Dougal wrote:
ut I’ve given up waiting for the bilateral US-EASA PPL agreement to happen and want to start flying again…
If you live in the UK, see if you can get a non-EASA annex II aircraft – you can fly those on any ICAO PPL without any paperwork to complete.
Dougal wrote:
The idea of doing my PPL effectively for the 3rd time does not really appeal (seems like I’m on a treadmill) but I’ve given up waiting for the bilateral US-EASA PPL agreement to happen and want to start flying again…
Find an N-reg rental where you are, do a flight review and off you go until April 2019. Accumulate 100 hrs total time before then and convert to EASA.
How many hours of Instrument instruction time done in the US could be credited for CBIR ? I don’t understand in the regulation if it would be 30 or 15 hours out of 40.
Just wondering if a intensive week of IR training in the US is worth it to begin a CB IR.
Up to 30hrs of the CB-IR can be done with a freelance IRI – various threads e.g. here.
I am not aware of a rule saying this time must be done in EU owned airspace.
The first problem will be finding an EASA IRI in the USA. Can anyone find the exact wording which stipulates the IRI? Maybe an FAA CFII would do; that would transform the situation.
The other aspect is whether you need TSA approval or the flight training M1 Visa. You are just going out there on a holiday and popping into a plane with an instructor in the RHS and do some “flying around”, not training towards any US paperwork so IMHO probably not, especially if you don’t advertise it 
A very interesting option!
There are some ATOs who offer EASA training in the US but it seems you have to do the test in EU-airspace for an EASA IR?
I meant flying with a pure US CFII. Just to enjoy the US infrastructure and way of teaching while learning he basics of instrument flying. If not an EASA IRI, I understand only 15 hrs can be credited but can anyone confirm ? Did anyone ever did that ?
Yep, a visa and TSA approval is needed for any flight training, even if no rating to passed. And only approved schools can train foreigners. Of course, that’s only the theory as you mentioned :) But I don’t want anyone to be in trouble with the TSA or other federal agencies.
EASA schools in the US tend to be as expensive as EU ones. Looks like a ripoff to me.
Jujupilote wrote:
Yep, a visa and TSA approval is needed for any flight training, even if no rating to passed. And only approved schools can train foreigners.
I guess you mean training as in if you don’t have the rating yet and do part of the training (without test).
I’ve done several flights with instructors, VFR and IFR, and only had to show my passport. One of them was a freelance. Didn’t do any sort of VISA or fingerprinting.
Yes I guess you can do a few flights « unofficially », but 15 hours to be credited towards a CB IR, I would prefer to do things properly.
If you could credit 30hours, it would be more worth it.
The Visa requirement states 15hrs/week, IIRC.
The key thing is that the US immigration/etc requirement is completely decoupled from what ends up in your logbook. I know a UK guy who did the whole thing including an FAA ATP, in a little “mom and pop” Part 61 school, without any of this. OK… he definitely bent the rules, but his ATP etc is 100% valid.
If you can get 30hrs done this way it will save you a lot of money and will teach you a lot because US IFR training tends to be really rigorous. I did my IR out there, Arizona, flew 2x a day, and was completely shagged every day. But then I was much older than you are now 
Jujupilote wrote:
Yes I guess you can do a few flights « unofficially », but 15 hours to be credited towards a CB IR
Yes, you need visa/tsa for faa ppl, faa ir, faa cpl, faa atp licences/ratings well before you start training (with or without test), not sure about doing faa type ratings? but I don’t think you will need visa/tsa for other flights/training?
It seems, you don’t need visa/tsa for issue of a faa 61.75, do bfr or flight check/area familiarization/aircraft conversion flights
I think for an EASA training in the US you don’t need visa/tsa but it will will be hard to sell that to US immigration, if you fly more than 2h a day in flight school, so better just sort all of it before going as you may change your mind…
For PUT hours that counts toward CB-IR, there is a myth that you need all of them with an EASA IRI but irrespective what anyone says, the final decision to count them will be with your final ATO, also they may push for anything from 10h to 40h, so better speak to them before heading to the US?
(I had already a similar situation in the UK with an ATO: “can do IRR with guy XYZ and you will count them for a CBIR? they say yes”)
EASA schools in the US tend to be quit pricey (same any FAA related stuff is expensive outside the US), but I honestly, really don’t understand why one will skip FAA licences/ratings if he is already there and opt for EASA instead? It will be very hard to find a decent EU-reg aircraft around…
