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Looking to convert my FAA PPL and A&P/IA ratings to EASA

Can anyone point me to where I need to go to convert my pilot license (FAA) or mechanical rating (A&P I.A.) to EASA. looking for a job here or around Geneva.

A&P IA
Switzerland

I really don’t think you have to convert your A&P licence into an European one, at least not quickly. There is plenty of work for a good A&P/IA in Europe.
To convert your PPL, I found this on the EASA regulation :
https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Easy%20Access%20Rules%20for%20Flight%20Crew%20Licencing%20%28Part-FCL%29.pdf#page1361

Sorry, it is not straightforward

LFOU, France

Two A&P/IA friends of mine converted to EASA66 in recent years. They had to sit a load of written exams. Their work experience was admitted however, IIRC.

The exams are full of garbage questions and if you happen to know the right answers you will probably fail them, but this is historically not unusual in the EASA theory world

As Juju says there is plenty of work in Europe for a smart A&P/IA who is able to get on well with a variety of people, sometimes work within another maintenance company (without pissing them off), for both maintenance (working directly for private owners of N-regs) and prebuy inspections (these usually involve travelling). However you must do a good job because you can’t hide bad work behind a company… when you take a plane to a company and they do bad work, you will not usually find out who did it

To get work, participate usefully and generally on EuroGA. We have many people asking maintenance related questions. Then people will see you… Like it or not, quality participation on social media is the only way these days. Setting up a website is also a good idea but you will find it hard to get good SEO (or even show up on google) unless it has a lot of relevant content, and that takes a lot of work to write.

For converting an FAA PPL etc, there are various routes depending on what you want. If you have 100hrs+ then you can get an EASA PPL using the “100hr route” (a subset of written exams, plus a checkride, plus a medical). For the IR there is the CBIR conversion route (no written exams, an oral exam, a checkride). The EASA PPL has a reval every 2 years (various options) and the IR needs a checkride every year. ME is more work.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

its illegal to work all over Europe if I’m here on my wife’s visa. I have a work visa through her company for Switzerland, but not sure how all that works with going to other places to do a job.

Peter I’m at a fork in the road with having 4600 hours flying.(lacking my ATP) all the ratings I need as a mechanic in the US.

A&P IA
Switzerland

its illegal to work all over Europe if I’m here on my wife’s visa

It is worth checking the exact regulation wording on this. Being employed full time by a maintenance company is not the same thing (at least in the UK regs) as doing ad hoc work.

This came up before in another GA scenario: the (reported) blocking of visiting FAA DPEs by reporting them to the Home Office. Some people looked up the regs and found this was almost certainly incorrect.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Im currently not employed by anyone. but I do have a visa to work in Geneva, Switzerland.

A&P IA
Switzerland
6 Posts
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