faa or jaa license??
 

hello my son is in a position to become either a professional pilot under the jaa system or the American faa system. Which license would be the best for him to obtain? He has the right to work both in europe and in the USA. Normally (although I know little about aviation myself) would encourage him to work in Europe and the UK but I have heard a number of bad things about the jaa system, EU flying schools and job prospects not to mention the disarray. Is it true that the FAA professional licenses are better than the jaa ones as is the training you get in the states?

please help,

John.

if he can work in the usa go the faa route.
more chance of a flying job at the end of the course.

In no way is the FAA licence better than the JAA licence; it is considerably easier to gain and not as widely valued - except perhaps in South America.

Since the FAA ptofessional licence course is fairly light weight in substance, companies tend to prefer pilots with masses of flying hours, though during times of pilot shortages, this changes. And that is when the US experience oriented approach tends to fall down.

The route to being a professionally licensed pilot will certainly be cheaper, easier and less stressful in the US, however whether those jobs will be easier to come by is a perennial favourite for debate!

Good luck, whichever way he chooses.

Without getting into the debate, I'd suggest getting a JAA CPL. It's much easier to convert JAA to FAA than vice versa and then if he chose to go to the states, he will appreciate the benefits of both systems.

That is to say the training in a highly regulated and congested airspace (EU), and the freedom and ease of movement in the US.

Mr.Moto,
Thats good advice.

The JAA way is much more academic, while on the U.S. side we value experience more.