FAA CPL Requirements?

[AlphaMale]

Hi guys,

I was/am looking to do my FAA PPL by the end of this year and come back and sit my ATPL exams throughout 2009. I was hoping that by summer 2010 I'd have the required hours to get on a FAA IR / CPL / CFI course and maybe instruct out there for a 12/18 months.

I am now reading that the minimum requirements for FAA CPL are:

61.123 Eligibility requirements

• Be able to speak and understand the English language
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Hold a current FAA Private Pilot Certificate
• Have logged at least 250 hrs flight time
• Hold a current FAA class II medical certificate
• Pass a FAA written examination with a score of 70% or more
• Pass an Oral and Flight test with an FAA Flight Examiner

Is this true?

I also looked at this website which seems to ask for the same requirements.

If this is the case my initial idea of getting a FAA IR / CPL / CFI and instructing has gone out the window. And I may look to do the FAA PPL & IR and then complete the rest of my training here in the UK/EU.

Thanks

[mcgoo]

Yes, you need 250 hours TT before you can do the checkride.

[AlphaMale]

JAA CPL followed by a FI it is then (less sunshine but a happier girlfriend)

Thanks

[AlphaMale]

How much time do you have?

My plan was;

FAA PPL (Oct '08)

ATPL GS (2009)

Hand in my notice with my current employer

FAA MEP + IR + CPL (March & April '09)

FAA CFI and look for a job in the US
or
Come straight back to the UK and get my CPL converted to JAA and get on an FI course and look for an instructor job for 18/24 months.

Converting my FAA IR to JAA MEIR along with an MCC course before sending my CV off to BizJet/Airlines.

[TelBoy]

I woud make the choice between FAA or JAA and just go straight down that route. If you want FAA CPL and CFI then why go to the bother of JAA ATPL exams - what they cost you will get the extra 50 hours in the states.

[Shunter]

That plan looks fairly feasible, until you get to look for a job in the US. Getting a student visa and getting a work visa are 2 very different things, and since there's no shortage of FAA CFIs in the USA, I think it's unlikely you'd make any progress on that one. Plus you can't apply for it whilst you're in the country, so you'd have to leave, then come back etc... major pain.

If you get all your FAA tickets it means you're exempt from any training prior to CPL test over here, and IR training is reduced to 15hrs. Depends obviously on how much you need, but certainly a lot less than 25 and 50 respectively! No discount on the FI 30hr course for having an FAA CFI though.

[BigGrecian]

Once you have more than a private you can't come in on a J1 to instruct either.

So you'd need to commit to instructing once you started your FAA CPL / IR at a school which did J1 sponsorship.

I'd also remind you, if you want to work in JAA train JAA.
If your set on FAA then make sure you instruct to gain experience before converting as it is normally a lot more costly than people anticipate as they go over hours.

[AlphaMale]

Thanks guys,

Obviously when I say 'look for a job in the US' I don't mean airline job, just a CFI job due to the hours I could log thanks to the weather. I hear that some FI's in the UK full time are only clocking 500hrs per year whereas in the states 100hrs per month is not unheard of.

I might just get the FAA PPL and then leave it at that, I just thought the FAA CPL/IR might come in handy when applying to the BizJet sector due to the amount of N Reg AC's they operate. With airline jobs being a little scarce at the moment and might be for some time I want my plan to be as safe as possible.

With so many US schools advertising for CFI jobs I just had the impression they had a slight shortage of CFI 'resumes' on the desk ... guess I jumped the gun on that thought.

The whole process of going to the US for any length of time would depend on wheather or not I can rent out my apartment in 2 years time, so training with a UK school does have it's advantages