Is there any chance to have unified licenses in the near future?

Shorrick_Mk2 wrote:

It takes half a day between picking it up at the FSDO and the theory and flight check.

AFAIK there is no such thing as a theoretical exam nor flight test. What you will need however, is a BFR (Biennial Flight Review – did I get it right this time?) with a flight instructor. For the BFR you need to familiarise yourself with the FARs, essentially parts 61 and 91 IIRC.

The BFR consists of part theory and part flight no?

@Vladimir, exchanging the driver’s license might be more complicated depending on what country license you start with…e.g in Switzerland an European (EU-27) license is a straight swap, but a Russian or Philipino for instance is not.

Shorrick_Mk2 wrote:

The BFR consists of part theory and part flight no?

Yes it does. But the way you worded it, it wasn’t clear that you were referring to a BFR and I did not want the OP to think it was some kind of exam.

BFR is similar to EASA SEP revalidation every two years although the format may be somewhat stricter.

Shorrick_Mk2 wrote:

exchanging the driver’s license might be more complicated depending on what country license you start with…e.g in Switzerland an European (EU-27) license is a straight swap,

ok, out of topic but if you’re EU28 citizen moving to another EU28 country then you don’t need to swap (at least in many cases, I don’t know them all )

France will require a swap if you get fined (licence with points so they can"t remove them on a foreign licence)
Luxembourg uses a “virtual” driving licence (probably based on your national one) to which they remove points in case of fine

dublinpilot wrote:

If it was percieved as easier to get or maintain, and came with no restrictions over say a German licence, then perhaps everyone in Germany would get one instead of a German licence. The German authorities would probably become a bit annoyed about the fact that their country was full of pilots flying around, but they had no knowledge of them or no control over them and no say in the standards that they reached.

We already have that situation with EASA licenses. I can fly D-reg aircraft to my heart’s content on my Swedish license and the German authorities have no control whatsoever over it. Of course they have better trust in the standards.

Aviathor wrote:

BFR is similar to EASA SEP revalidation every two years although the format may be somewhat stricter.

The big difference is that there is no ‘revalidation by experience’ in FAA-land. No matter how many hours you’ve flown, you have to sit down with an instructor and cover some theory and then go flying. I say not a bad thing, as it prevents the Euro-style ‘hour building’ where two or three pilots fly together and all write the time up as PIC….
Also, you can (and I do) to get some training in areas you are weak at or try something new altogether. My own BFR (btw, officially it’s now called the ‘Flight Review’, not BFR anymore) is due soon and I am going to do some aerobatic training. According to the local DPE perfectly OK.

My own BFR (btw, officially it’s now called the ‘Flight Review’, not BFR anymore) is due soon and I am going to do some aerobatic training. According to the local DPE perfectly OK.

An FAA Flight Review can be focused on any aspect of flying that you and the instructor think will be useful based on your current kind of flying and your background. Depending on how current I am when Flight Review time comes around, I may do a little hangar flying with a friend who has an instructor certificate, followed by a local flight, or I may do something more serious and pay a different instructor – for instance unusual attitudes or flying in extremely busy airspace. I’d imagine an EU pilot in the US would want to learn the airspace configuration, flight following, uncontrolled airports and ATC stuff the most. The plane doesn’t fly any differently.

I’ve done it the easy way and the harder way. Either way the result is a handwritten note by the instructor in my logbook.

For the BFR you need to familiarise yourself with the FARs, essentially parts 61 and 91 IIRC.

Part 61 is how you get the pilot certificate, Part 91 is how you lose it

172driver wrote:

The big difference is that there is no ‘revalidation by experience’ in FAA-land. No matter how many hours you’ve flown, you have to sit down with an instructor and cover some theory and then go flying.

Revalidating the SEP rating by experience requires (a little) experience and a flight with an instructor unless you have passed a proficiency or skill test within the 12 months prior to expiration of the rating. But currently there is no formal requirement to go through any theory. I did however hear or read somewhere that they had the intention of firming up the revalidation requirements – maybe someone else can fill in.

172driver wrote:

I say not a bad thing, as it prevents the Euro-style ‘hour building’ where two or three pilots fly together and all write the time up as PIC….
Also, you can (and I do) to get some training in areas you are weak at or try something new altogether.

I doubt that this is widespread because EASA requires every aircraft to have a journey log where every flight is entered, it is relatively easy to match a pilot’s logbook against the entries in the journey logs of aircraft flown (or claimed as such). Even N-reg based in EASA land will often have journey logs. I am not sure this is really required (by EASA) for N-reg, but maintaining a journey log will at least save you some grief on the occasion of the odd ramp check.

172driver wrote:

Also, you can (and I do) to get some training in areas you are weak at or try something new altogether.

My last BFR was a familiarisation flight on a P210