EASA CPL conversion to FAA

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

Hello

I am thinking about converting my European licence to an American one. I have been working for an airline in Europe but am no longer due to youknowwhat. I currently have EASA Commercial Pilot Licence with Single Engine, Multi Engine, Multi Engine Instrument Rating, Flight Instructor and a jet Type Rating. I am also a US citizen and have lived there for some time, but have no FAA experience and basically little idea how things work over there when it comes to certifying and licencing airmen. I have read threads on similar issues and Part 61 but still have some questions and would like to clear everything up.

First step to get FAA commercial certificate would be to obtain the private one. To do that I need to send over the AC8060-71 form to the FAA so that they can confirm my documents with the CAA which issued them. After it is completed I have 6 months to schedule a meeting in a local FSDO. Can the office mentioned in the form be changed later? It would be best for me to send it now but I am still not sure where in the US I will be staying. Also, I have read somewhere that it is advantageous to register in IACRA, pass the 1st class medical and pass the written IR (the regular one, not for foreigners?) exam before the meeting. After the meeting I have to perform a checkride to finally obtain the private certificate.

After that, what should I do next to have my current ratings put on it? I easily meet the requirements from part 61 to have them (not sure about the FI). Does that mean I will only have to pass the checkrides (PTSs?) without any additional training? I assume that (as in EASA) the ratings from private automatically transfer to commercial when switching but I’m not sure about that. Accordingly, after that is done I understand that to get the commercial certificate all I would have to do is pass the written commercial theoretical test (ATP-CTP?)

Last but not least, the jet type rating. Would it be enough to schedule an exam session in a certified center and pass it to get the TR on the FAA certificate if I already have some experience on it?

Please let me know if my understanding is wrong anywhere. All feedback is welcome if anyone has already been through this path or has some experience on this matter.

2

Hello,

These questions are very in depth and need to be addressed by somebody with inside knowledge of the process. All of us trained in the US, so our knowledge set is based on that process. I would recommend contacting the FAA directly and asking them.

Chris

3

Another good resource would be flight schools that are involved in EASA.

I’ll recommend Wayman Aviation in South Florida. They have an FAA/EASA program. They work with students around the world and should be able to answer your questions.

You can tell them a former CFI, Chris Forero recommended you give them a call. They’ve grown a lot, but I’m still friends with many of their current employees / management.

Chris F

4

Hello,

I did a simple search and found this on the FAA website. It looks like once it is verified all your ratings should be converted to FAA. Just sounds like some paperwork and interview.
https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/
Good Luck

5

Thanks for your answers.
If there are any other schools with EASA certifying experience that any of you can recommend please do not hesitate to let me know.
Best regards