Originally Posted by
PolishPilot
as bad as it seems, i think it's worth going through the process of the 14 exams and some extra flying. It opens a completely new market of jobs, which in some countries put you behind some heavy aircraft, even if you dont have thousands of hours. Especially now, since every regional in US is furloughing, anyone who is willing to put some time and effort in converting the license can do it.
You can also do the conversion in the US. School in naples in FL does it, and they have the home study course as well. Work as a CFI, or a FO at a regional (if you still have the opportunity to do so) and study for the exams during off hours. This would probably take the longest but at least you stay in US and have a job and still manage to do the 14 written exams, which seem to be the toughest part of the conversion process. After the exams, find a proper school in Europe to do little bit of flying and convert IR and CPL.
To me it seems to be the easiest way of converting without spending too much time in Europe without a job.
Hopefully I'll be able to get through this process quickly. Good luck.
Not to be an ass, but every person I know that has gone for the JAA has said that it is the hardest thing they have ever done. I have dual citizenship so maybe it is a good idea for me, but if I was unsure about getting a job with American citizenship alone, I would seriously consider the effort.
Again I am not knocking a person doing the conversion, but unless you have a EU passport or some PIC on heavy aircraft then you really should consider if it is worth your while doing the tests. It is not like it is a few simple tests, it is going to take up your time for a few months. Remember that many airlines in the EU will require you to pay for a type rating, they will have some bias against you if you are American, and there is many European low time pilots without instructor ratings waiting around for jobs. You would be surprised to find out how many European pilots think that paying 30k euros is just part of the process to get a job.