FAA license

Different steps

The TSA

Since September 11 attacks, 2001, it is needless to say that the U.S. authorities have become very scrupulous about allowing people to train for any pilot license since that day. They have implemented a control procedure that will be required to pass before any flight hour is possible. But as they are very well organized, this control procedure is a mere formality if you do not have a background of recent terrorist activity! In concrete term, it simply involves registering on the TSA site in order to indicate your antecedents over the last 5 years (addresses, jobs, etc), then depositing your fingerprints at an approved center and.... waiting for the positive answer to allow you to start your training. It's that simple! It takes an average of one month for the entire procedure, and costs 130$ per online application, plus about the same cost to get your fingerprint taken.
You need to perform this procedure only if you are seeking a first stand alone FAA license, (i.e Private Pilot License or Commercial Pilot License in some cases), an FAA Instrument Rating, (IFR FAA), or an FAA Multi-Engine Rating, (MEP FAA).
This procedure is sometimes misunderstood by our students, which leads in delays in starting training, so we can do it for free with you, or if you prefer, you can do it on your own by visiting the website: www.flightschoolcandidates.gov.

The verification letter

If you want to pass a U.S. Private Pilot License totally independent of your European license (or because you do not yet have a license!), the following does not apply to you!
The purpose of the certification procedure of foreign license offered by the FAA administration is to obtain a FAA private pilot license based on your European one. It will remain valid as long as your European license and medical remain valid. To get it, you just need to fax certain documents to the branch of the FAA, which deals with this kind of application, and the FAA will contact the CAA in your country to determine whether your license has been revoked, suspended, or if it is valid. In this case, within 45 days they will send you a letter that you simply submit to the examiner and he will issue you an FAA PPL based on a foreign license, (expect to pay approximately 400€ for this procedure-to be paid directly to the examiner).
As for the TSA, many students get confused regularly during the license validation request, so we offer to do it for free with you, or if you prefer, you can do it on your own by downloading the following document: 61.75.pdf.

Training

Generally speaking, training consists simply of a theoretical part and a practical part, the latter divided into preparation for the oral examination and the flight examination.

Theoretical training

This training aims to pass the theoretical knowledge test, a kind of ticket allowing you to take the practical test. You can study alone, very good books and material being available to do so, or come to us to follow one of our intensive preparation course over 5 days. You must know that the test consists of a list of questions, and all of those questions are listed in these books which are accessible to everyone, with answers and explanations coming along with them. Why do some prefer to follow an intensive training week then? Because they do not have time to devote to the study of the 11 chapters of the book of question. And because with their family and professional life, it is difficult to find 2 hours in the evening to dedicate to it. By following one of our courses (available for all the knowledge tests, including the IFR FAA), you are certain to cover the entire question bank, with reminders on the foundations needed to answer the questions properly. Some revision at home and you're ready to take the exam! (To be taken at Flight Safety at Le Bourget, in Farnborough, or contact us for a list of centers. Expect to pay about 150€ in examination fees).

Practical training

This part of the course includes preparation for the oral examination, briefings / debriefings on the day's lessons, and flights to cover the entire syllabus and be ready for the test. This training can take place according to your preferences: in your airplane if you have one, in an aircraft that you rent by yourself, (at your aeroclub for instance), in an aircraft that we lease and make available to you, at home in one-to-one, (i.e in individual lessons), at home in groups of 2 or 3 people you know to do that together, at the Cannes Mandelieu platform (LFMD) in one-to-one, or in groups of 2 or 3 people we will find for you, (the cheapest way), the last option being in Cannes Mandelieu with a mix between simulator (cheaper) and aircraft, also available in one-to-one or in groups of 2 or 3 people.
Note that the options of 2 or 3 group of people is effective to get FAA IFR training, but not really for an FAA PPL, or even an FAA CPL where one-to-one instruction is more profitable.
You see that the choice is wide, and it is impossible to review all cases here, we invite you to turn to the pages that match your search, and of course to contact us directly; we will be glad to provide you with information to best direct you to the best compromise based on the time available, your budget, your desires and your needs.

The exam

Once both theoretical and practical training are completed, the next step is the checkride, (practical test), face to face with an American examiner who speaks only English! Do not worry, he is not here to issue you a diploma in foreign languages, so an average level of English is sufficient, but it should still be taken in consideration from the beginning of the training. The test consists in a oral examination lasting about an hour, during which the examiner will ask you questions on what you have learned during training. Again, no worries, we will provide you with all the necessary material to prepare this interview, and we will simulate an oral examination in exam conditions to ensure you have an adequate theoretical level before you attempt it!
If all went well, then you are in flight, again alone with the examiner, and you will simply have to demonstrate during the flight that you are able to perform the different exercises learned during the training with the same tolerance as those used by your instructor, but this time with the stress component that is sometimes more difficult to grasp than with your instructor. The exminer himself admits that, no one makes the best flight of their life in his presence. He is not there to wait for the only time you will be 100 ft below your assigned altitude to fail you, but rather assesses your performance by asking himself if he would trust you to take his family for a flight with you, (i.e are you a safe pilot). If the answer is yes, you have your license in your pocket! Otherwise, he will ask you to do specific additional training on the things that went wrong, before performing a second flight with him during which you will be asked only about those tasks.

Once you have the qualification

Once you have passed your test, you have the right to fly by exploiting the privileges of your brand new license on any aircraft registered in the United States (November registered), anywhere in the world, regardless if you have obtained a CPL FAA, an IFR FAA or a PPL FAA! Since these courses have become available for many, a lot of operators lease airplanes in November aroound the world. Feel free to contact us for more information on this matter.

We invite you to CONTACT US for any information on FAA training, (PPL FAA, IFR FAA, CPL FAA, Multi-Engine Rating, BFR, IPC,etc) or for any other information.