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3 Answers

CPL in EU and US

Asked by: 2380 views
FAA Regulations, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

Hi.

i would like to study in EU and get a EASA PPL, then move to the US and upgrade do FAA CPL and ATPL, is that posible?, is it easy?, Would that be very expensive?

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3 Answers

  1. Best Answer


    KDS on Dec 07, 2018

    Possible – Yes.
    Easy – No.
    Expensive – Hey, this is aviation. Ain’t nothing inexpensive.

    In this question you wrote CPL, which I assume means Commercial Pilot License. Then in the text you wrote PPL, which I assume means Private Pilot License.

    A foreign private pilot license to a US private pilot certificate is possible.

    A foreign private pilot license with an instrument rating to a US private pilot certificate with an instrument rating is possible but it is a forked path. The easier path is to take the US IFP (Instrument Foreign Pilot) knowledge test (written test). However, you are then at a sort of a dead end street.

    A foreign commercial pilot license to a US commercial pilot certificate is not possible. That change took place about 20 years ago. You can get a US private pilot certificate based on a foreign pilot commercial license, but you cannot get a US commercial pilot certificate with it.

    At that point, if you haven’t taken the standard US instrument tests (written and practical test), you have to back up and do that. That you give you a US private pilot certificate based on a foreign license with “US TEST PASSED” for the instrument rating. Then with that certificate you can take the test for a US commercial pilot certificate and if you pass it, you will be issued a US commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating that does not have the words “based on a foreign pilot license” on it.

    One other little twist in all of this. If you are flying on a US certificate that is issued on the basis of a foreign pilot license, your foreign pilot license must be current. If it expires, your US certificate is no longer valid even though it looks like it is.

    Clear as mud? Believe me, I get a headache whenever I think about foreign pilot licenses and there are more rules for ATP and different rules for Canada.

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  2. Jorge Parra on Dec 08, 2018

    thx for anwering.
    i asked about this because my dream is to become a pilot, i live in colombia and i might get sponsor by my parents. what im planing is to move to EU and get an EASA PPL ( this bc im young and i think it will be a nice experience to have a time in EU) after i get my PPL in EU i will move to US and get a FAA PPL certificate and upgrade to FAA CPL. what i want to know is that if I can get the FAA PPL certificate and base on that upgrade to FAA CPL?

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  3. KDS on Dec 08, 2018

    YOUR QUESTION: what i want to know is that if I can get the FAA PPL certificate and base on that upgrade to FAA CPL?

    ANSWER: Yes

    After that, you would study and take the US instrument rating test like anyone else who held a US private pilot certificate. After that, you would study and take the US commercial pilot certificate test like any American pilot. When you passed that commercial test, the words “BASED ON FOREIGN PILOT LICENSE” would drop off. At that point, if you are legal to work in America, you could seek employment as a commercial pilot just like any American even if you did not have a US citizenship.

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