Canadian CPL to FAA PPL

[YYB Pilot]

Has anyone tried to obtain an american pilots license using your Canadian License at all? I am interested in obtaining just a Private License for the states cause the only flying I will be doing into the US is via GA Flying only. I was on the FAA website and "tried" reading there reg's and rules for foreign pilots. It outlines all sorts of things you must do but then contradicts itself if you are a ICAO member of a certain State of the British Commenwelth and so on and so forth.
I was wondering what the process is basically for me to apply for a FAA certificate? I found the application form on the site and wasnt sure if I had to do all this in person or send the form and copies of all the required documents to one of there field offices closest to our border I would suppose. They then said you would either recieve a letter of validaiton or confirmation. Or possibly if you were a member of one of there many ICAO states your are under skilled as compared to US regualtions, you would then have to take a practical test and knowledge test. Or you would recieve your license no questions asked, with the remark "U.S. Test Passed" stamped on it. A instructor of mine said he has his FAA license and it states specifically "Converted on basis of Canadian License standards" He has all the ratings and license for our country except ATPL but the states would only grant him a PPL with certain ratings being applied.

Can someone clear all this up for me who went throught he process! Thanks..

 

[Laser]

It is not a big deal, although it is a little more complicated post-Sept. 11th:

(1) Go to the FAA website and you will find an "Alert" link reading "Foreign Pilots: U.S. Certification".
(2) Download the "Verification of Authenticity of Foreign License, Rating, and Medical Certification" form.
(3) Complete and sign the form and send it off to Oklahoma City.
(4) When you receive an e-mail message from Oklahoma City (takes about 2-3 weeks), contact the FSDO where you will attend in person (note: you are required to designate the individual office in your Verficiation form) and schedule an appointment.
(4) Attend at the FSDO at the appointed time, complete your application form, allow them to copy your Canadian license (note: they do not care about your logbook).
(5) The FSDO will issue you a temporary "Airman''s Certificate" valid for 90 days.
(6) you will receive your permanent certificate in the mail.

 

[Laser]

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A instructor of mine said he has his FAA license and it states specifically "Converted on basis of Canadian License standards". He has all the ratings and license for our country except ATPL but the states would only grant him a PPL with certain ratings being applied.
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This is standard. The piggyback US certificate will permit you to fly whatever kinds of aircraft are on your Canadian license (multi-engine, seaplanes, balloons, etc.). However, in order to obtain commercial or instrument flying privileges you would have to pass a flight test(s) and a written exam(s).

I should add that all pilots flying US-registered aircraft are required to complete a Flight Review (previously known as a Biennial Flight Review or "BFR") every two years. This involves a minimum of one hour of flight instruction and one hour of ground instruction; see further FAR §61.56.

 

[schteevie]

I converted my Canadian PPL to a US PPL last year.

My intention was to rent an American registered plane for some private flying while on a business trip in the US.

The BFR was a source of much debate as I did the research and talked to various US instructors and other people leading up to dealing with this...

In the end, here is what I found out...

The BFR is NOT required (for private pilots atleast.)

I called the nearest FSDO and made an appointement with an FAA examiner.
he was very friendly and helpful.
I needed to bring my Current PPL and medical, passport and or birth certificate, and I think that was it.
A week or so later, I took a day trip and drove down there, met with the examiner for about an hour, and did all the paper work and got my 90 day temp US PPL issued on the spot.
No test or anything - more like an interview asking about what I intended to do, etc...

The conditions are that the US issued "reciprical" license is based on the same limitations as your Canadian permit - this includes medical, ratings etc.
For instance, if you are under 40 as a Canadian, you have the 5 year medical, even theough an American private pilot is limited to the 2 year medical.
bottom line - as long as your Canadian license is current - so is your US reciprical.

When I got to my destination - the local fight school was happy with my paper work, and after a short checkout and a briefing with an instructor about the local area, I had a great little x-country trip.

I'm sure this will cause some debate - but as of last year almost exactly 12 months ago, this is how it worked.

if you are interested in the story of my flight read the thread I created about it:

[url="http://www.caaviation.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=257&sessionID={AF177671-0666-442F-AAB2-2680BCB57EFC}"]http://www.caaviation.com/idealbb/view.asp...2-2680BCB57EFC}[/URL]}

 

[Laser]

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The BFR is NOT required (for private pilots at least.)
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I think that this is technically wrong (the FARs don''t mention any exemption for foreigh pilots who meet their home countries'' currency/recency requirements), but it is admittedly a grey area. I have found that different FSDOs have very different interpretations of the FARs, and if you can find one that accepts the argument that you don''t need a BFR because you meet the requirements of CARs 401.05(1) and (2), great. I can confirm that I have a friend who successfully argued the point in Nevada, so schteevie''s experience is not unique.

In any case, ultimately the person that you have to satisfy is not an FAA rep, but the FBO who is going to rent you the airplane. If he or she insists that you need a BFR before renting, that''s pretty much conclusive!

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For instance, if you are under 40 as a Canadian, you have the 5 year medical, even theough an American private pilot is limited to the 2 year medical.
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This is simply incorrect. The five year medical is not in accordance with ICAO standards, and if you take a careful look at your Canadian medical certificate, you will see that the five year limit is expressly stated to be invalid for flight outside of Canadian airspace.

 

[schteevie]

I knew this would cause a debate...



As for the medical - I specificly addressed that issue with more then one FAA source, and they said as long as my Canadian permit was current, I was fine - I even reminded them that we had the 5 year medical now.
However, I am fully prepared to admit that the US officials don''t tend to know or care about specific updates and changes to Canadian regs...

Anyway - regarding the BFR; yes, it is true that the FBO is where the buck stops.
But, an interesting issue to think about, is that regardless of what you can "get away with", the insurance company will be the real trouble spot; when you need to make that rare freak claim after bending a plane or worse, they could argue you were in violation having not had a BFR, and you might be left with no coverage...

So in the end - Despite what some FAA person assures you, it is your responsability to make sure you are legal.

I am currious to get more info from others about the BFR issue...

thnx

 

[Laser]

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An interesting issue to think about, is that regardless of what you can "get away with", the insurance company will be the real trouble spot; when you need to make that rare freak claim after bending a plane or worse, they could argue you were in violation having not had a BFR, and you might be left with no coverage...
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Agreed.

Actually the BFR requirement should not be that difficult to meet. Most FBOs will make you fly a dual checkout (approx. one hour) before you can rent solo, so you may as well pay for one hour of ground instruction and get the BFR sticker in your logbook; that way there is no debate about your legal position, if you have an accident or are ''ramped'' by a local FAA inspector whose interpretation of the FARs is different from the FSDO where you rented the aircraft.