FAA checkride in Europe are starting at 3200Euros plus expenses (price as of 2022), if there are two students they can split some of the bills but 2kE is the lowest you can get away with (2×2×2kE for CPL+IR and two sudents)
I am likely going to Florida for mine in October 
Not only that; any long term “student” of a certain website will know the reams of red ink in 24pt font telling everybody that such and such training is not acceptable… Actually the cost was the smallest problem, especially as most of the customers were time-poor and cash-rich.
Are we sure this does not affect flight review and IPC
You don’t need or use a DPE for those.
Even the material here mentions only examiners (DPEs and FAA salaried ones).
A DPE can do a BFR or IPC; I used to know a pilot who wanted everything gold plated and that was what he did! He then dropped out of flying.
Are we sure this does not affect flight review and IPC
They are done “over the counter” !
There are no FAA employee or FAA paperwork involved in BFR/IPC? there is no FAA federal budget, or Congress handouts or taxpayer money paid for non-US citizens during BFR/IPC? But that’s crazy; it’s like booking the £800 UK CAA IR examiner to reval your PPL class rating, which is entirely possible.
That’d also mean that type rating recurrencies need to be done in the US? As far as I know, companies like FlightSafety also did FAA recurrencies outside the US…?
@Snoopy training towards your FAA certificate can (or could?) be done in Europe. One example is Orbifly where you would fly on an EASA registered aircraft with an FAA CFI/CFII towards completion of your training for e.g. a stand-alone FAA CPL. That way, you don’t need to apply for a visa for flight training in the US as doing a theory exam or practical exam in the US is not training.
BerlinFlyer wrote:
As far as I know, companies like FlightSafety also did FAA recurrencies outside the US…?
Not 100% sure, but I don’t think you need a DPE for that.
You don’t need to use Orbifly. Any ICAO FI can perform the training, in any reg aircraft, outside the US.
Where Orbifly came in was that they had an “understanding” with a well known DPE living in Europe that if they do this and this and that in just the right way, he will accept it, and then he would do the checkride. So they deliver[ed] a microwave-ready package for cash-rich and time-poor individuals (who make up the bulk of the N-reg/IR/serious-flying community in Europe) where the customer could be assured that even though the DPE’s website was plastered in 24pt red ink listing 100 things he will not accept, going via Orbifly would deliver the goods.
If you do training in Europe and then go to the US for the final 5 hrs (not actually sure if the 5hrs with an FAA CFI/CFII is a requirement now, but it was for many years, including when I was doing my FAA CPL/IR) and the checkride, you don’t need Orbifly. You can do training as required (but meeting the FAA logbook requirements) with any ICAO FI. As I wrote above, many previous threads.
