So it really is everything or nothing.
I think I’ll forget about this idea. It is a shame and a loss of business for US schools but it is the price to pay to control immigration.
For once, the US side of the equation is more restrictive than the EASA one :D
But it’s all immigration stuff, not aviation stuff.
Thanks again for the precise answers. I guess many others will enjoy them.
It’s not imigration; the whole TSA / “homeland security” thing was driven by 9/11, the desperate need to be seen to be doing something, anything, and the fact that the terrorists were “real pilots” with one (IIRC) having a real CPL/IR. That the US ATPL schools are full of foreign students who “look like they might do a 9/11 if they got a chance” just makes it more difficult…
Before 9/11, European would pop over to the USA on a holiday, pop into a “mom and pop” Part 61 school, and do all they needed.
It doesn’t seem to make much difference (local to me in the US), the flight schools are filled with Asians and Europeans. The bad part is dealing with the poor radio communication in English when you’re operating in some places, but the (much more significant) good part is the giant boost to the local number of operations and fuel sales where there is a school. That is very much in the interest of local pilots who benefit FAA airport funding.
American private pilots seemingly learn more often from an independent instructor, with rented plane, at the same airports.
I don’t think it will make that much difference for cadets trying to get “from zero to hero ATP” most have gone already trough the hassle of getting an M1 or F1 visa and securing a course/funding, I am not sure tsa/visa hassle will stop another terrorist from flying airplanes, but those are the rules you get when Transport/Homeland depts take over aviation
However, for a private pilot looking to lockin a standalone licence PPL/CPL/IR on a 4 week vacation trip tsa/visa makes a big difference, most will not take the hassle of doing the process (then one will need EASA papers again when back), beasides a lot of them are already hanging on any EU-news of N-reg tightning or upcoming BIR, the piggyback FAA+IR could do but it seems very fragile setup if flying is mainly in Europe…for my case personally, I decided to abandon the long route for an EASA IR via standlonr FAA and just get an EASA IR then enjoy flying in the US anytime I stop by on 61.75-PPL papers…
If someone own an N-reg/can’t do EASA TK, I think the economics of a standalone FAA route is still worth it (still a pass/sucess is not as easy as some picture it)
Peter wrote:
the desperate need to be seen to be doing something
Or an opportunity to fix shortcomings in the INS foreign student program. See the special report of 20 May 2002 from the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Justice: The Immigration and Naturalization Service’s Contacts With Two September 11 Terrorists: A Review of the INS’s Admissions of Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi, its Processing of their Change of Status Applications, and its Efforts to Track Foreign Students in the United States.
Ch 6 sec II:
The INS’s foreign student program has historically been dysfunctional. The INS has acknowledged for several years that it does not know how many foreign students there are in the United States. The INS’s foreign student program came under increased scrutiny after the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center when it became known that one of the terrorists was in the United States on an expired student visa. In April 1995, the Deputy Attorney General asked the INS to address a departmental finding that the INS needed to subject foreign students to thorough and continuing scrutiny, both prior to and during their stay in the United States. In September 1996, Congress also directed the Attorney General to develop and conduct a program to collect certain information on nonimmigrant foreign students and exchange visitors from approved institutions of higher education and designated exchange visitor programs. 109 In response to these directives and legislation, the INS plans to implement a new computer system, SEVIS, which is designed to collect information on full-time students and exchange visitors and their dependents.
Well, yes, but no “free” country can keep track of foreign students and what they do when they finish their course. It just depends on how easy it is to get work and/or benefits without having legal papers. I doubt the US can keep track of it.
I remember the SEVIS stuff from 2006.
Does anyone has feedback on American Flyers ?
It looks like a big school with rather good reviews, a little on the expensive side but with no apparent price list.
US flight hours for EASA PPL
Hello – I’d like to pursue flight training in Germany with the eventual goal of attaining an EASA PPL rating. I have 15 hours of flying time (with an instructor) while training for my FAA PPL, which I have not yet received. As I am moving to Germany from the US now, it seems to make sense to continue my training there and get an EASA PPL instead of the FAA one.
Can anyone tell me if the hours I flew in the US will “count” towards the minimum 45 hours required for the PPL in Europe?
No. But you will very likely need the 45 hours anyway.
Are you fluent in German? If not, have you checked if you can do it all (theory training, theory test, practical training, practical test) in English where you now stay/live?
REN wrote:
Can anyone tell me if the hours I flew in the US will “count” towards the minimum 45 hours required for the PPL in Europe?
Most likely NO, some schools will even say it has to be done with an ATO + Part-FCL instructor (not even old hours with JAR-FCL instructors), other schools would just sign-off on all of them but as boscomantico said you will be past 45hours by then 
