German student/ PPL or SPL in the us?
 

Hello to all out there,

I´m a german student, and would like to do a pilot license in the states. So i would either like to do the SPL or the PPL(A) license, depending on the costs for it.

A few background facts:
- I know an american who is living in California who got me interested in flying -> And i freakin loved it
- The american knows a couple of guys who own airplanes
- The american now offered me to do the practical hours which i need for the license with one of his friends planes, including a flight instructor obviously!
--> Is this even possible?
- I still need to do the theoretical part then though -> Do you guys have numbers for me, like needed hours, costs, etc.?
- I want to also be able to fly in european countries including germany -> Are there costs for transfering the license to germany? Is it even possible? Will i need additional hours in germany then?

So this should be enough information to begin with :)

I´m looking forward to hear from you guys!
Thanks so much for your time!

All the best,
Jonas

Hello to all out there,

I´m a German student, and would like to do a pilot license in the states. So I would either like to do the SPL or the PPL(A) license, depending on the costs for it.

A few background facts:
- I know an American who is living in California who got me interested in flying -> And I freakin loved it
- The American knows a couple of guys who own airplanes
- The American now offered me to do the practical hours which I need for the license with one of his friend’s planes, including a flight instructor obviously!

--> Is this even possible?

Yes; it’s possible.
In the USA you have a choice of learning to fly under FAA Federal Air Regulations Part 61 in which you learn from a flying instructor in your friend’s private airplane.
Or
You can learn at an FAA approved flight school under Federal Air Regulations Part 141.

-> I still need to do the theoretical part then though, do you guys have numbers for me, like needed hours, costs, etc.?

You will need approximately 40 to 60 hours of flying experience to obtain your Private Pilot Licence (PPL-A). The number of hours is based on your ability to learn, and your flight instructors experience level to teach you how to fly.

The costs vary widely depending on where you learn to fly in the USA. But much cheaper than learning to fly in Germany.

In the United States you will be required to pass one written exam for the Private Pilot Licence, unlike the European system which will require you to pass seven examinations for the Private Pilot Licence, and fourteen exams for the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) or Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL).

You can choose self-study for the Private Pilot (PPL-A) written examination by purchasing books and study guides that will provide you with all the exam questions and answers to pass the exam.
OR
You can enroll at a flying school and sit through a ground school class with other students which typically takes two weekends (Saturday and Sunday).

- I want to also be able to fly in European countries including Germany
-> Are there costs for transferring the license to Germany?

Yes, but the costs will be levied by Germany’s Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA).

->Is it even possible?

Yes; but I highly suggest you call the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA in Braunschweig)

Tel. +49 531 2355 0. Sie erreichen uns Montag bis Donnerstag von 08:00 bis 15:00 Uhr, Freitag von 08:00 bis 14:00 Uhr.
Das Bürger-Service-Center steht Ihnen als kompetenter Ansprechpartner im Luftfahrt-Bundesamt zur Verfügung. Wir unterstützen Sie gern bei Ihren allgemeinen Fragen an das LBA.
Anschrift - Luftfahrt-Bundesamt - Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, 38144 Braunschweig


->Will I need additional hours in Germany?

Years ago the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt would routinely reject an application for a German licence, if the applicant was a German citizen, and he or she had learned to fly in the United States.

Because it was much cheaper to learn to fly in the USA.

The exception was of course if you were a Lufthansa pilot learning to fly at LBA approved Lufthansa’s flight training center in Goodyear, Arizona. (near Phoenix)

The LBA would say that you must go to a German flying school or flying club and fly within Germany before we can accept your American flying experience and American FAA licence for conversion.

The LBA would never define how many hours flying within Germany was required before approving your application for converting to a German licence.

So; I highly recommend obtaining the answers to your questions from the LBA before spending time and money flying in the USA.

The LBA didn’t want to promote German citizens going abroad to learn to fly.

I hope this helps …Tschüss



So this should be enough information to begin with

I´m looking forward to hear from you guys!
Thanks so much for your time!

All the best,
Jonas

As a foreign student you can’t just get flight instruction.
There are pretty strict visa requirements for flight students and you are better off going to a real flight school who know what they are doing and are also familiar with European requirements.
There are even a handful of schools in the USA that are authorized to train for the European PPL.
So you can do both in one.
Read this:
https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/afsp2/?acct_type=c&section=WN

Getting instruction from a guy you barely know in a borrowed airplane is an insurance nightmare waiting to happen.
Another good reason to go to a real flight school with the correct insurance.
Don’t even think about doing flight training without undergoing the security screening as you’ll be banned from entry to the USA....like forever.

My credentials?
I have been a Chief flight instructor for a school that had mostly European students and a lot from Germany.