Build FAA time in the UK

[Scyther]

So after a bit more research I've decided that the States is the way to go for a flying job. This is for financial and personal reasons. Regionals are practically crying out for pilots and there is a hiring boom at the majors. And this will supposedly last for a few years.

I've been recommended to get all my FAA flying tickets ASAP so I can start building time towards my ATP.

Sooo my question is, if I come back to the UK with an FAA PPL/IR/MULTI/CPL/CFI will I be able to build hours without having to convert to EASA? Or will I be quite restricted? I don't want to get all those tickets, come back to the UK and find that I can't keep them valid or am unable build recognized flight hours toward my FAA ATP.

And, if this is possible, is it also very practical or is it quite complicated/costly to do?

Thanks!

[banjodrone]

I presume you have the right to live and work in the US? If so, go for it. As far as aircraft go, time is time, it doesn't matter where you log it or what country the aircraft is registered in as long as it's a recognised type in the other region. Technically at this moment you don't have to have EASA tickets to fly privately in the UK but that may very well change very soon. Certainly for IFR things have moved in that direction with various compromise proposals being touted such as the Enroute Instrument Rating, Competence based Instrument Rating etc...and all 3rd country certificated pilots will have to get one of these IR's to fly IFR. You need to look up the details. For VFR it's a little bit further off but it looks like it may well be coming and you'll need EASA tickets. You'll probably be exempted from taking the full courses. I haven't been following it for a few months so I don't know the latest but there was a guy on here, Peter something or other, who was very well informed of all the ins and outs of the whole FAA-EASA thing. I think in the end he actually ended up getting a full EASA IR just to save himself trouble in the future.

[Scyther]

Cheers for that banjodrone!

Sounds a little more complicated than I was hoping for but definitely do-able. I'll have to find this Peter guy and hopefully get some information out of him before I make any major decisions.

Would I be able to instruct in the UK with a FAA CFI?

[banjodrone]

Here's his website. Lots of interesting stuff but look for articles on EASA-FAA issues. Afaik there are a number of people doing FAA certificate instruction in the UK. I'm not sure if they need to have EASA qualifications also but I'm pretty sure that in reality they all do. Really, the era of training for FAA or other 3rd country tickets for Europeans is over. The most solid advice you could get from anyone is train where you can work. If you want to come back to Europe and fly here, in practical terms you'll need to convert, which is a long and expensive business.


Aviation

[this is my username]

You will need to do some digging to get your head around the rules on using your FAA licence in the UK and Europe - ie find the source documents and understand them rather than relying on what people tell you as most of them will get it wrong! The CAA website is a good place to start.

As a summary, you can fly privately in a G-reg EASA aircraft using your FAA certificate - this was going to come to en end in 2015 but has been extended for a couple of years. You can also fly a G-reg non-EASA (Annexe II) aircraft on your FAA ticket and will be able to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. You will have to check what privileges carry over from an FAA IR.

Don't forget that there are some Annexe II types (such as microlights) which the FAA recognise as "airplanes" for the purposes of hour building / experience but which EASA don't, so that can be a lower cost way to incrementing your hours.

My understanding on instruction is that for an FAA instructor to instruct on an N-reg aircraft in the UK you need permission from the DFT via the CAA. Don't know how it would work for an FAA instructor on a G-reg aircraft.

If you are thinking of hiring aircraft to hour-build then doing it in the UK would seem an odd thing to do given the difference in cost between UK and US.

[Scyther]

I found this as well.

Even after a quick look it seems so overly complicated it's not worth it...

The reason I want to fly here/build hours/maintain valid tickets is simply because I already have a steady job here. I can save more money and when the time comes to make the move it will not be as "risky". At the moment, I would be starting from absolute scratch if I left the UK.

Then again maybe making the move now will pay off.

Who know's, but one thing's for sure... Attempting to get into this industry is a risky business.

Back the drawing board.

Appreciate your answers!

[banjodrone]

Looks like you're getting the picture. Don't think too much about the whys, it's the hows that matter now in this business. You've got to play the game to some extent. If I could roll the clock back I'd do the same.