JAA vs FAA PPL
 

Hi, I was wondering if someone could give me some insight into the following issue: I currently live in the UK and thinking of taking a PPL this summer in the US. I am not likely to stay in the UK in the future but would move somewhere else in Europe. Would it matter if I take a FAA or JAA license? I am not planning to take a professional license but intend to fly for recreational purposes.

Thanks

Had I known what I do now, when I did my JAA PPL in the USA in 2000, then I'd have gone for the FAA PPL.....

Just be aware that not every country is as accommodating as the UK when it comes to allowing ICAO licence holders to fly national aircraft.

The FAA system is without doubt more enlightened, however it is not a magic carpet to those outside the USA.

The best strategy is to go to the USA (everything flying-wise is cheaper and with less hassle, especially if you pick somewhere with decent weather) and do both an FAA PPL and a JAA PPL at the same time.

Any of the half a dozen JAA-capable schools should be able to do this. At least 90% of the training is the same, so it is highly cost- and time-effective, and you cover all bases: JAA for European reg planes, and the FAA one for basically the rest of the world.

Then, later, you can do the FAA IR to go on your FAA PPL, which enables you to fly N-reg planes worldwide IFR. The JAA version is 7 exams and a load of hassle.

I believe there is a school in southern California which can do this; the others are all in Florida and with "variable" reputations.

One point...for "converting" a FAA license to JAA license, the school does not need to be CAA approved, therefore one route is to do the FAA PPL and as soon as it is in your hand (5 mins after the flight test), do the JAA flight test with a CAA examiner....you are then dual. You have to do the JAA ground exams as you have less than 100 hrs but this should be no biggie.

There are various CAA examiners floating around Socal / Florida, and this is how some schools operate...

To do the ground exams you have to go through a CAA approved RTF that has a Ground Examiner. I am also GI/GE and official keeper of the CAA exam papers.

So you might be able to do the test with a free lance Examiner but you will need to find an RTF to sit the papers.

The easiest way is to get 100hrs sit the RT and Air Law exams and do the test, saves having to learn the whizz wheel for a start!

In my experience, many JAA examiners in the USA have "agreements" with schools in the UK, so before the trip out to the school in the US the ground exams are done in the UK.....Sailing close to the wind if you ask me,but I believe this is how a number of the "JAR Compliant" schools offer both FAA and JAA tickets.

No idea why this should be dodgy, unless one regards blatent job protection by the CAA as reasonable. There is no reason why one should not be able to sit the UK CAA exams anywhere in the world. After all, one can sit the CPL/IR ones at some Consulate in Thailand or whatever - the CAA fees for sitting them are substantial and money always talks.

In practice, one can come unstuck even just within the UK. I sat my PPL exams at one school and then walked out of there (crap maintenance, etc) and the new school was unable to retrieve some of my exam passes from the old one, and I had to re-sit them.

Quite right. There is no reason.

Anyone is quite welcome to come and sit the exams with me and do the flying anywhere they want perfectly legitimately. I will endorse the paperwork as required and they can trot of and do the flying as they please.

Thanks for all the information. Very useful.