Ladies & Gents,

First posting on here so please go easy on me! I hope you can help with this set of circumstances:

I currently have an EASA CPL/ME IR and soon will have a MCC. 850Hrs total time including 400Hrs Heavy Jet Turbine (Military).

In a couple of years I will move to the USA under the Green Card system (Wife is American). Therefore I would like to convert my licenses to FAA to allow me to work for the US airline industry.

By that time I should have at least 1500hrs.

Has anyone here done this conversion or have any advice on the most efficient way to do this and recommended schools? (Ideally in Cali/Nevada/Arizona)

I probably will not do any converting until I am settled in the USA but open to ideas.

Thanks in advance.

IIAB

Hi,

I have same EASA quals (military too but not AF), coming here little over two years ago I did FAA CPL+CFI/I (had FAA MEL IR already)...

There is no license validation in CPL level like there is in PPL level so you have to do some training and take the checkride if you wanted FAA CPL - however if you were looking to go direct ATP there is an exemption in the eligibility reqs if you hold ICAO CPL+IR and meet certain requirements (there is one that accounts military experience too), see CFR 61.153.

I believe there is a validation/conversion in ATP level if you hold an ICAO ATPL.

Normally in the FAA system you get a private followed by a commercial and then the ATP. One of the requirements for a FAA commercial is to hold a FAA private. (US military pilots or foreign military pilots attached to a US military unit can skip the private.) To get the FAA ATP you must hold either a FAA commercial with an IR or a foreign commercial with an IR or a foreign ATP (again US military pilots have a work around.) No matter which of the three ways you qualify, the actual path is the same. ATP CTP class before the written, enough flight training to pass the checkride and the checkride. Holding a foreign license just allows you to skip getting the lower level FAA certificates.