CAA PPL to EASA fATPL
 

Hi,

I have recently began working towards gaining my PPL (I am about 10 hours in). I am very much enjoying it, so seriously looking at a career flying.
I have an Irish passport as well as my native British one. Because of this, I am wondering if it is possible to gain an EASA MEIR CPL etc. in Europe after gaining my CAA PPL. It is cheaper to complete training within Europe, and I assume that there are more employment opportunities as there are more airlines based within Europe then the UK.
From the little look on google that i have had, I think that if I get 100 hours, and jump through a few hoops (2 theory exams and skill test) I can apply to change my license to an EASA PPL. Is this the only way to be able to continue training? Would this be worth doing?

Thanks in advance for your help :)

No need to convert. Your UK PPL, is an ICAO PPL. To start ATPL's or CPL course you need to hold an ICAO PPL, can be from any country in the world.

Pleased that you are enjoying your early days of your PPL training but remember you shall need a Class One medical for CPL+ so I should get this first before getting too excited.

Seriously, do both. It just makes total sense and will give you the opportunity of applying for more jobs than most.
The cost isn't much higher than doing UK CAA alone as well.

Your UK PPL is fine to start the EASA and UK ATPL exams. It's also fine to do the EASA and UK CPL. There's no need to convert anything.

The first thing you should be doing is the class one medical. I hope you already have a UK Class one so you'll only need an EASA one. There are several places in the UK where you can do an initial, though it will be cheaper to fly off somewhere like Romania to do the initial there which some people prefer. But it'd much easier for you to have the dates aligned so I would suggest revalidating your UK one at the same time as the EASA initial even if the UK has a fair bit of time left on it.

Thank you all for your replies.
My CAA class one is going to be booked as soon as the CAA approve my application on their portal.
How does it work doing both? do you have to complete 2 lots of training? or is it just like 2 skill tests at the end of training? I am guessing that there would also be 2 sets of exams to complete.
Anyway, it will still be a little while until I complete my PPL and then I will need to do about 100 hours building before i can start my CPL, which i assume will have to be in the UK?

All the UK AeMCs are (I believe) dual approved to do both UK CAA and EASA class one initials. You should definitely book to do both when you go. Though the price is quite high, it's totally worth it to know that both paths are open for you. Plus it works out cheaper and much easier than doing one class one in the UK and then another an EASA member state.

In terms of what to do for training. You only need to do the training once - but need to go to somewhere with both UK and EASA approvals (post-PPL). That's why the costs aren't that might greater.

For ATPLs, it's quite easy as many providers are dual approved and one course covers both. You can sit EASA exams in lots of places in the UK too. For example, you can do the course with BGS or CATS or no doubt others and sit both UK and EASA exams at their centre. Yes, you need to sit 26 exams, but you can do UK POF one day and EASA POF the next and they are basically the same exam with the same syllabus.

For the CPL/IR, things get a little trickier. There are dual approved ATOs, but you really need to look into it. You are right above that courses in the UK tend to be pricier, but it's not really a fair comparison to look at only Poland or Hungary as UK courses are no more expensive than EASA courses in France or Germany. There are some UK CAA approved ATOs outside of the UK so the training doesn't have to be in the UK***. Again the differences between the UK and EASA regulations are basically zero so there's no real difference in training.
For the CPL, it's not so difficult. You do the course at a dual approved ATO and then do a single skills test. You need a dual UK and EASA examiner to do that, but they are not that uncommon.
***The 'gotcha' is the IR skills test. You'll have to do it twice - once in UK airspace and once in EASA airspace. I know some schools like Stapleford have you ferry the plane to France to do it there which is sensible. Other schools like FTE Jerez in Spain have a UK partner - you do the training and the EASA IR in Spain and then do some familiarization flights and then the UK skills test in the UK with their partner school.

For the MCC, again there are plenty of dual approved places like Simtech or VA or Stapleford. A-UPRT is the same - plenty of dual approved places.

Then you are ready to go with both licenses. Extra cost likely under £5k (small in the grand scheme of things), but keeping all available options open to you.

As far as I'm aware there is only 1 place where you could do both Class 1 Initials, which is with Michael Fonso in Birmingham.
Training, if you have dual approved school, then you don't have to do 2 sets of training. For your CPL, MEP you would be able to pass both with the same exam. However the Instrument Rating would require some extra training and 2 separate skills tests. This is because EASA requires the skills test to be done in EASA airspace and the UK requires it do be done in UK airspace.
Theoretical knowledge again there are schools with dual approval so the study time counts for both but you will have to sit each exam twice, once for the UK once for EASA. MCC & UPRT can be done at a dual approved school so could count for both.

If the school isn't dual approved then yes you would basically have to do everything twice.

Fair few places to get a dual initial - did mine at centreline in London