Peter wrote:
2 pilots flying together in a single pilot aircraft both claiming P1 hours;
Is that in a situation where one pilot is PIC and the other one is actually doing the flying (“manipulating the controls”)?
EASA PPL in USA
Hello, I live in Belgium and I want to get an easa ppl.
I don’t want want to train just once a week with the chance of the training being cancelled so I want to do intensive training in the US.
I do not mind however to take the 126 hrs theory course at my local flying club, because I think I can learn the theory better with a dutch speaking teacher.
Is it possible to do the theory exams in Belgium and to go to a US easa flying school afterwards, train in practise and do that exam there?
Or could I train there, reach the minimum flight hours and do the practise exam back here in Belgium?
Thanks
It appears to be possible for example here: https://www.pea.com/international-students/easa-program/
But you need a visa and a TSA authorization to do any flight training in the US. Try to get some references from alumni.
I am not up to date on this but historically there have been six JAA approved schools in Florida and one (probably the one posted by Aviathor above) in southern California. These should still be EASA approved.
“Here” is a writeup I did on my FAA PPL/IR. It is somewhat relevant, for the generalities, and for the US TSA and Visa issues which are detailed at the beginning on a separate page. These have changed but not much, so you should get useful pointers there.
Personally, if I was doing all this again, and I was able to spend some weeks in the USA (i.e. I was able to take solid time off from family etc) then I would take the same amount of solid time off here in Europe and start say April, camp out next to the school, and fly as much as you can physically and emotionally manage, which for a fairly young-ish person is about twice a day.
The main reason why most people here take a year is not because of the weather. It is because they are able to fit lessons into their existing life. So they take 3 steps forward and 2 backwards, flying 1 or 2 lessons a week. The schools love 60-80hr students… I knew some 100hr ones too.
Of course there are other factors in favour of the USA:
)but for a European PPL, I would seriously check out Europe. If you want really good wx there is also Greece (Egnatia at LGKV, etc). Europe avoids the US Visa/TSA stuff.
Welkom alhier, landgenoot!
I have nothing to say about the USA route, but allow me to suggest an alternative: take ground class in BE as you intend, but do the actual flying somewhere in Southern Europe. There is a well-known operation in Southern Spain specialising in exactly this schedule, though I think they normally include ground class. And I hear of options in Greece too, equally optimised for foreigners in a summer hurry.
Then again, I remember one Belgian flying club used to organise summer stages in Southern France, and proudly mention “from zero to first solo” in two weeks even with some anisette and jeu de boules in between. I’ve no idea if they still do, though; but feel free to pm (in ’t Vlaams! :) ) for more details.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
[[Peter was quicker to respond, and I am glad to see some overlap between his answer and mine. I also agree with his suggestion of camping at the field, most fields in Southern Europe make little of that if not invaded by a complete armada. But a lot might depend on your personal situation – your partner might prefer California over Malaga, or perhaps vv. … ]]
Thanks Peter and Jan_Olieslagers for your elaborate answers! I will look into the southern european flight schools, as they’re not such a hassle as going to the US.
Some aspects of the US situation have recently changed. As they don’t apply to me I’m not up to speed on that, but a bit of Googling should provide the answers.
WRT the southern European schools, the ones I know (in Spain) are mostly geared towards career pilots, so not too sure if your plan would / could work there. A few phone calls should sort that out.
There is of course another route, and that is to to a US PPL in the US and then convert to EASA once you’re back. IIRC you need 100 hours and a flight test plus air law and human factors written / oral. This worked very well for the JAR licenses but may also have changed with the advent of EASA.
The Spanish schools always focused on CPL/IR training.
I looked into this in 2011 and wrote some notes here when I was doing the FAA IR to JAA IR conversion (warning: a long writeup). The Greek option was quite nice, despite the organisation being rather, ahem, interesting… and being forced to wear the full airline pilot uniform even for PPL training.
But frankly you could knock off a PPL in the UK on a good summer if you take 6 weeks off work and practically live at the school, and it is a good organised school, not like the ones I was in which would bounce off a student when a bunch of body pierced tatooed people turned up for a pleasure flight for someone’s birthday a trial lesson.
The Spanish option is not a good one, you have to file a flight plan for every flight including circuits, at bigger airports there are often no taxiways so aircraft have to backtrack the runway causing delays, I have come across a number of students who have been to Spain and it has not lived up to their expectations and they have returned still looking to complete their training. The USA also has its issues, apart from security issues, the major one being that FAA instructors teach in a completely different way, learning by osmosis rather than building blocks. Often a European orientation is needed on return.
You can do the theory in one State and the Flying in another but each must be completed at “a single” organisation and appropriately signed off with a course completion certificate, which other EASA States are then obliged to accept. Many of the US schools are now directly under EASA control and have had their issues, e.g. part completed courses not accepted! EASA has cost the US schools a fortune!
My advice to you: Theory in Belgium and get a Course Completion Certificate for that, then try somewhere like Aeroclub du Limousin. talk to Roger, they can do flying training for UK and French issued licences. Bear in mind, the theory is not standard, and differs from one State to another, who all have different exams!
@Luke,
There’s another consideration, albeit one that is sometimes overstated:
If you go to school in FL or Greece, you will learn how to fly in those conditions but the very problem which you are trying to avoid (cr@p north European weather) is something you won’t experience.
If you can find a school in Belgium with a fleet of well-maintained spamcans, with grey-haired instructors (not just building hours towards a job as a bus driver), book 14-20 hours a week, then if you fly 10 of those hours you’ll crack it in five weeks. You won’t learn how to deal with US ATC spitting instructions like a red hot M134, but you’ll absorb some more relevant stuff.
The difference in cost, if there is one, will seem insignificant once you become an aircraft owner. 
