Converting from foreign certificate

[flying_John]

A friend of mine has European private certificate and seeking to obtain FAA certificate. Once he's got FAA one, he is planning to start instrument training.
We know conversion itself can be done without any additional test, but some restriction that he has to have his European certificate along with FAA converted one. Is there any other restriction?
If he pass FAA private test, "US test passed" note will appear his FAA certificate. What's the difference between with this note and without? "US test passed" note removes obligation to carry European one?
He is also thinking to have his converted single private punched after obtaining FAA original instrument and multi and taking test for FAA original private single. Can he do that? and any benefit even to do that? One of his concern is that certificate # may change. If he got his endorsement for high performance or complex, the # in the endorsement and new certificate will be different?

Any idea on the above questions or concerns?

 

[sarangan]

A friend of mine has European private certificate and seeking to obtain FAA certificate. Once he's got FAA one, he is planning to start instrument training.
We know conversion itself can be done without any additional test, but some restriction that he has to have his European certificate along with FAA converted one. Is there any other restriction?
If he pass FAA private test, "US test passed" note will appear his FAA certificate. What's the difference between with this note and without? "US test passed" note removes obligation to carry European one?
He is also thinking to have his converted single private punched after obtaining FAA original instrument and multi and taking test for FAA original private single. Can he do that? and any benefit even to do that? One of his concern is that certificate # may change. If he got his endorsement for high performance or complex, the # in the endorsement and new certificate will be different?

Any idea on the above questions or concerns?

If you get a US private certificate based on a foreign license, that will say "foreign based", and it will have restrictions such as "issued on the basis of pilot license number XXXX. All limitations and restrictions on the foreign pilot license apply etc...". You can't add more priviledges to the U.S. certificate than what is on the foreign license. In other words, if you don't have an instrument rating, high performance or night flying priviledges on your foreign license, then all those limits will carry over. The only way to remove those limits is by earning those ratings on your foreign license.

To get a U.S. instrument rating, you need to get an unrestricted US pilot certificate by taking a written exam and checkride. I am not sure what you mean by the note "US test passed". I have never seen such a note. Once you pass a checkride, you will get a new US certificate that is decoupled from your foreign license.

All of these certificates have the same number.

 

[TwinWasp]

Actually you can add a regular FAA instrument rating to a 61.75 private. The FAA Flight Safety Information Management System gives the guidance.
D. Foreign Pilot License. Section 61.75 permits a person who holds a foreign pilot license at least equivalent to or higher than the U.S. private pilot certification level and issued by an ICAO member state to apply for a private pilot certificate by complying with the application and certification procedures contained in this chapter. A person may be issued a § 61.75 private pilot certificate on the basis of a foreign pilot license as follows:
1) With no instrument privileges, for which neither a knowledge nor a practical test is required.

2) With instrument privileges, provided the applicant has passed the IFP knowledge test and the applicant’s foreign pilot license has the equivalent Instrument—[Aircraft] rating.
3) With a standard instrument rating, provided the applicant has passed the Instrument [Aircraft: Airplane, Helicopter, or Powered-lift, as appropriate] knowledge test and practical test. The U.S. pilot certificate will be issued with the notation “U.S. TEST PASSED.”

When you say if the pass the regular FAA private test do you mean the written or a checkride? U.S. TEST PASSED is when you add something to your 61.75 certificate. So if they complete all the requirements for an IR or say a glider rating it will be added to their 61.75 certificate. If they complete all the items for a private they would then have a regular 61.102 private certificate.

3) U.S. Test Passed Notation. To qualify for the notation “U.S. TEST PASSED” for the addition of an aircraft or instrument rating to a U.S. pilot certificate, the person must accomplish the appropriate aeronautical experience, pass the knowledge test (if applicable), and pass the practical test as required under part 61. Each rating added to the temporary U.S. pilot certificate will have the notation “U.S. TEST PASSED”
following the rating to which the notation applies.

And then if they get a regular FAA certificate the added ratings transfer straight over.

 

[Martin Pauly]

To get a U.S. instrument rating, you need to get an unrestricted US pilot certificate by taking a written exam and checkride. I am not sure what you mean by the note "US test passed". I have never seen such a note. Once you pass a checkride, you will get a new US certificate that is decoupled from your foreign license.

As @TwinWasp wrote, that is incorrect. Back in 1998 when I moved from Germany to the US, I received a US private pilot certificate based on my German certificate. And right after that I took instrument training and passed the instrument checkride in the US. I had the "US TEST PASSED" comment on my certificate then.

I did get my full US private pilot certificate a few years later, and when I passed that checkride, the temporary airman certificate included the instrument rating.

- Martin

 

[Martin Pauly]

let's say I have a non-U.S. PPL (no IR) and 250 hrs as a PIC. How many hours from that counts towards the FAA IR/CPL? I want to get as much as possible from my foreign PPL, because those hours are cheap in my local flying club.

Aeronautical experience is aeronautical experience. If you need 250 hours of PIC time, my understanding is it doesn't matter in which countries you have accumulated those hours. The flight training required by Part 61 for the new US rating or certificate you seek must be given by a flight instructor with FAA flight instructor certificate, though.

- Martin

 

[Pinecone]

The country does matter.

The language on logging time,61.51(j)(2),says:

(2) An aircraft of foreign registry with an airworthiness certificate that is approved by the aviation authority of a foreign country that is a Member State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation Organization;

 

[Martin Pauly]

Thanks for this clarification, @Pinecone

I was wondering why I had not heard of this before, since I went through the process myself (applying flight time in aircraft registered in Germany). Interestingly, an old (2009) FAR/AIM book doesn't have 61.51(j) - back then it ended at (i).

From a practical perspective, I guess this isn't much of a limitation, right? Very few countries are not a member of ICAO.

- Martin

 

[Pinecone]

193 countries are members. IRRC, there are about 195 countries.

Non ICAO countries

• Holy See (the)
• Liechtenstein