The goal: to be able to fly in the USA. The Seattle skyline…
The difference between flying in the USA and Europe was explained to me by an American instructor as:
In Europe it is “You can’t unless you can”, whereas in the USA it is “You can unless you can’t”.
The rules and regulations are similar but the attitude is different.
So, what do you need to do in order to experience this attitude and the magnificent country that is the USA?
Well as an EASA Part-FCL license holder, the answer is: not much.
But you need a bit of time and to plan ahead.
There’s information scattered all around the Internet about what to do to obtain your foreign license based FAA permit. As with all things license and law related my experience is that not even all officials and examiners know the rules to a T and sometimes the information you get is contradictory.
So here’s what I did.
- Consider when you want to go to the USA to fly and locate an FSDO in that general area. An FSDO is the Flight Standards District Office and is crucial to your final obtaining of the license.
I wanted to fly in Seattle as I was going there for work, but I only literally had the weekend upon arrival to do so, so I booked the only flight that arrived on Friday morning, figuring that being 6 months in advance I would be sure to book an appointment with the FSDO on Friday afternoon. It was a gamble from the get-go and I knew that everything had to come together perfectly: no flight delays, no long queues for immigration, the rental car had to be ready and then I might make it to the FSDO before closure at 4pm.
- Make a request for the FAA to certify your EASA license and medical. You do this by downloading the form
from the FAA website at:
https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/
Print it, fill it out, sign it and scan it together with all of your documents. If you are in doubt about what goes where, the following sample form can be helpful:
https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/sample.jpg
I scanned the form, my license and medical together into a single PDF and then sent it to “Oak City” as I found out later the main office for license validation is nicknamed for being located in Oklahoma.
You have your choices there of sending it via mail or fax, but living in the digital day and age I just emailed it to foreign-verification4@faa.gov and was happy enough to get a confirmation mail from them.
Then… you wait…
At one point a letter will drop on your doormat saying the FAA think your license is actually valid. This letter is your ticket to your license. Guard it with your life and above all, do not forget it when you travel to the USA.
The FAA tell you it may take anywhere from 45 to 90 days and they’re not lying. Consider yourself lucky if you receive your letter earlier than that.
- Now all you do is contact the FSDO you picked for an appointment to pick up your temporary license.
What they will do is check the “letter from Oak City”, fill out another form together with you, covering some of the same questions but also information about how many hours you’ve flown solo, cross-country, instrument, night etc. etc.
This form is the actual application for your license. If you’re curious about what it looks like, then you can find it here:
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Form/FAA_Form_8710-1.pdf
Oh and they will also want to know your eye color and height in feet and inches, as well as you weight, which I thought was the kicker part of it all.
Be aware that the verification letter from Oklahoma has a validity of 6 months only. Take this and the 45 to 90 days into account when planning your trip.
For me the “oh, no!” moment was when I contacted the FSDO in Seattle to reserve my Friday afternoon slot and they told me they only made appointments for license applications on Tuesdays and Thursdays, due to personnel shortage. They tried to find someone to come in on Friday specifically for me but it just didn’t work out.
Well, that’s it then, I thought. I tried and it didn’t pan out.
I had not counted on the helpfulness of the FSDO however. I can’t tell whether they are all this nice but the Seattle office went above and beyond and got me into contact with a local designated pilot examiner. It turns out, they can also apply for the license for you. The only caveat is that the FSDO do so for free and pilot examiners, well, you pay them. Best 50 dollars I ever spent…
So Friday afternoon my work colleagues and I found ourselves at a small Seattle airstrip waiting for the examiner to come in and help me apply for my license. I walked out an hour or so later with an insignificant piece of printer paper that said I could legally fly in the US. My colleagues looked at it with doubting eyes but trusted it enough to get into the plane with me next day.
Temporary license: it doesn’t look like much, but it’s legal and allows you to fly!
What’s the downside of going to a designated pilot examiner (other than possibly that they (rightfully) charge you for their services? Well, mine nearly ever did applications for foreign pilots so there was a bit of discussion on what was needed and what not.
You do not need an American medical for example. That is, as long as your European medical is valid. If that has expired, well, then you’re up for a trip to the US medical examiner.
Another thing is, that the limitations on your European license automatically apply to your US license. I do not have a night rating for example. During flight training in the US however you do do night flying and your PPL there allows you to fly VFR at night. My examiner was hesitant about signing off on my application because I did not have the number of night hours required by US law. To me, it was a non-issue. My Part-FCL license did not allow to fly after dark, so I wouldn’t be able to do so in the USA. The minimum night hour requirements for a US PPL in my opinion were not applicable to me. The FSDO confirmed that position by phone, my application was signed off on, and I was good to go.
Your more permanent and official looking creditcard sized green license will arrive to your home address weeks (months) after. Two months for me to be precise. That makes for three licenses on three continents in one year.
The real deal, sent to your home later.
More about getting yourself renters / non-owned aircraft insurance and actually flying in the USA (flight prep etc.) in blog posts to come.