I might also add that if a pilot has not gone though the verification of
certificate process then it is impossible to have a rating issued.

Although I had a brand spanking new plastic FAA certificate re-issued I
still had to present a current valid letter of verification of my UK
licences to the examiner.

In the absence of that then to complete the IR I would have had to do the
private first and have the private issued as any regular one is.

The Verification letter is valid for about 6 months as I recall and a copy
is sent to the nominated FSDO (being the FSDO of the DPE) and a copy sent to
the pilot.

If you change your mind and go to a DPE based with another FSDO then one of
three things can happen.

a) You get Oklahoma to reissue the Verification letter to the appropriate
FSDO. Unfortunately they will also send your copy to the address on your
foreign certificate. If you are in the US this may not be too helpful.

b) you find someone DPE, FSDO willing to work out how the different FSDOs
reconcile the matter - Not easy and you may find that the FSDOs are prepared
to sort this out. Don't blame them really as its not their fault.

c) Or you just do the regular stuff and do not rely on the Verification
letters. For me that would have meant doing the private knowledge test, the
tree hours of training 60 days before the checkride and then the check ride,
followed by doing the IR checkride. (Knowledge test already passed)



"Chris" wrote in message
...

"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