Hi guys!
I’m trying to help a friend who just found out that his FAA 61.75 PPL based on his italian PPL licence is no more valid since the licence changed from JAA to EASA and so the number of the licence has changed.
Unfortunately, there was an “ad-hoc” procedure for this license codes changes from JAA to EASA but it expired on October 2018 so now you have to go through the whole verification process again.
He sent out all his documents yesterday to the FAA (since he is in a rush for a flight trip in USA) but he noticed that his EASA SEP was expired (he had already booked the SEP renewal in the first days of March in preparation for the trip) so I’m actually wondering as well if this is an issue in order to have a verification letter valid with the SEP rating expired. Of course, at the meeting with an inspector at the FSDO, he will have a valid SEP rating on the EASA Licence to show.
It’s just not clear if they just need to verify the status of the EASA licence itself or also the validity of the ratings for the emission of a verification letter.
Would be awesome to have you feedback on this!
Thanks,
Marco
In my experience they will point out his SEP has expired at the time of verification. The FSDO may still allow it if he validates but I think he could have a problem as how will they know it is truly valid?
@JasonC: Understand your point but think about this case (for example): you have your SEP expiring on April 1st 2019 → you send the request for the verification letter now and it’s approved and you have 6 months to go to the FSDO → you go to the FSDO on June 1st and you show them the SEP rating renewed on April 2nd 2019. I think that in this case they have to approve you the 61.75 FAA PPL even if the verified documents have changed.
I personally expirienced this case scenario with my medical licence: the one sent for the verification letter was expired at the time of the interview with the inspector and I showed the new one. They said it was ok.
No information about the rating validity period is transmitted by the national authority to the Airmen Certification Branch.
The restricted US private pilot certificate privileges are dictated by US regulations which import only limitations recorded on the face of the underlying parent licence. Once the certificate has been issued it is not necessary to maintain foreign aircraft ratings.
@Qalupalik: I agree with your statement (do you have a source for that?) but, just to clarify, I’m sure that my authority send my ratings status to the FAA for a foreign licence verification. I’m sure because in an old verification letter to which I applied a few years ago, there was this attachment sent from my italian authority:
Qalupalik wrote:
No information about the rating validity period is transmitted by the national authority to the Airmen Certification Branch.
That isn’t entirely correct. In my case an expired instrument rating was sent to the airman certification branch and highlighted in the letter. And I was told that had I tried to add it to my 61.75 with an IFP exam pass I would not have been able to.
@Mark0505, that was information given to me a year or so ago by one of the foreign verification agents at AFB 720. The agent went on to review my file and confirmed that there was no mention of rating expiration dates in the verification sent by UK CAA.
On 7th of this month I submitted another form AC 8060-71 to AFB 720 to update a US certificate on the basis of my Canadian licence. The verification letter, received a week later, states:
The Airmen Certification Branch only verified the applicant’s foreign license number, the level
of the license, and that the license has not been surrendered, suspended, revoked, or expired.
NOTE REGARDING EXPIRED RATINGS: Before exercising the privileges of the FAA pilot
certificate, the pilot must comply with the pertinent rules and requirements contained in 14 CFR
Part 61 and 14 CFR Part 91. (§61.56 flight review requirements, §61.57 recency of experience
requirements, §61.58 PIC proficiency check, §61.51 required logbook entries, etc.)
If the applicant is applying for an Airline Transport Pilot—Airplane Multiengine Class rating in
conjunction with a Type rating and using their foreign Commercial with Instrument privileges or
a foreign ATP license as the prerequisite, the applicant must hold either a current Airplane
Multiengine Class Rating or a current PIC Type Rating on the foreign license prior to taking the
FAA practical test. This is in accordance with the ATP Practical Test Standards (PTS) – FAA-S-
8081-5F.
Some ratings shown on a verification letter may not be eligible for conversion to an FAA
certificate. Airmen Certification has verified the authenticity of the applicant’s foreign license,
but the applicant MUST still provide appropriate documentation that the rating(s) held on the
foreign license parallel U.S. rating(s) in accordance with 14 CFR §61.5(b) or §63.33(a). The
Flight Standards District Office or Designated Examiner has the responsibility to determine if
the ratings on the foreign license conform to the appropriate Code of Federal Regulation.
If you wish to clarify this then call the foreign verification department, weekdays 07:30 — 15:45 CST, on +1 405 954 1890 or via the main number for AFB 720 on +1 866 878 2498 (option 1 then 6) or email fv2 # faa.gov.
Jason, the information provided by your authority seems to have been more generous than in my case. As mentioned, I pressed one of the agents on the phone on this point and asked her to examine the precise wording of UK CAA’s verification response. She read it aloud confirming there was no mention of rating expiration dates. There were two aircraft class ratings and an instrument rating listed and none was expired, which appears to be a material difference.
@Qalupalik: Thanks for your answer. I called today and yesterday the AFB at the posted phone numbers but the women who answered said that this was not possible and my friend had to request a new verification letter when he had his SEP rating renewed in his EASA licence. By the way, they did not sound quite sure at all, that’s why I’m asking here as well.
By the way, did anyone of the users recently requested a verification letter? How fast is the process? I noticed that they now added the option to receive it by email instead of post mail in the AC 8060-71 (thanks God). I hope that this option helps expediting the whole process. 2 Years ago I received mine by post mail just after 2 weeks after my application. That timing would be great as well.
I had a 61.75 issued in 1987, on my UK PPL. On retiring in 2006, and moving, the UK CAA gave me a new number. After paying the CAA to validate it with the FAA, I had a problem at the Denver FSDO, as I already had a 61.75, so could not be issued with one. Eventually, after phone calls, my 61.75 was revalidated on my new JAR number, ( but for life) PPL.
I definitely won’t be in the US with my latest EASA PPL until after whatever happens in late March.
