Converting from CASA to CAA
 

After a long period of not flying since I got my PPL from Australia where I used to live, I have decided to get back into flying in the UK. I obviously want to convert rather than do it from scratch so as to save some money. I have tried to research on the process but the CAA website seems rather unclear on what I need to do. After some email exchanges with CAA what I gathered is that I need to pass the written exams in Air Law and Human Performance, pass the skill test (during which I need to pass the language proficiency, and finally to have completed at least 100 hours of flight time as a pilot (total time including what I had done in Australia).

My question is, has anyone done the paperwork without the help of a flying school? My local flying clubs don't have experience in helping students convert licences, and my worry is that what looks like a simple process may not actually be. Is there anything obvious that I have missed? Is it really a good idea to deal with this myself at all or should I commute to flying schools with experience to make sure it is done correctly?

Any insights would be appreciated.

An ICAO conversion is relatively straightforward and completed as you describe above.

You can't do it without a flying school so best to find somebody who knows what they're doing! Where's local to you?

I will need some retraining so a flying school will definitely be involved. The few I have spoken to seem to have no experience in the process though.

I am based in Portsmouth.

Happy to arrange everything for you at Cambridge but I'm sure there are closer options to save your accommodation costs.

The first hurdle is that the CAA usually won't accept a conversion application if your ICAO licence is expired. Did your email exchange with them highlight your licence was expired, and/or did they indicate what they require in order to credit your previous experience?

Drop me a PM if you like, maybe we can arrange something..

Kalo you have it in a nutshell with a few tweaks. You will also need to be examined for RT privileges. This is then included in your UK licence. There is a written examination and a practical test which is conducted with a Radio Telephony Examiner. Although the licence can be issued without it you will have no right to use the radios. The language proficiency can also be assessed then. You are not required to undertake a course of training for RT or the language proficiency.

The word 'conversion' is used a lot including by the CAA. You are not required to convert your Australian licence, you retain it. It is only used to grant you the exemptions toward your UK PPL. You will become the holder of both licences. Again the word "expired". this could mean the licence has expired - many are issued for life and do not expire (does the Australian?) or better, do the rating or privileges contained within remain valid. The word 'valid' to avoid confusion is a better word.

No ATO or RTF should have difficulty in helping you with your licence application.

Is it a CASA CAR-5 licence or a CASR Part-61 licence? If CAR-5 you might have to convert it to CASR Part-61 by submitting Form 61-9TX to CASA before you can rely on it to do anything.

I converted my Oz CPL to Part 61 after the 'free' deadline as was living overseas. I think I paid about $30 but then had to wait 8 months or so for CASA to process! A long time ago I converted my UK PPL to an Australian PPL. I did this by meeting with the precurser to CASA and got a RPPL quickly (after an exam and local medical) and a list of requirements to get a UPPL then found a flying school to enact those requirements.

They did mine in about one week.

Come and have a long weekend in Spain and I will do it for you. We do hundreds of these conversions. You can sit the exams with us, RT and skill test plus and refresher training you might need. :)

Thanks for all the input. I did my conversion to part 61 licence so at least that bit is sorted.

What I should have mentioned is the following CASA requirement

To keep flying you need to have a current aircraft rating flight reviewUnder Part 61, if you are flying aircraft covered by the single-engine aeroplane class rating, you need to have done a flight review in a single-engine, class-rated aircraft within the previous 24 months.

I have not flown for way longer than 24 months. Does that mean I have to "re-validate" my class rating somehow? Is that something I can do in the UK easily?