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FAA CPL to EASA PPL theory test questions

Good Day,

I am a silly American that decided to come to Europe with his airplane, and I am nervously looking at the derogated requirement for an EASA license coming up again in April, and I decided I should get moving on an EASA conversion. I have an FAA CPL (no instrument), and an EASA PPL would do just fine. I have about 1000 hours.

I am told I need to take Human Factors and Air Law. Here in Spain, the flight school quoted about €1500 in ground school for test prep (seriously???). Are there any online options anyone recommends? I did my CPL ground school online in the USA for $149 using Gleim… English language school and testing would be ideal.

If I do an online test prep, does that conflict with using the local flight school for the rest of the job? I understand the ATO concept here is tricky.

Thanks for any advice and help.

I don’t know what the requirements are in your specific case.
About distance learning I’ve heard of Oxford http://www.caeoaa.com/ and Bristol https://www.bristol.gs/ which are UK based schools.

Regarding the CAA, it can indeed sometimes be a bit tricky, but I find EASA rule have simplified a bit.
For example, I hold a french PPL and for my IR I did the theory in France (distance learning with Mermoz + exams in France) and all the practical in Luxembourg including the test (but IRE had to be endorsed by French CAA and on second attempt it was actually a French inspector acting as my IRE.

I also know that in Luxembourg there is only one ATO/FTO and that they use Bristol for the theory. I don’t know the exact arrangement for the theory exams themselves.

ELLX (Luxembourg), Luxembourg

hypoxiacub wrote:

If I do an online test prep, does that conflict with using the local flight school for the rest of the job? I understand the ATO concept here is tricky.

There is a minimum number of classroom hours mandatory for every course, even if you do the course itself by distance learning. Depending on the business model of the flying school (some generate income from ground school to help them keep the cost for flying down, others calculate higher flying cost and might do the ground school for free) the prices vary considerably. The one you found in Spain obviously charges the full cost of the ground school, independently of how many days you actually attend. Personally, I think that it is legitimate because they have to pay the classroom and the instructor for the full time of the course and just divide that cost by the average number of students. I think smaller schools can hardly do it differently. A large school will probably charge you less because they have their integrated ATPL courses which pay all the fixed cost. Every additional attendee is just a little extra bonus for them (“my” school does it that way).

EDDS - Stuttgart

If you are in spain, have you checked with this school? Mentions homestudy …

http://www.fly-in-spain.com/Conversion-training/PPL-conversion.php

ESOW Västerås, Sweden

what_next wrote:

There is a minimum number of classroom hours mandatory for every course

Is that new with EASA / ATOs ? When I did mine in the UK, 7 years ago, there were no mandatory classroom (and didn’t have to do any dodgy signing for hours I didn’t do) hours. The only things discussed with any sort of instructor were the pre-flight briefings.

Noe wrote:

Is that new with EASA / ATOs ?

In Germany that was always so. Classroom time was mandatory. AFAIK with EASA the classroom time is gone, but the authority approved training syllabi of most FTOs include classroom time. At least ours does. One of the reasons is that commercial schools want a high pass rate at the exams which is good for their reputation.

EDDS - Stuttgart

Noe wrote:

Is that new with EASA / ATOs ? When I did mine in the UK, 7 years ago, there were no mandatory classroom (and didn’t have to do any dodgy signing for hours I didn’t do) hours.

EASA has a general rule that you have to do at least 10 % of theoretical knowledge instruction in a classroom. However, there is no TKI prescribed for conversion of an ICAO licence AFAIK.

I would ask the NAA. If they let you take the exams on your own, it’s just a question of what you need to prepare yourself (I would go for a book, question bank and perhaps ask a local ground instructor).

Last Edited by Martin at 08 Nov 14:26

what_next wrote:

Depending on the business model of the flying school (some generate income from ground school to help them keep the cost for flying down, others calculate higher flying cost and might do the ground school for free) the prices vary considerably

Some do only ground school

Mermoz in France is one of them
It seems Bristol in UK is also one of them

The thing is that none of them have specific courses to convert fromm FAA to EASA licences where the requirements are problaly less that a full training for the equivalent licence.

Mind you, in France for a PPL you could go to an air-club and see what they say ! (they are all non-profit organisations)
The drawback is that they mostly speak… french
When I did my PPL in France (under JAR) I never had any formal ground course.
I read the “standard” book that you buy, had briefing sessions and question to my FI when I was going to fly and a MCQ book, and when I was ready I just went…

ELLX (Luxembourg), Luxembourg

Im the UK, you would typically sign up with a school or club, do some self study, sit the exams for a small exam fee 20-40 pounds is usual, do some familiarisation training and then a skills test. job done, in this context charging for non-existent ground school is unusual.

Biggin Hill

There was a proposal for mandatory classroom for the EASA PPL.

We had a thread on it but I can’t find it.

The proposal was abandoned.

So now you can totally self study, and turn up and sit the exams for something like £25 each.

My younger son is doing this right now.

Some PPL schools do an informal ground school and you might pay say £10 for the evening. But this isn’t necessary for a candidate who already knows about flying; nearly all of the material is irrelevant if you can fly around with a pilot.

There is mandatory classroom time for the IR (about 1 week of classroom time) and for the CPL (something similar – previous threads e.g. here and here)

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Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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