AA9090

Hi there,

I'm seeking guidance for a unique situation involving a friend and his relative, who owns a US-registered jet. The challenge is that to fly this aircraft, pilots must have a US-FAA CPL license. Currently, my friend's relative holds an AUS-CPL license, but due to immigration concerns, he is unable to enter the US to complete the final exams required for convalidation or finishing the US-FAA CPL license. Unfortunately, the AUS-CPL license does not permit him to fly the US aircraft, even if it operates in Asia. I have considered a few potential solutions and would appreciate any suggestions.

1. Changing the aircraft registration: This option seems quite lengthy and expensive. Let´s consider it non-viable.

2. Non-US-based certification: I'm wondering if there are any flight schools operating outside of the US that can provide the necessary certification for the CPL-FAA. If you know of any such schools, please share their information.

3. US-based certification in a border country: Is it possible to find a flight school in the US that is willing to accommodate the situation by flying the FSDO inspector to a nearby border country (such as Canada or Mexico) for the exam? Any leads on such schools would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone has encountered a similar situation or has additional suggestions, I would be grateful for your input. I am willing to compensate someone who can offer a viable solution or recommend a suitable flight school.

Thank you in advance for your help!

AA

rickair7777

This is a pretty common transaction, planes change nationality all the time.

Yes there are such schools, commonly on US military bases but I believe there are others. I don't have a list but I'm sure you can find some.

Technically possibly but it's not normally done, so it would be very expensive I'm sure. There would be issues with right to work and taxes in the other country, since flight instruction is a commercial activity.

No way in hell would you ever get an FAA examiner (what you called a FSDO Inspector) to travel to give a checkride in another country. You might be able to get a third party Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) to travel.

IMO easiest solution is resolve the visa issue... visas are available for flight training in the US.

Next easiest is probably find an overseas school which does FAA certs. You won't need a US visa but you will need to complete a US national security background check.

JohnBurke

Before a student undergoes training toward a US certificate, and before being taught by a FAA certificated flight instructor, a student needs to meet certain security thresholds.

The original poster has a grand total of one post on this site, and has come here to ask about obtaining FAA certification for someone who apparently isn't allowed into the country, but is willing to travel to a border country.

Now is a good time to come clean and tell the truth and be a little less vague.

Why is your "friend" unable to enter the US? Be clear about it. Your question raises red flags.

TiredSoul

I think your “friend” needs to look at Europe.
There are Designated Pilot Examiners in Europe.
Or alternatively Canada.

rickair7777

For an Aussie, odds are good that the issue involves previous over-stay of a tourist visa or similar. As opposed to ISIS affiliation.

JohnBurke

Maybe he's a Russian, maybe he's PNG (persona non grata); I make no assumptions, but that's all the original poster left us with. It really doesn't matter. Training and testing for FAA certification comes with strings.

Come clean. Simple.

AA9090

Hi,

Thank you for everyone's answers, and I apologize if my language is not accurate since it is not my field of expertise. I don't want to go into much detail, but the visa was denied last time, and we are now looking for alternative options. It was not due to a security concern (definitely not ISIS haha), but it might still take some time for him to become eligible again.

I came across the following link, which brings some negative news. Can someone confirm or deny if this information is still valid?

https://www.euroga.org/forums/hangar...or-us-citizens

Many thanks again in advance,

TiredSoul

Yeah that doesn’t look good, I wasn’t aware of that.
Best course of action would be to call the FAA Head Office in Oklahoma to verify.

fiveninerzero

It looks like you'll have to come to the US. I lived in Germany for a few years and flew with a flying club of mostly Americans with a few Germans mixed in. We all received our checkrides from Tom Hughston who was pretty much the only DPE allowed to do FAA checkrides out of the country for a while, he built a pretty good business out of it. It seems that throughout the years the regulations eventually evolved to the point where getting FAA certs outside the country is no longer viable. I remember when they started slashing their international written test partners, requiring applicants to travel to the US only to take a quick written test on a computer and fly back home. Now it looks like you'll have to travel to the US to do the whole thing. There are still plenty of doctors who practice internationally qualified to conduct FAA medicals, so that's a good thing.

Do you have instructors with FAA certs in your country? This could help you save on the amount of time you spend in the US training, the FAA doesn't care about which country the aircraft you train is registered in, as long as it meets the airworthiness requirements of that nation it is registered in and is in the correct category and class it still counts. You'd unfortunately have to visit the US to get your checkride and written test done.

AA9090

Yes, he is just pending the checkride. He already has all his training finished.