Foreign Pilots Who Wish to Obtain a US Pilot Certificate
3/19/2013
Posted in
Flight Training
Tags: foreign student, international training, foreign license conversion, us restricted certificate
People who are not United States citizens are allowed to make 1 training flight in the US, but they must have completed the appropriate paperwork and received TSA approval prior to any subsequent flights. This article will help with some oversight into the process.
Foreign Pilots Who Wish to Obtain a US Pilot Certificate
By: Marc Nathanson (Designated Pilot Examiner)
Please refer to the checklist at the end of this article.
People who are not United States citizens are allowed to make 1 training flight in the US, but they must have completed the appropriate paperwork and received TSA approval prior to any subsequent flights. This article will help with some oversight into the process.
TSA:
US citizens do not need TSA clearance. They are however required to prove their US citizenship by presenting the instructor their Birth Certificate or Passport. I suggest you make 2 copies and hold on to it. I understand that your instructor is to make an entry in your logbook that states they have checked your citizenship. Check the following web site for guidance on the endorsement:
http://members.localnet.com/~docsteve/av_files/cfi_end.htm
International Students are required to obtain TSA approval prior to receiving training for the Private, Instrument, or Multiengine rating. This process may be completed on the TSA website. A visa will be required for training.
FAA:
International students who hold a current foreign license from another country and want to rent an aircraft may apply for a US FAA “Restricted” certificate based on their foreign license. This takes about 90 days for the FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) to contact the foreign country to request verification of the pilot license. The FAA will only issue a Private Pilot Certificate with single engine privileges.
You must apply for and receive a letter from the FAA authorizing you to begin training if you are receiving flight training. This letter is valid for a period of 6 months and a new letter must be issued if the time period will be exceeded. International Students may opt to train for the US Private Certificate (“clean” certificate) to avoid having to base a US certificate on their foreign license. Their logged time, including time received from a foreign instructor, may count towards this rating.
The current TSA approval and FAA letter must be shown to the FAA Inspector or Designated Pilot Examiner before the Practical Exam.
Use the appropriate list at the end of this article to guide you through the process to obtain a US pilot certificate. The checklist is also for those international clients who hold a foreign license and wish to convert it to a US certificate. In this case you must go to the Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) to have your foreign license converted to a US “Restricted” certificate (meaning that it is based on your foreign license). Starting the process 90 days before you travel to the US is very wise and will save you time.
Please log on to www.faa.gov to view regulations and other guidance available to you.
Situation #1: This situation applies to those who do not hold a foreign pilot license and have not flown, or have some flight-time that may be used towards their Private certificate.
Check your logbook (if there is one) to determine how much time may be applied towards the Private rating. See FAR Part 61 for requirements.
If you have flight time, you must be able to show that you received training required by our Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) from a certified instructor even if the instructor is not a FAA certified instructor (see FAR §61.41). The regulations are not specific concerning foreign instructors except that they state in paragraph (b) “A flight instructor described in paragraph (a) of this section is only authorized to give endorsements to show training given.”
Apparently, some countries (such as England) do not require the instructor to sign the students’ log. In this case, you must obtain a written statement from the instructor indicating that they provided the training in the log for that particular rating. Each dual entry may be signed or an overall statement, as described previously, will suffice.
Determine how your name will be used by the FAA. You may not use more than 4 names, which is the maximum allowed to be placed on a US certificate.
Situation #2 : If you hold a foreign pilot license and wish to receive a US Restricted certificate based on your foreign license refer to FAR §61.75
Apply for the “Restricted” certificate by logging on www.faa.gov, select “Licenses and Certificates” on the left side under “Certificates”, select “Verify the Authenticity of a Foreign License, Rating, or Medical Certification” and follow the instructions.
The FAA will only convert a foreign license to a “Restricted” Private Pilot Certificate. (Note: the FAA will no longer convert to commercial or higher). “Restricted” means that the US certificate is based on your foreign license, which must be both valid and current.
The foreign certificate must not be under an order of revocation or suspension by the foreign country that issued the foreign pilot license; and does not contain an endorsement stating that the applicant has not met all of the standards of ICAO for that license and does not currently hold a U.S. pilot certificate. (FAR §61.75 (b)).
You must hold a current medical from your country or a current US issued medical.
You must apply for the restricted certificate at least 90 days prior. The FAA will only issue you a Private Pilot Certificate.
A Knowledge test is required to convert a foreign instrument rating. This test focuses on FAR §91 subpart B areas of knowledge that apply to IFR procedures and the National Airspace system.
Note that FAA testing centers, such as CATS, require the name to come from your passport or birth certificate and this may be different than the name the FAA places on your restricted certificate. This causes major problems with the certification process. Do not take the knowledge test without first asking the FSDO to help you determine which name to use.
If you hold a foreign pilot license:
Apply for the FAA Verification of Authenticity Letter. The letter format may be found on www.faa.gov.
The FAA verifies your foreign license with the issuing country. This must be done before you begin training and is valid for 6 months.
On line 11 enter the FSDO location such as “Boston” as the Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). The address of your nearest FSDO may also be found on www.faa.gov.
Begin training when all the paperwork is complete and authorization from the appropriate agencies (TSA, FAA) has been received.
If you do not hold a foreign license and want to qualify for the Private Pilot you must:
*asterisk items are required in order to establish correct name and which names to use on FAA certificates. You can then train for and, when eligible, take the Private Pilot Practical test. Upon successful completion of this test, you will be issued a “Clean” US certificate and don’t need to do anything else unless you want the US certificate recognized by your country. Then you must contact your country’s civil aeronautics authorities.
If You Are Not Basing Your Certificate on a Foreign License:
If you do not have any training, apply for your VISA and TSA clearance and start training from scratch, which will result in the “clean” US certificate.
Foreign Language Requirement:
In all cases, you must be able to read, speak understand and write the English language. Advisory Circular (AC) 60-28 dated 9/23/97 provides guidance for determining English language skills.
The following is a copy of language requirements you must have to train for a US pilot certificate or to fly in the US. If you feel you need to improve your skills in English, you should look for a school that teaches English as a second language.
U.S. Department
of Transportation
Federal Aviation
Administration Advisory Circular
Subject: English Language Skill Standards Date: 9/23/97 AC No: 60-28
Required by 14 CFR Parts 61, 63, and 65 Initiated by: AFS-630 Change:
1. PURPOSE. This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance for airman applicants, training organizations, designated examiners, and aviation safety inspectors in determining English language skills required for airman certification under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) parts 61, 63, and 65.
2. BACKGROUND. There are distinct regulatory English language requirements in 14 CFR part 61 for pilots, and flight and ground instructors; part 63, for flight navigators and flight engineers; and part 65, for dispatchers, mechanics, repairmen, and parachute riggers.
a. Part 61 requires that pilots, and flight and ground instructors must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. If the applicant cannot meet these requirements of English fluency, an airman certificate cannot be issued. For medical reasons, an appropriate limitation may be placed on the certificate.
b. Parts 63 and 65 require that if a flight navigator, mechanic, repairman, or parachute rigger cannot read, write, speak, or understand the English language, an appropriate limitation may be placed on the certificate.
c. Sections 63.31(b), flight engineers; and 65.53(b), aircraft dispatchers, requirements differ slightly.
The applicant must be able to read, speak, and understand the English language. If unable, an appropriate limitation may be placed on the certificate.
3. COMPETENCY GUIDANCE. When there is a question of an applicant meeting the English language requirements, the examiner will determine the applicant’s ability to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. The examiner will evaluate the applicant’s speech and accent, if any, relative to sentence patterns, sentence structure, spelling of written text, and in the case of an air traffic control clearance, use of standard clearance terminology.
a. For all certification testing, applicants will be required to read a section of a technical manual, and then write and explain their interpretation of that reading. An appropriate technical manual in this sense means an airplane flight manual, a maintenance manual, or other publications as appropriate for the certificate or rating sought.
b. For practical tests involving airport tower services and Flight Service Station (FSS) en route services, examiners will simulate typical communications and require the applicant to copy and read back the communication.
AC 60-28 2 Par 3
c. For practical tests requiring the receiving and acknowledgment of air traffic control instrument flight rule clearances, examiners will simulate typical clearance deliveries and require the applicant to copy and read back the clearances.
d. If applicants can demonstrate the ability to write and explain the intent of a selected reading, and read back simulated communications with little or no hesitation and/or misunderstanding, they will have satisfactorily met the intent of the English language requirement. Airman applicants, whose English language skills are still in question, shall be referred to the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) for evaluation by an aviation safety inspector.
4. RESPONSIBILITY. It is important that all airman applicants demonstrate their ability to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. Each applicant must demonstrate an ability to mentally grasp critical information which often must be read and understood while conducting a variety of aviation operations. The responsibility for ensuring applicants meet the English language requirements is shared by flight and ground instructors, aviation schools, designated examiners, and aviation safety inspectors.
Ultimately, the designated examiner and the aviation safety inspector are required to evaluate each applicant’s eligibility, including English fluency, prior to beginning the practical test or accepting an application for an airman certificate or rating.
/s/ Louis C. Cusimano for Thomas E. Stuckey
Acting Director, Flight Standards Service
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards Service
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-5013
AFS-630
Official Business
Foreign Student Checklist:
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Does their name match on all documents? FAA would like to see 3 names (first, middle, last). If they have a middle name, they must use it. It is ok if they have only two names and no middle name. In this case they use NMN (No Middle Name) on the 8710-1 which also provides guidance.
A TSA approval is required for:
- If you hold a multiengine and wish to add a certificate such as ATP, you do not require TSA approval.
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Do they hold a current US medical? If not, they need to get one, preferably before they begin training. If they hold a medical from a foreign country, it too must be current and valid in accordance with those countries rules.
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Can they read, SPEAK, understand, and write the English language? They may be sent to the FSDO for evaluation. See the AC I provided and suggest taking classes in English as a second language.