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EASA-FAA bilateral pilot licensing treaty (BASA)

A German friend competed this process today (for stand-alone FAA pilot certificate and instrument rating) while staying with my wife and I in the US. The FAA Advisory Circular also linked above by @Caba provides details. A few notes from his experience follow.

Completing the IACRA process properly beforehand for validating the EU license and ratings is important to make things go smoothly. When he eventually met FAA examiner (DPE) he was complementary here and this was helpful.

The two written tests for Private certificate and IR have to be taken at an approved testing center in the US. My friend was able to get immediate online appointments for both a few days apart by being willing to drive a little. The exams are dedicated to the BASA process and a limited subset of the standard Private and IR writtens. They only cover areas that differ in the US versus Europe.

If you’re converting an instrument rating (IR) you need an instrument proficiency check (IPC) with a CFII. This can be combined with the Flight Review required by all applicants, at the discretion of the CFII. Separate flights are not required for IPC and Flight Review but the CFII must provide separate logbook endorsements for each. This is a good thing to get straight with the CFII before any instruction. My friend had a young and inexperienced instructor who was nervous about this (and a lot of other things) even after being shown the relevant portion of the AC.

Acclimatization flying is required for the IR conversion (as described by the AC) unless you have 10 hrs under IFR within the US OR 100 hrs under IFR anywhere.

When you’re finished with written testing and IPC/FR you bring your logbook and all required papers to a meeting with the DPE and after review he issues a temporary pilot certificate. In my friends case it was useful to bring along a copy of AC. The DPE asked why there was no logbook entry for the discrete Flight Review flight (not required) and why he hadn’t completed any acclimatization flying in the US on this trip (he flew more than 10 hrs IFR in the US during his 2023 Oshkosh transatlantic flight and he has more than 100 hrs total IFR time).

You do not fly with the DPE or take any skill tests (check rides).

Last Edited by Silvaire at 24 Jan 01:07

In case this has not been posted before, TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES – LICENSING is the latest version of the FAA-EASA treaty.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

But you still need to pass the theory exam in the US…

Yeah, but that´s not a problem, I´ll just wait till things have improved. However, it´s much easier to get hold of a CFII than of a DPE. Also cheaper I guess.

EDFE, EDFZ, KMYF, Germany

But you still need to pass the theory exam in the US…

EGTR

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-143.pdf
local copy

The FAA has issued an AC describing the process. Given the current COVID restrictions I guess nobody has tried it yet? I´m looking to convert my FCL instrument rating to an FAA IR. According to the TIP-L you´d have to fly with an IPC with an examiner, but this Circular says a CFII would be enough. That would be a significant improvement.

EDFE, EDFZ, KMYF, Germany

Apparently the quoted text is for converting US certificates and ratings to EASA Part-FCL equivalents. Therefore the testing will be done with EASA Part-FCL examiners.

The time limit applies only to US ratings issued after annex 3 to the BASA was adopted, eg after 19 Nov 2020.

The agreement is of very limited relevance to pilots residing in the UK, US, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, etc.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Pilots residing outside the EU who wish to convert US pilot ratings, issued on or after 19 Nov 2020, to the EASA Part-FCL equivalent under the US-EU agreement on pilot licensing (link) should be aware of the time limits prescribed in point 2.1.3(c) of the Technical Implementation Procedures–Licensing.

London, United Kingdom

Amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011

Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 is amended as follows:

(1) in Article 12(4), ‘20 June 2021’ is replaced by ‘20 June 2022’;

(2) Annexes I, VI and VII are amended in accordance with Annex I to this Regulation;

(3) Annexes I and VI are corrected in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.

Rochester, UK, United Kingdom

Worth noting this treaty does not apply to a number of countries including the UK:

From here

Note on the territorial applicability of the EU-US BASA
Article 12 of the EU-US BASA defines that the Agreement applies to “[…] the United States civil aviation regulatory system as applied in the territory of the United States of America, and on the other hand, to the European Community civil aviation regulatory system as applied in the territories in which the Treaty establishing the European Community is applied […]”. Therefore the Agreement does not apply to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are EASA Member States and Members of the EASA Management Board, but are not Member States of the European Union.

It also won’t apply to the UK.

It will be interesting whether the implementing countries will actually, ahem, implement it i.e. incorporate the provisions into their own procedures for license and rating conversion

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

chflyer wrote:

Yes but if, for example, one resides and is flying an N-reg in EASA-land then my understanding is that the currency / recency requirements need to be met for both the FAA certificate (since one is exercising the privileges of that certificate) AND the EASA licence (e.g. yearly IR revalidation).

Yes: That is how I read the new regulations too.

Rochester, UK, United Kingdom
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