Commercial downgrade to Private

[Jaybird180]

I was talking with a guy who's a former military pilot who wants to get back into aviation. I advised him that his path of least resistance is submitting his military flight records and getting it converted into COMM-IR and then having a flight review to get current again. I recommended groundschool, but with the caveat that it would be optional in his case, but highly recommended because airspace has changed ALOT since he'd flown (he mentioned control zones, which let me know that his experience was quite outdated- he'd heard that the US went to ICAO but had never flown in the system).

He further explained that he has ZERO fixed wing time but wanted to do fixed-wing to take his kids up and had no interest in rotary anymore.

What would you recommend as his best route to flying with his kid?

 

[ClimbnSink]

If he can get a commercial helicopter license based on his military ticket he could add PPSEL privileges in a couple of hours with no written test required. Doesn't need a flight review to go that route.

 

[TMetzinger]

While it's true that he wouldn't need to take the written, he'd probably still need to take some time with a CFI or GI to go over the knowledge stuff. Any examiner worth his salt will look at the logbooks, see the gap, and give a thorough oral exam.

 

[BillTIZ]

Need to check the regs, but I think you can only convert a military certificate to a civil certificate while you have a valid and current AF Form 8. (current check ride only good for 18 months (at least when I was active duty)).
And there was a civilian equivalency written exam to take.

Plus if he was helo rated and not fixed wing. It would only convert his helo.

 

[Fearless Tower]

No fixed wing experience at all?

Army I'm guessin'?

 

[rotorhead1026]

If he can get a commercial helicopter license based on his military ticket he could add PPSEL privileges in a couple of hours with no written test required. Doesn't need a flight review to go that route.

A category add-on (to the private level) in this case would be thirty hours total (ten solo, twenty dual). A class add-on is as you say, but the only thing available in this case is gyroplane.