ICAO to FAA: Verify the Authenticity of a Foreign License

[alanmtc]

Hi everyone,

I have a New Zealand PPL. I am off to Florida in July to do some flying so obviously needed to go through the appropriate FAA process to allow me to fly in the USA.

I have gone through the Verification and Authenticity of a Foreign License process but am a little unclear on something.

This "conversion" allows me to fly solo in the USA, but am I allowed to take a passenger (my friend) up for a little scenic flight? I would not be exceeding PPL privilages obvioulsy and not earning any £££. Just a little road trip in the skies??

Any knowlage on this anyone???

[EIPCW]

Yeh that will be no problem, back from the US myself about a month now and did exactly what you want. You will be issued with a lifetime FAA ppl which will remain valid as long as you keep your own ppl up to date

[Curtis E Carr]

I believe that you will also need a BFR.

[alanmtc]

BFR

A BFR??

Is this like an aircraft check-out or a check ride??

[Shunter]

A BFR is a training flight (no test, no pass/fail criteria) which must be undertaken every 2 years to keep an FAA PPL valid.

The FAA have recently stated that for "based-on" licenses, which yours would be, this is not neccessary. The validity of the based-on license is sufficient to satisfy the BFR requirements. However... getting someone to hire you an aircraft without a BFR written up in your logbook is a different matter entirely!

[B2N2]

The FAA have recently stated that for "based-on" licenses, which yours would be, this is not neccessary.

Do you have any source for this statement?
It is absolutely necessary, a restricted license based on a foreign license is still a US license, therefore you need to meet the 24 months "profcheck" Flight Review requirements. How else can you safely fly in a country in airspace that you've never flown in before?

[kwachon]

The FAA have recently stated that for "based-on" licenses, which yours would be, this is not neccessary.

Not a true statement. Your FAA issued license is based upon the license of your home country, what this means is that the FAA accept that you have been trained to a level acceptable and on a par to the FAA syllabus.

The FAA license is the only legal one within the US and as such you have to abide by the FAR's. It is the FAR's that dictate you must accomplish a BFR.

KW

[Curtis E Carr]

From FAA Order 8000.1 Volume 5 Chapter 2 Section 14

1) Does a person who gets issued a U.S. private pilot certificate that was based on a foreign private pilot or higher license level have to comply with the flight review and recency of experience requirements of 14 CFR part 61 before exercising the privileges of his/her U.S. private pilot certificate? If the person accomplished a flight review in his/her foreign country with a foreign flight instructor or a foreign pilot examiner, will that suffice for the 14 CFR § 61.56(c) flight review?

2) Answer: Before a person exercises the privileges of a U.S. pilot certificate, that person must be in compliance with the appropriate pilot certification requirements of 14 CFR part 61 (flight review requirements, recency of experience requirements, required logbook entries, etc.). The flight review must have been administered by the holder of an FAA flight instructor certificate with the appropriate ratings before the pilot may exercise the privileges of his/her U.S. pilot certificate. A flight review/proficiency check that was administered by a foreign flight instructor or a foreign pilot examiner does not count as meeting the flight review requirements of § 61.56(c). (Ref. §§ 61.56(c)(1) and 61.41(b).)

[Shunter]

The information regarding BFRs for based-on license holders came directly from the FAA New York International Field Office. Requests for the information to be forwarded in writing have already been made.

I'm won't disagree with the FARs, just tell you what I (and others) have been told first hand by FAA staff.

I never said it was sensible, just simply repeated what I've been told. The JAA PPL has a 2-year currency requirement to maintain the SEP rating, and the FAA stated that this was satisfactory in terms of being legal to fly on an FAA license. READ what it says on your FAA license. This might be suitable for a British citizen, in Britain, flying an N-reg. It may however NOT be suitable for a British citizen, on holiday in the USA, flying an N-reg. That said, flying in the USA is not a big deal. Anyone can read a chart, and the radio language might not be ICAO-compliant (translation: slack as ****), but it's not difficult to pick up in, oh, 2 minutes.

[Shunter]

For the benefit of kwachon and Curtis E Carr, this was recently posted elsewhere, and was confirmed to me by telephone 15 minutes ago:

I have confirmed that you do not need a flight review here provided you have a current JAA flight review and have documentation of such.
Your FAA certificate is valid as long as your JAA is current and valid.

If I can be of any further assistance, do not hesitate to ask.


Aviation Safety Inspector (Operations)
FAA South Florida FSDO (SO-19)
8600 NW 36th Street
Miami, FL 33166
[phone]

So there you have it. As I said before, hiring an aircraft without a BFR might not be so easy, but legally the BFR is unneccessary so especially useful for piggy-back FAA license holders in Europe who fly their own N-reg aircraft.

[kwachon]

Shunter

As a designated examiner, one must follow the regulations (FAR) and I must say that I find it strange to get the response you did from the Miami FSDO.

FAA Order 8000.1 Volume 5 Chapter 2 Section 14 states clearly the requirements and as far as I am aware there has been no amendments issued to supercede section 14.

I would not wish to be ramp checked and found to be not in compliance because of what someone said to a third party.

KW

[Trolle]

Flight review or not, if you plan on renting an aircraft at a fixed base operator (FBO) you'll be hard pressed to find one that will rent to you without an aircraft checkout. This usually involves, but not always, taking a simple written test verifying your basic aviation knowledge and a brief flight with a flight instructor who will ensure that you know how to fly and familiarize you with the area. Bamn...this can be your flight review (no longer called a Biennial Flight Review (BFR) but just a Flight Review). Checkouts are usually done for insurance reasons and in all the time I did this with renters I never failed anyone. Did have one guy who found it appropriate to make his suggested changes to the rental contract (such as wanted to be allowed to land on grass strips and other small things), which the owner made sure the renter clearly understood was not possible. And yes, you'll be allowed to both fly solo and take a friend(s) along.

[desert goat]

As an aside, can anyone tell me how long the verification process takes at the FAA's end? I was planning a trip to the USA and Canada in about a month, and was hoping to do a few hours flying while over there, but I only got my Australian PPL issued last week, so I'm worried that there won't be time to get the paperwork processed before I go....the FAA say 3 months, does anyone know if this is a "requirement" or merely a suggestion?

[MIREX]

FAA knowledge cert validity.

Hi All,

I have FAA knowledge certificate but it's expired already (more than 2 years), After the knowledge test I worked in an Airline under part 121,outside US,using my ICAO ATPL. I asked FAA but between one and another they have different answer and my question in website hasn't got reply till now. Does anyone know clearly, can I take practical test with that certificate as per part 61.39 b (i) (ii)?

[B2N2]

Mirex, when I read the regulation to me it means this:
" (1) Is employed as a flight crew member by a certificate holder under Part 121,125 or 135 of this chapter.........."

Which means it needs to be a operator certified under the US Part 121 rules.
Meaning it needs to be a US Airline you are working for.