Yes, I agree it is about more than fees. It is also about how difficult it is to schedule a Skill Test, and about who is in charge on this – EU or the CAA.
Yeah – the €800-1k is not significant in the overall scheme.
The #1 factor would be an assurance that NDB procedures won’t be tested.
This isn’t possible in the UK – regardless of the rumour that there are now only four CAA staff examiners left, which just means you will be using “industry examiners” booked via the CAA.
It used to be possible at Fly in Spain (FIS) at Jerez (and I know some people who did their 15hr conversion there, in 1 week, with the very good Brit instructor who later had a swim near Hawaii) but pilot forum rumour now suggests FIS is controlled from the UK (was Austria?) so that option will be gone and they will be like the other outfit at Jerez which is 100% Brit-run.
It may be possible in Greece and I would phone up Egnatia – unlikely to get a reply by email, to this or any other question, IME.
Without that assurance you are probably looking at 20hrs’ training. Doesn’t have to be at an FTO of course. If you are just converting, you could do it with your granny. Actually that comment is probably close to the mark 
In my FAA IR (Arizona, 2006) I spent 2 weeks banging VOR/LOC/GS stuff, with an immense workload bordering on silly, and would have done brilliantly in a “classical IFR” test in the UK if NDBs were missing – but only if I had done it within a week of finishing that IR.
In the UK, the test is booked via the CAA although I guess if you are hanging around an FTO they will make the phone call for you. When I did my 15hr conversion in 2012 I phoned up a Gatwick number and paid the ~ £800 with a credit card, which at the time was extremely unusual (it was ~100% FTO-only).
… and taken back?
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The page you were looking for cannot be found.
Unbelievable!
Fortunately I had a copy at home, downloaded this morning, so I uploaded it to my space and updated the above link.
Maybe there is an embarrassing error in the document…
Veryvery good! Thanks Peter!
Maybe they just found out that someone at EASA put a little April’s fool somewhere in the document just before release? :-)
At a quick glance I see no mention of the conversion route for ICAO IR holders with respect to the Theoretical knowledge.
I might have missed it, and would be pleased if I have
I knew it was in the rule, Bookworm, but I thought there would be something in the AMC on what/how theoretical knowledge would be examined in the test. The flying side is detailed so I expected the same on the oral. Obviously I was wrong!
