I'm new here so, first of all, hello everybody. I hold a JAA CPL and Instruments rating and I need to go to the USA to do some night time hour building. Does anyone know if a european pilot can fly in the USA night visual with a FAA private pilote licence based on his european licence? The thing is that FAA PPL pilots can fly night visual, but we JAA pilots can't. And the FAA PPL certificate based on a foreign licence requires the pilot to adhere to the limitations of his/her foreign pilot license even when exercising the privileges of his/her U.S. pilot certificate. I've been talking this with US pilots and it's quite confuse, some say it can be done, others say it can't. Does anyone have experience with this?
No you can't unless you hold a night rating in your JAR license.
Even though there is no VFR night rating in the US and every PPL holder has this privilege, FAR 61.75 based FAA licenses contain the statement "restrictions of the UK license apply" on the backside and if your original license does not let you do VFR at night, you can't do it with your FAA license.
The last place I rented in the US specifically wanted to check my JAR license for the VFR night qualification before letting me take off at night. Most people in the US probably don't know about this restriction and would let you have the plane but you're flying without a license in that case.
Victo,
If I am correct you have a JAA/CPL IR with no restrictions on it (i.e. you are licensed to fly at night). The FAA will therefore issue you with a piggyback PPL with no restrictions other than it will not include an IR unless you do the Foreign Pilot IR knowledge test.
Even though you don't have a night rating, you still have the night privilege based on your IR training so do not have a Day Only restriction. Many/Some European PPLs have licences that are restricted to Day Only and that is a restriction that would equally apply to the US licence.
Hi Achimha, thanks for your reply. Actually I have the instruments rating, so I can fly at night, would this be enough? I ask this because the pilots of my country who don't have the Instruments rating, have on their licence something like "VFR from dawn to sunset". And I do not have this on my licence, and I never passed any VFR night rating.
Hi Mm-flynn, thank you very much, excuse-me , I didn't see your post. You answer to what I was asking now.
That was what I thought, but it's quite difficult to be sure of anything in this...Thank you again.
Well if you have an IR, you are qualified for VFR night, even without the 90 day/2 night landings restriction for passenger transport. That is a pure JAR thing. The FAR 61.75 "conversion" gives you the rights of your original license as well of its restrictions.
The exception is of course IFR currency. There the FAA rules apply (6 approaches/holds/etc.).
Thank you again for your reply Achimba. Ok, now I understand it, I didn't know before posting that the IR implied I was qualified for VFR night, I started thinking about that when I remembered that pilots who don't hold IR have the "VFR from dawn to sunset" on their licence.
Can you please tell me waht do you mean with your last phrase (""The exception is of course IFR currency. There the FAA rules apply (6 approaches/holds/etc"".). Do I need 6 approaches/holds in the last months so the FAA considers my JAA IR is current and so I can fly Night VFR?
Victo,
No you don't need your JAA IFR to be current (either under JAA or FAA rules). You have a licence that allows you to fly VFR at night full stop. Unless the licence is revoked then your FAA licence will allow you to fly at night.
HOWEVER, the FAA licence must be current. This means current under FAA rules. So you must have had an FAA BFR within the past two years. You must have made 3 takeoffs and landings in the same class to carry passengers, and those (both the takeoff and the landing) must have been at night (as defined by the FAA) and the landings to a full stop to carry passengers.
Effectively, once you have gotten the FAA licence its validity is defined by the FAA rules. The only JAA aspect that can make the FAA licence invalid is if your JAA licence is suspended, revoked or expired (note expired is different than lapsed or not revalidated)
As mm_flynn said, you need a valid JAR license and the 61.75 conversion gives you all rights that you have under the JAR license but the FAR currency requirements apply. As to flying under IFR with an expired JAR IR (overdue checkride), I am not 100% sure but I probably wouldn't do it.
