Polite discussion about EASA, the CAA, the ANO and the delights of aviation regulation.
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#1591686
Evening all,

I’m planning to have a month in the USA around July this year and it’d be great to do a couple of hours flying! I have a bog standard EASA PPL with SEP (land) and Class 2 medical (restricted to day VFR). I’ve seen a few sites which describe the process and it doesn’t seem too bad, eg:

http://getintoflying.com/uk-to-usa-licence-conversion/

I have a few little questions though, which some of you might be able to answer:

1. It looks like you have to make an appointment at an FSDO to get your FAA licence, and these FSDOs are in different regions which cover 5 or 6 states. Does that mean you can only fly/rent aircraft in the area covered by the FSDO you visit? (I’d be visiting the one in Las Vegas but might want to rent from an airport in Utah - the Vegas FSDO isn’t in the Utah area.)

2. Renters insurance - does the price of this vary according to how long you’ve had your licence/total hours? I’ve had mine less than a year and my total time is ~60 hours so I wouldn’t want to end up paying a stupid amount for it. Also are FBOs/flight schools picky on things like this when deciding whether they will rent to you or not?

Thanks, any stories from people who’ve done this in the past couple of years would be greatly appreciated :)
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By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1591795
1. No. Once you have your Temporary Airman's Certificate issued by the FSDO that you visit, it is valid wherever you choose to exercise the privileges of your document. The same, of course, is true of the permanent certificate which will be sent to your UK address a few weeks later.

2. Don't know an answer to that one, I'm afraid. I suspect you'll probably need to ask the specific insurer, as it might differ with provider.

Don't hang about submitting your paperwork; it can take some time for the admin to work through the system.

Get a copy of a US Sectional chart and familiarise yourself with the legend etc before you go. (Search online - web based versions are available e.g Skyvector.com).

Also, Jackie Spanitz' "Guide to the Flight Review" is a very worthwhile book to buy online and study before you go - you must legally have completed a minimum 1 hour ground / 1 hour Flight Review before you can act as P1.

Have fun.
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By Cookie
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1591798
You'll need to line things up ahead of time, because the licence verification process will need a bit of planning to ensure the CAA and FAA paperwork is there when you arrive at the FSDO. You also need to book an appointment at the FSDO, and can't just turn up as used to be the case. A few FSDOs are now using local Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs) to conduct the paperwork process and issue of the Temporary Airman Certificate. Note that whilst the FSDOs don't charge for this, a DPE will.

When you receive it, your FAA certificate (Temporary Airman Certificate) is not valid until you've completed a FAA Flight Review with a FAA CFI, so make sure that your checkout includes this and your logbook is endorsed accordingly.

Renters insurance covers what the airplane insurance does not. In the US, the insurance is designed to cover the flight school, not you! For renters insurance, you normally specify the aircraft value which will determine the insurance cost. I have used AVEMCO in the past.

Cookie
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By Grelly
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1591846
Renter's Insurance tends to be an Annual policy (and therefore a bit pricey for a week or even a month). I made enquiries about shorter intervals and the two Insurance companies I contacted both said "take out an annual policy and cancel it when you no longer need it. AIUI you get refunded for the time you don't use.

Secondly, the Flight School you rent from may have a minimum cover requirement. Worth checking before you take out a too low/high policy.

Oh and as suggested above, get a wriggle on. The process of getting your licence validated (if that's the right term) takes time! :thumleft:
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1591928
Grelly wrote:Renter's Insurance tends to be an Annual policy (and therefore a bit pricey for a week or even a month). I made enquiries about shorter intervals and the two Insurance companies I contacted both said "take out an annual policy and cancel it when you no longer need it. AIUI you get refunded for the time you don't use.

Secondly, the Flight School you rent from may have a minimum cover requirement. Worth checking before you take out a too low/high policy.

Oh and as suggested above, get a wriggle on. The process of getting your licence validated (if that's the right term) takes time! :thumleft:


Some good advice here

Renters' insurance is an absolute must and appropriate cover essential: The advice of your FBO must be sought for quantum:
Also take account of a possible claim for loss of income by the FBO if you damage/wreck an aeroplane.
One slight hiccup might be your lack of a US address: In my case the FBO allowed (and the ins co accepted) the FBO's address.
I had occasion to claim on my renters' insurance many years ago and they paid out $5k to cover 'deductibles' without a peep:

Best $120 I've ever spent.

Peter
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By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1592369
george7378 wrote: With ~5 months to go I'm hoping time won't be critical just yet :s


Don't be too sure! It should be OK, but if there are queries or follow up information required then those 5 months can disappear quickly.

Also, I reckon you've got that list in the wrong order:

I'd say get the CAA and FAA paperwork rolling as soon as you can. Insurance and choosing a place to rent from can come in slow(er) time, and will both be immaterial if you haven't been able to get your FAA Certificate sorted out, and in any case neither have the same lead time as the UK/US licensing bureaucracy do.
#1592910
I cannot stress enough about reading carefully the terms of any rental agreement so you clearly know the risk.
Not all FBOs are the same or use the same terms. I have come across some who Ts&Cs mean you have a tiny deductible and have the equivalent of comprehensive renter insurance.

I have seen others whether the terms would have you selling up your house if you had a small incident.

My advice would be to ask before you go to see the renters agreement so you can make up your mind.

The other thing is don't be pressurized to agree to something you have reservations about.
A few years back i had got a copy of the renter Ts&Cs from an FBO I was hoping to use.

When I got to the FBO i was presented with a new set on an ipad which bore no resemblence to the ones i had been sent.

The instructor who was going to do the checkout and BFR got a bit **** when i insisted on reading through each page. When i raised the matter i was told that they had changed the Ts&Cs and that was it. So i declined to sign the agreement, apologised to the instructor who had probably lost three hours of pay and suggested that he take it up with the FBO who were responsible.

Its sod law when you ignore that annoying little bug otherwise known as better judgement something untoward happens.
You end up starting each sentence with " I should have...."
I should have walked away,
I should have gone around
I should have stayed in bed
i should have trusted my instinct.

at the end of all that, if you are only going to do a couple of hours, go up with an instructor, log it as PUT and pass the risk onto the FBO.
Many of the instructors are hour builders anyway and they don't care how they get the P1 hours.
#1593111
Just to give you an idea of the (current) timescales, I sent the paperwork to the CAA (paper form) and FAA (email) on Jan 15th, the CAA took the money from my account on Jan 31st, and I got the foreign verification letter back from the FAA yesterday.
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By Tall_Guy_In_a_PA28
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1594211
Cactus Aviation in Las Vegas (Henderson airport) will certainly hire you an aircraft if you have your FAA licence. They are slow to answer emails but very helpful on the phone and in person.

I see that you are going in July. Vegas will be very hot and uncomfortable for flying (bumpy) during most of the day, so target early mornings. Don't be intimidated by the airspace around Vegas. After a thorough briefing it all makes sense!
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By crackled
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1603309
Unless you are going to visit frequently or intend flying an N-reg here, if you only want to do a few hours, I wouldn't bother with getting an FAA ticket, getting renter's insurance and doing a Checkout and BFR.

Just book an instructor and take them wherever you want to go. It's good training for their airspace and different RT. I have an FAA ticket and still often find this easier unless I have a long trip planned. It means you don't need any renters insurance as you are on the instructors ticket and risk, and is very relaxing and great fun. A PA28 or C172 with an instructor is typically about £100 depending on location and model.

A lovely place to fly.