FAA PPL -flying in UK ?
 

Hi,
I am shortly to undergo FAA PPL training in Florida, when I have passed my PPL and returned to the UK, obviously I will have to undergo some additional training in the UK because for instance, the differences in UK/US air space and RT terminology and whatever else is deemed important to assist me to fly safely in the UK.

But what about aircraft ? will I be restricted to flying N reg or can I fly G reg with my FAA PPL ?

Currently, you can fly a G-reg, worldwide, VFR, on any ICAO PPL.

No explicit validation is required; the validation by the State of Registry for a G-reg (the UK) is automatic.

That privilege is supposed to end under EASA but I don't know when. It might be April 2012, summer 2012, April 2014...?

Obviously you can fly an N-reg worldwide VFR on an FAA PPL but you knew that :)

What you should do is collect a JAR-FCL PPL while you are at it. About 5-6 schools in Florida, and one in California, can do that.

After April 2014, on current EASA proposals, all pilots whose operator is EU based will need EASA papers, on top of the State of Registry papers required under ICAO. This will make an FAA PPL not very useful, unless you can get an N-reg plane to fly in which case you will need it (as at present) but you will need an EASA PPL as well. That is why you should pick a school in the USA which can deliver both PPLs after one training course. (Obviously you will need the UK medical and the 7 UK PPL exams as well).

Thank you Peter, just the info I was looking for. :ok:

But what a lot of people don't know is that once you leave the Contiguous US you have no RT privileges on the FAA Pilot Certificate and must obtain a FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operators Certificate

True but you just have to apply for it on the web and give them some modest amount of money. You don't have to convince someone you can speak English for example.

Yes; one radio license for the aircraft, and another radio license for the pilot...

I have notes on US training here and there is also a checklist for the documents. Probably not totally up to date...

Some notes on being on the N-reg are here.

A document list for an N-reg aircraft is here.

One can reasonably assume that all N-regs in Europe have a radio station license on board. You find this out when you do your very first ARROW check on it.

The RT license for an N-reg pilot is also issued by the Federal Communications Commission. It can be obtained via the web with a credit card. It costs you about $60 now and doesn't expire anymore (the old ones needed a 10-year renewal).

FAA PPL
 

I have an FAA PPL and CPL, am a UK citizen living in the UK. I have a G reg aircraft and fly it in the UK, using my FAA PPL only. I understand the CPL is invalid in the UK.
I have just made an enquiry to a US based flying school about the new EASA regime in order to understand where I stand with my existing licences, but they don't seem to know. In fact, the 'advisor' seemed to be saying that an FAA PPL is only valid in the UK on an N reg aircraft! Say it ain't so.

Sorry to say this has been done to death here :)

The UK ANO automatically validates any ICAO PPL (or CPL or ATPL) for a G-reg, VFR, worldwide.

This is set to end in April 2014 or 2015, I think, after which it will be limited to Annex 2 aircraft (basically Permit types etc).

Is an FAA CPL totally useless (over a PPL) on a G-reg? That's a good question. I vaguely recall that a "CPL" (any ICAO CPL) has extra privileges on oddball stuff like the max radius of charity flights...

Some notes on the EASA crap are here.

The privileges of an ICAO professional licence when used on a G Reg aircraft is limited to "Private privileges" in accordance with the recommendations of ICAO Annex 1. To exercise CPL privileges you would need a licence validation, something normally only granted for a year under specific circumstances.

But isn't there some curious wording in the charity flight regs?