JasonC wrote:
Why not get the certificate in Europe before you go? You can do a BFR here as well.
Where and how exactly? I’ve tried to research this issue, but have not found too much.
Search FAA website for DPEs in Europe. There are at least two in the UK. Any CFI can do your BFR.
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/ifo/nyc_ifo/dpe
Adam House who I have dealt with is very good.
JnsV wrote:
It seems that the process is much faster than the stated 45-90 days.
Nothing new. As long as you use fax. Good luck.
JasonC wrote:
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/ifo/nyc_ifo/dpeAdam House who I have dealt with is very good.
Thanks for the info. I’ll probably contact him, but it may not be easy (or cheap) for me to go to England on a separate trip.
Martin wrote:
Nothing new. As long as you use fax. Good luck.
Yes, I thought so, but even the best estimates out there were for a certainly longer (ca. 3 weeks) time period. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised with the turnaround time.
JnsV wrote:
It seems that the process is much faster than the stated 45-90 days.
Then you have a good aviation authority. When I went through the process with the DGAC for validating my EASA IR and have it entered on my FAA certificate, it took more than two months. I started the procedure the same day I received my IR (which was also more than one month after the test), and then called a few times to get the process going again. The DGAC first wait for the FAA to contact them, then they start to contact the “Pôle médical” to validate the medical. This took a few weeks, and then the process was stalled because the person at the DGAC in charge of validations was on holiday. Then the problem was that I had to pay through a portal where you put the required service into a “shopping cart”, then check out, and when you have paid send them the confirmation number. But this was not in the initial list of documents to provide with your application, so I didn’t know about it. Only when I called they said “we haven’t processed your application because it is not paid”. Then I got the response that the verification had been sent to the FAA, but the FAA hadn’t received anything. Apparently, they use Outlook and mark the e-mails in different colors in their inbox. When you call, they search for your name but often you hear “no, I cannot find any file on you”… It is straight out of “The Twelve Tasks of Asterix” where he has to get Permit A 38.
In the end, only two weeks before I left it was done. You can ask the FAA to send the validation letter by e-mail and not by post, which saves another week.
My original experience for validating my PPL one year earlier was similar.
172driver wrote:
Nope, this one isn’t open yet and in any case will be miles away from KSMO. Drive or get an Uber.
One bit of useless information: If you get an Uber to SMO, make sure to check with the driver on which side he will drop you off. I made the experience that entering the correct address and setting the destination mark on the map is not enough. We parked at American Flyers, but the driver thought he was smarter than that and drove us to Atlantic Aviation. Once in front of it I pointed out that this was not where we’re going and he said “I always drop people off here for the airport” – yeah, but not us. It’s about 10 minutes to drive around the airport afterwards to get to the other side.
Martin wrote:
Nothing new. As long as you use fax.
Actually that was another gotcha on my first validation. I had sent the documents by fax, but the licence number on the French PPLs is so small that it is impossible to read on a 200 dpi scan. The FAA had told me that they couldn’t read it by e-mail, but it got eaten by my SPAM filter. Only when I called them 6 weeks after my initial application I found out that I had to start the process again and get back in line. They also provided me with their e-mail address to send the scanned documents. I would highly recommend using e-mail attachments and not fax.
JnsV wrote:
Yes, I thought so, but even the best estimates out there were for a certainly longer (ca. 3 weeks) time period. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised with the turnaround time.
I remember one “report” where it took three weeks, but that included trip to the USA, taking the exams and an appointment at FSDO, IIRC. Fax eliminates snail mail, FAA is clearly typically capable of fast processing, which leaves your NAA (and some luck). If they employ clowns that take a month to do the validation (or are hopelessly understaffed), you’re out of luck. 
Rwy20 wrote:
They also provided me with their e-mail address to send the scanned documents.
Sure, e-mail is an option. However, I wasn’t sure off-hand whether FAA accepts documents by it for licence validation. And fax machines don’t have spam filters (although they probably use some sort of fax2email solution).
Rwy20 wrote:
Then you have a good aviation authority.
Yes, indeed, it seems to be one of the few authorities in my post-communist country that actually try to help their clients. I got my Hungarian license in 7 days from submitting the documents and they have replied to FAA in two days and corrected their mistake in another two.
Rwy20 wrote:
You can ask the FAA to send the validation letter by e-mail and not by post, which saves another week.
How can you request it? On the form you can request it either by fax or post, but there is no option to get it in e-mail. And while I have been in touch with them by e-mail, they only sent the verification letter by fax.
Martin wrote:
Sure, e-mail is an option. However, I wasn’t sure off-hand whether FAA accepts documents by it for licence validation.
Yes, it is a bit confusing, because the form states that you have to submit it by post or fax, while on the website e-mail is also listed as an option.
JnsV wrote:
How can you request it? On the for you can request it either by fax or post, but there is no option to get it in e-mail.
They offered me this when I called them. Maybe if you e-mail them that request it would work as well. But since you already have it by fax, you’re fine.
Martin wrote:
However, I wasn’t sure off-hand whether FAA accepts documents by it for licence validation.
I can confirm that they do. Whilst on my first validation attempt, they only gave me the e-mail address over the phone because the fax option didn’t work, now they also list it on their website as @JnsV stated.
