"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
m...
I don't know what TSA has done post-9/11, but FAR 61 still seems to
allow issuance of pilot certificates based on foreign licenses. But
you cannot add a U.S. rating to that certificate. I was in the same
situation, and I took the private pilot checkride and the instrument
checkride back to back. In hindsight, what I should have done is to
take the commercial checkride first and then the instrument checkride.
That way I could have avoided having to take the private checkride
once again.

Wrong again it seems.
I have just (September 2004) added an FAA/IR to my FAA private issued on the
basis of a UK licence. The certificate gets endorsed "US test passed " to
make it clear that it is not a foreign IR.

I did discuss with the examiner the merits of doing the private in its own
right but he advised me to do the commercial bearing in mind my total number
of hours and have the IR transferred to that. he saw no merit in going
backwards ratings wise.

see this link in particular section 3 H (4)

http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/faa/8700/...5/2_029_00.htm