Dear Rotorheads,

I appreciate this has been asked time and again and having searched the forum thought I had the answer but then new info comes in and throws a spanner in the works.

I’m an EASA (UK) ATPL(H) holder and been asked to fly a N Reg Heli around the UK for reward. It was the owner who first told me about the ability to fly N Reg on your own national licence within the issuing authorities land boundaries.

A quick search backed up his information and I was all set to go ahead when a colleague mentioned that in fact this dispensation is really meant for Private Flying and on top of that, any legs over 50 miles would require both a FAA licence and IR regardless if there’s any intention to fly IFR.

There also seems to be conflicting information on just what’s required to attain a FAA ATP. I currently hold a FAA PPL Fixed Wing.

Any guidance and pointers on where to find the correct information will be greatly received. Thanks

Not 100% sure about the UK license side of things, but if you hold an ICAO CPL or ATPL and a valid instrument rating in helo’s then it is a fairly simple process to gain your FAA ATP. You just need to have the requisite experience listed in part 61, submit for a license verification (which is valid for 6 months) and then take the ATP written and do a flight test.

Your FAA fixed wing PPL is kind of irrelevant to your situation altogether

we are talking about two different things. A license verification is different to a validation.

TC might just be a paperwork exercise but good luck getting it done in under three months...

you’d need a TC medical which on initial issue has to be handwritten by one of three overworked elves that live on the dark side of the moon, and then only if they can get the special ink delivered. After it is mailed to you (comes hand delivered by a two-legged overweight tortoise) only then can you apply for any transfer exams you may need...

These are held in special licensing locations...on last check (April) the Vancouver office exam section was temporarily closed, Abbotsford was down for 9-11 months as examiner was on maternity leave and the waiting time just to sit an exam in Richmond was nearly two months. Kelowna are great and only had a three week wait...after waiting four months for the medical to arrive.

However, on reaching the successful achievement of the transfer exam and now having the holy gossamer of a TC medical booklet, you may start the validation of your foreign license. Your exam, copy of medical, logbook and foreign licenses are submitted to the large collapsed star (now black hole) that is the TC licensing division.

There is, at this point, a need to invest in several large packages of unicorn dust which you must liberally sprinkle on every email/letter/telephone/carrier pigeon with which you attempt to contact TC to find out what has happened to the documents that are awaiting the privilege of obtaining a TC stamp.

They contact the FAA, the FAA agree you have what you say you have and then....TC engage in a month long seance to find out if you have a healthy presence in the afterlife.

The good side is that as long as you have a type rating on another license and can show recent hours in the logbook on type, you can get that type transferred, it only costs a few pennies per type/rating.

bitterly yours....

Thanks for the replies so far although we seem to have opened the preverbal bag of worms.

Interesting that the 50 miles cross country doesn’t apply to helicopters. So as such, I think I’m still good to fly the N Reg Aircraft with in the UK on my UK issues EASA Licence.

Just get a job as his personal assistant and then offer to fly for free .

He wasn’t talking about charter . It could be corporate use with the pro pilot .