Originally Posted by
embraer
To answer most of the questions brought up:
Currently you have to be a Brazilian citizen to work as a pilot down there. I say currently because they are experiencing a major pilot shortage which is only getting worse.
As for transfering your FAA licenses to ANAC standards, it takes roughly 6 months from start to finish.
You first have to present all your FAA certificates to them in Brasilia then wait while they verify everything with the FAA up here. Ditto if you have a college degree.
After everything checks out they give you permission to take the Commercial pilot written exam which you have to pass. Somewhere in that time period you also have to get your Brazilian medical done (CCF).
After passing your written you then have to go up in a twin for a practice flight or two before taking a checkride with an examiner from ANAC.
Again, the whole process takes roughly six months which is not bad. The bad part is that each stage is spaced pretty far apart from the last which means you need to either be living in Brazil or be willing and able to fly back and forth multiple times within a six month period.
Then you can apply for a cushy job at TAM, GOL, AZUL, or TRIP and start making what a 4th year FO at Delta makes. Plus down there you get 30 days vacation per year as soon as you are hired.
And yes: The FAs down there are hands down beautiful...as are the female pilots.
Transfered mine in 3 days. Porto Alegre