PPL across the midwest?

[David Perry]

Heres the thought...I want to go to America, buy a plane (yes, it has to
be a biplane, probably, almost certainly, a Stolp Starduster Too) and
then fly the thing from one side to the other, tracing the route of
Bach, author of Reluctant Messiah and Jonathan Livingston Seagul). Of
course he may not have been on the route I want to take, it doesnt
matter. I want to fly over endless corn fields, see the rockies, waft
over the midwest and land at many small and different airfields.
Finally, dismantle my plane and ship it home. (No, not flying it home,
been there done that and it's scary).

I know the issues the PFA have with importing US aeroplanes, so thats
not a problem - my question is this: how easy is it likely to be to get
my UK ATPL converted to a US PPL and actually be allowed to fly across
the US? Anyone done it? Are they likely to issue an IR as well?

David

[hannu]

Post by David Perry
Heres the thought...I want to go to America, buy a plane (yes, it has to
be a biplane, probably, almost certainly, a Stolp Starduster Too) and
then fly the thing from one side to the other, tracing the route of
Bach, author of Reluctant Messiah and Jonathan Livingston Seagul). Of
course he may not have been on the route I want to take, it doesnt
matter. I want to fly over endless corn fields, see the rockies, waft
over the midwest and land at many small and different airfields.
Finally, dismantle my plane and ship it home. (No, not flying it home,
been there done that and it's scary).
I know the issues the PFA have with importing US aeroplanes, so thats
not a problem - my question is this: how easy is it likely to be to get
my UK ATPL converted to a US PPL and actually be allowed to fly across
the US? Anyone done it? Are they likely to issue an IR as well?
David

Sounds good !! Hopefully you can fullfill your dream. I had an own cessna
150 there 20 years ago and flew all over the country for a year. Later I've
been there twice by renting a c152 from Florida and flying with my wife to
Seattle and back. The last time was a month before the famous terrorist
attacks - so I don't know if it still is as easy as it used to be. On those
days it was really nice and free and easy to fly anywhere. No flight plans
needed etc. As I'm from Finland, I don't know about converting your licence,
but probably it is just a visit to the local FAA office where they will
write to you a temporary licence and later mail the final one. And that one
will always be good for the whole life: you only have to pass the medical
and the flight review to get it valid any day - no matter how long it's gone
since the last time.

The only problem which I know you to find is that their rules state that a
us-registered plane can be owned by only us citizens or people having some
other permit to stay there more or less permanently. A visitor is not
allowed to register a plane. But if you have some friend there, who could be
the official owner, that would be a way around. Or perhaps you can find
something else.

I bought my plane at a place where everybody simply presumed that I was
citizen and they signed the papers without checking it.. luckily. But that
much of luck is rare..

hannu

[Borat]

Post by David Perry
Heres the thought...I want to go to America, buy a plane (yes, it has to
be a biplane, probably, almost certainly, a Stolp Starduster Too) and
then fly the thing from one side to the other, tracing the route of
Bach, author of Reluctant Messiah and Jonathan Livingston Seagul). Of
course he may not have been on the route I want to take, it doesnt
matter. I want to fly over endless corn fields, see the rockies, waft
over the midwest and land at many small and different airfields.
Finally, dismantle my plane and ship it home. (No, not flying it home,
been there done that and it's scary).
I know the issues the PFA have with importing US aeroplanes, so thats
not a problem - my question is this: how easy is it likely to be to get
my UK ATPL converted to a US PPL and actually be allowed to fly across
the US? Anyone done it? Are they likely to issue an IR as well?
David

|Here the info for converting a licence

http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/foreign_license_verification/

To get an IR issued on the licence you need to take a foreign IR holder test
50 questions from the IR question bank - here
http://www.faa.gov/education_research/testing/airmen/test_questions/media/ira.pdf

you can do the test in the UK at Flight Safety in Farnborough.

The best thing you can do is read FAR Part 61 which will tell you in detail
what you would have to do. I could do it all for you but as an ATPL I am
sure you can work it out for yourself.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/14cfr61_03.html

As to owning an aircraft, unless you have residency you cannot.

[David Perry]

Thanks both for the info. I'm sure I'll fathom it in time for the trip
which I am hoping will be within the next two or three years. Thats when
we reckon we'll have the time and the money to go anyway.

I guess that the onl;y way to get round the ownership issue is to find
the plane i want and place the money for it in escrow - to be paid on
return and sale or death and destruction.

It sounds like a sugar candy dream doesnt it (to use a nice pukey US
phrase) but it's something I have fancied doing for a while now.

Thanks guys.

david

[Peter]

Post by Borat
As to owning an aircraft, unless you have residency you cannot.

Don't you have to be a U.S. *citizen* to own an N-reg?

There are plenty of non-US-resident US-citizen pilots who own N-reg
airplanes.

There is no doubt that as an Englishman you could simply buy an N-reg
airplane but the CofA or CofR would be invalid unless the owner meets
the ownership requirement. This happened, I believe, in a well known
case many years ago where the insurer refused to pay out and the
wealthy estate of the pilot was cleaned out by the dependants of the
passengers. I tried to find out more (out of curiosity) but nobody was
willing to part with the information; nevertheless it appeared that
this is what must have happened.