Roy Smith wrote:
Well, is you aim a US certificate based on a valid foreign certificate
or do you want to end up with a full US certificate independent of the
foreign license?


I don't know exactly. The former sounds simpler. Are there advantages to
the latter?

yes and no. it depends on the country that issued the
license upon which the US certificate is based; for
instance, I got my first US certificate under 61.75
based on the old style (pre-JAR) British PPL(A); in
this case, it was actually more advantageous for me
to do so than to get a 'real' FAA certificate; for
one thing, the British PPL(A) did not expire (just
like the US certificate, i.e., the piece of
paper does not expire); and that's important, because
61.75 says that the US certificate is valid as long as
the foreign license upon which it is based remains valid
(unless it is explicitly revoked or surrendered);
Moreover, at the time, my British Class-III medical
was valid 5 years :-) -- so all in all, it was simpler
at the time to stick with my 61.75 based certificate

nowadays however, it is my understanding that the new
JAR licenses do have an expiration date on it (I haven't
bothered yet to exchange my British PPL(A) for one -- but
I understand that folks with a German PPL also had the
same problem, i.e., expiration date on the license); and
it becomes a pain in the neck since you have to keep
not just one, but two civil aviation authorities
happy.

Now, if someone already has a foreign private license;
I reckon the best bet would be to i) apply for a US
certificate based on the foreign license under 61.75,
even though it has become more complicated and requires
that the country of origin certifies your credentials;
and ii) prepare for the commercial ticket; i.e., if you
must prepare for a written exam and checkride, might
as well go for the commercial for just a little bit
-- not that much -- more effort.

that's what I did actually (I still keep my private
certificate based on the foreign license because it
still has my glider rating on it; I should eventually go
spend a couple of weeks at a place like Minden and
get the commercial and be done with it :-)

--Sylvain