already so that I don't miss anything.


Would definitely appreciate some suggestions of places to visit and rental locations. BTW I am currently flying PA28-161 and PA28-181 so would prefer to stay on type ;)

Cheers

Steve

I did this in Florida last year. You need to do the following:

1. Get the CAA to tell the FAA that you're bona fide. It costs £40 - see the CAA website for details.

2. Once that's done, the FAA will send you a confirmation letter.

3. When you've got the letter, you need to book an appointment at the regional flight safety district office for where you are in the US; see the FAA website for addresses.

4. Go along to the FSDO apppointment with as much ID and contact numbers as you can; take passport, driving licence, birth certificate - everything! Plus mobile and landline contacts.

5. The FSDO will give you a temporary airman's certificate which is in lieu of a full US PPL. The full licence takes around 120 days to arrive.

This all takes time; plan ahead and do it now!

Several Class D airfields in the Bay Area with GA presence, best in the form of flying clubs.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/HWD
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSQL
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KPAO

and a class C

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KOAK

However, the airspace there is very complex, and they might not be too keen on letting a freshly minted PPL take one of their aircraft without a very significant amount of training.

You might be better off at livermore http://www.airnav.com/airport/KLVK

Prices in the bay area clubs tend to be dry - you pay for fuel on your own credit card when you take the plane back.

Whatever you do, you should go up with an instructor and take a trip up over SFO and fly around the bay itself. Hayward is a good place to start.

Livermore - Ahart aviation
Concord - Sterling
Both have Cherokees for rent.
Don't sweat the airspace too much - there are vfr corridors and the approach controllers will see you right!

And most importantly, you MUST go to the following;

Castle AFB museum near Merced.
Half Moon Bay for fish and chips at Barbaras.
Columbia airport - old wild west town

Have a damn good time!!!!:ok:

Thanks guys...

Slim slag - understand entirely & gather that the airspace is busy there. Thanks for the options and the tip regarding fuel.

Snapper - from your 'number 3' item - am I right in saying that they will issue the temporary license there and then? I am only in the US for a week but have day 1 entirely to myself so would need to do it all in one day really!

Any comments on the insurance issue or does the temporary US PPL license mean that I am then covered on US rental aircraft?

Edited to say thanks to Mr Proach!
Steve

Lots of good advice on here. Couple of things to add . . . .


Send of your paperwork and money to the CAA straight away. They can sometimes take a little while to confirm your existence to the FAA.

Then send off your paperwork to the FAA (they don't need any money!). Specify a FSDO where you can conveniently present yourself to the FAA and be placed in receipt of your temporary FAA licence.

You need to do a BFR with an instructor before you use your licence out there. No big deal, although it wouldn't do any harm to familiarise yourself with the way the airspace out there works before you go. It's all a bit different.

You will love flying out there! Cheap aircraft rental, almost no landing fees, 24 hour airports etc.

Need to know any more PM me.

Have fun!

Julian

If you are only doing this for one day I'd take an instructor. Get your US certificate as well, save it for next time.

Insurance. Well, last time this came up on here it got heated. Posts edited, PMs flying around, lots of nonsense spoken.

Basically, you need to buy insurance separately, will cost $200 or so for a year, talk to the insurance compay for details of what is and isn't covered. If you take an instructor you will not need it as he will cover you. You can get several hours of instruction for $200.

Merritt;

Yes, you will get your temp licence there and then. Be aware, given your limited time available, that the FSDO might well have strict appointment times. The one I used in Florida only took bookings for Wednesday afternoon, with the last slot at 1500; hardly convenient!

You have got to get your FAA licence sorted first, no FAA licence = no airplane rental! It is not as simple and straightforward as it used to be and the paperwork from the CAA to the FAA doesn't take a day or two either! You may have left it too late already! What you may need to do is to fly your hours with an instructor. Flying the S.F. Bay area is somewhat more complex than a bumble around the British countryside and the chances are that you are going to need a few hours of instructor time to get up to speed with flying in US airspace anyway.
"Private renters insurance" may be a good idea. Rental insurance provided "free" by the FBO's in the US is at best basic and at worst, completely inadequate. You may end up with the bill for all or part of any damage to the airplane. Also, your holiday medical insurance will probably not cover you for mishaps whilst flying so you will need proper travel medical insurance specifically for flying. Bills in the USA are always HUGE. Try Traffords 0844 815 0970 you will need this whether you are flying P1 or supervised.
Good luck!

Hi steve,

I did the same and flew around the bay area only 6 months after passing my PPL. The paperwork as already described takes a while and needs to be started well in advance.

Training wise then I did 4 hours dual in a PA28-161. This included being shown how to navigate the 'Bay Tour' which meant flying overhead the international airport at San Fran'. So no worries about 'lack of experience', it is surprisingly straight forward once you get your head around the local procedures, especially if you are further south towards San Jose. Just expect plenty of crosswind landings.

The FSDO is at Oakland international was very helpful and flexible, I just had to say when I wanted the appointment, and you recieve the temp licence there and then (the actual licence arrives a few weeks later).

All i can say is go for it really, I had a brilliant time taking my family up and around the Bay, flying parallel with a Virgin 747 on approach, going for breakfast at Half Moon Bay, lunch at Napa County :} .....want to go back!!

So you know then I flew from San Carlos with the West Valley Flying Club, just let me know if you want any more info.

Happy flying :ok:

Thanks again...

I have discovered that I need to fill in form SRG1160 and fax it across to the CAA to set the wheels in motion (it will cost me £39)

Matt - is Oaklands far from San fran? Ideally I would like the earliest possible appointment on the sunday morning (I hope its open on Sundays!!) alternatively as late as possible on the Saturday evening!!


Steve

Heh heh heh. It's a federal government department.....

Oakland airport isn't far from anywhere in that area, but you need a car. I would be more worried about driving in san francisco city than flying over it :) You can take the BART but it's not the best area when you get to Oakland.

Calling it San Fran is better than calling it Frisco, but not much. If you want to be considered cool call it The City! :ok:

Its not too far from San Francisco, basically just across the bay via the bay bridge (next to Oakland Airport). Just looked on the FSDO website and seems its just normal office hours unfortunately.

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/...o/oak/contact/

Oh :mad:

That kinda scuppers my plans unless I can still go up with an instructor without the need for the FAA paperwork? I guess I could try and do the visit later in the week but would still like to get up for a few hours on the sunday..

You don't need any FAA paperwork to go flying with an instructor. If you are only getting checked out you don't need any TSA stuff either. Show them your log book and tell them your FSDO appointment for the certificate is later that week, they will not care. Under FAA Part 91 regs a flying school can also take you for a sightseeing flight, but only within a 25nm radius, which would cover the bay from Hayward. If you have a log book/UK licence you can just call it an instructional flight.

This subject has been covered frequently (Ok I have read this thread and it has moved on a bit now) but the sticky is still stuck for all to see.

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=278995

DGG

Just filling in the paperwork now.

Please can someone verify that below is the correct FAA form required (im pretty sure it is but just checking)

http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certific...erify61-75.pdf


Thanks

Steve

Coincidence
 

I'm in the same position. I found that FAA form you mention, but couldn't find the CAA page or form I have to fill in and send to the CAA ? Has anybody else found it ? The only thing I found was this:

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.asp...detail&id=2090

Which is simply a payment form. Which is maybe what I'm looking for ?