UKAA fATPL to FAA

[SableJoke49]

I am an aspiring pilot and aviation enthusiast. I live in the UK. After doing some research I have found the direction that I would like to take in becoming a Pilot, which is through Universities to get a degree and frozen ATPL. I am thinking about moving to the US to acess the higher salaries and more job opportunities. I would like someone to explain what I would need to do get convert to an FAA licence from UKAA, if I need by ATPL to be frozen or complete, and any other advice. I apologise in advance if this is the wrong area to post this in

[rudestuff]

You could try going back in time and being born in the US...

[bafanguy]

Sable,

You might find some info here. I assume it's still valid. I tried reading it myself but it was killing so many of my precious brain cells I had to stop.

The FAA doesn't have a "frozen" ATP; you either have one or you don't.

This might answer a few of your questions. Good luck:

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/.../AC_61-143.pdf

[SableJoke49]

Bafanguy, my government basically ruined my chances when we left the EU. That's pretty much the summary

[Climb150]

Originally Posted by SableJoke49

Bafanguy, my government basically ruined my chances when we left the EU. That's pretty much the summary

How exactly did the govt ruin your chances? BA, Jet2, Logan Air etc pretty much can only hire UK residents now (with a few exceptions).

[Speed_Trim_Fail]

Originally Posted by SableJoke49

Bafanguy, my government basically ruined my chances when we left the EU. That's pretty much the summary

Tosh. Brexit has been a disaster in many areas and I am not a fan at all, but, likely by accident, for now the UK market is better than it has been for years. Yes you can’t go and fly out of polish bases for RYR (and indeed to fly for RYR you still need an EASA licence), but you can access fully funded schemes from TUI and BA, and pretty much every UK airline is recruiting for those with the right to live and work in the UK, with a UK licence.

For how long these conditions will last I don’t know, but I can also tell you that the US conditions aren’t going to last forever either - and the US market is in fact far crueller than here, I know chaps over there who are earning very good money now but are only really financially recovering from post 9/11. Bear in mind too, beyond the visa/green card issue, that the cost of living and employment protections in the US are very much different.

I have EASA, UK CAA and FAA licences/certificate (although my UK one is the only one I use professionally and the ratings on both the others are long dead). The EU has (to my mind) a massive issue in that Ts and Cs for many cadets and low cost airlines are poor and reflect the lower cost of living in central/Eastern Europe, something that at the moment is not a major issue in the UK, partly because the presence of highly aggressive ACMI outfits and pay to fly is much more limited because the market is much more restricted now.

[rudestuff]

To answer the question you can't 'convert' to an FAA commercial or ATP but you can credit your flight hours and take the written and flight tests. Everything you need to know is in
part 61 subpart f (just Google the bold).

[Speed_Trim_Fail]

Originally Posted by rudestuff

To answer the question you can't 'convert' to an FAA commercial or ATP but you can credit your flight hours and take the written and flight tests. Everything you need to know is in
part 61 subpart f (just Google the bold).

Correct - they are 2 separate systems (although you can get an FAA PPL off the back of your UK CAA one). Make sure if you are logging hours you differentiate between actual IMC and simply flying IFR.

[bafanguy]

Just as an aside to Sable's original post, for an expat contemplating pursuing FAA tickets beyond the PPL, would one route to a PPL be more advantageous than the other ?: FAR 61.75 or TIP-L (from the AC I linked above) ?

I think I have a dim recollection that the FAR 61.75 PPL has less utility/value in that regard ? The TIP-L PPL is a stand-alone and not linked to a UK license ?

[rudestuff]

Unfortunately that TIP-L only applies to EU member states. UKCAA and (even Icelandic EASA) licences can't apply