FAA S/E CPL IR & M/E
 

Hi

I am unfamiliar with the FAA License requirements/privileges and would be grateful for an FAA savvy pilot to advise.

I understand that to be issued a FAA ATPL requires 1500TT, a flight test and a Multi Commercial License with IR.

FAA schools advertise that students will obtain a S/E CPL, IR taken in a S/E and then a M/E rating, giving a Multi CPL/IR
--Does this route satisfy the above requirements to later get an ATPL?
--Where does the Multi Commercial come into it?
--Don't you need to take the IR on M/E to have a M/E IR, to be able to operate commercially?

Back in UK I would need to take an IR on a M/E to have a M/E IR.
S/E CPL is all that is required, with no advantage taking the CPL test in a M/E.

I need to be sure that the FAA CPL doesn't require training on a M/E to be a Multi Commercial. That the IR taken on a S/E gives the right to operate for a commercial M/E aircraft in IFR. That the M/E rating taken alone gives the CPL and IR their 'multi status'.

Many thanks in advance

You are maybe confusing a couple of things here.

For a FAA ATP you need to meet the hour requirements (1500 hrs) and hold in CPL in the category and class that you want for the ATP.
So you need a SE CPL IR if you want a ATP SE (pilatus PC 12, Cessna Caravan and such)
You need a ME CPL if you want a ATP ME.

You can also hold an ICAO ATP or an ICAO CPL and use it to apply for a US ATP. So no need to get a US Commercial first.
Now to the instrumnet rating:

Under FAA the Instrument rating
(not a license or certificate) is not limited to category and class.
So if you hold a PPL SE and ME VFR and you do a Instrument flight test in a ME you get both SE and ME IR priviliges.

If you hold a PPL SE and ME VFR and you do an Instrument flight test in a SE you get only SE IR priviliges.
If you want ME IR you need to then do a partial IR flight test in teh Multi where you are tested on ME specific IR tasks such as approaches with a simulated engine failure.

In the US people generally do their training in a different order then in Europe:

USA : PPL -IR CPL SE- CPL ME add on
EU : PPL - CPL VFR only - IR ME

Ask away if you have more questions.

OK, the fog is lifting...

Regarding the Multi IR :-
"If you want ME IR you need to then do a partial IR flight test in the Multi"
however, the IR is taken after PPL in a S/E. So do you need to take another IR test when you do the Multi add-on?

Regarding the Multi CPL add-on :-
"USA : PPL -IR CPL SE- CPL ME add on"
This add-on training and test seems to be the bit that will give you both a Multi CPL and Multi IR. So must the CPL S/E be done first so as to 'add-on' or can a CPL Multi be done instead?

Thanks again

When you do your multi add-on, you do the instrument part doing the flight test.

The add-on is called an "add-on" because you will already have a CPL-SE. If you were doing the CPL-ME before doing the CPL-SE, then your multi CPL will be an initial, not an add-on. :)

Thanks for the replies.