Acquiring a JAA/ATPL license?

[2000Easyguy]

Looking for info. on this subject, while holding a FAA ATP cert. Thanks!

 

[Flywrite]

Go over the www.pprune.com and do a search. There 's lots of good info over there on this. Basically, it can be fairly easy if you have 1,500 (or is it 3,000? If forget...) hours in something big, like 737 size or better (60,000kg maybe?, again I forget).

If you don't meet this requirement it gets harder and more frustrating. From what I've been able to gather it is expensive and pretty time consuming. For some reason or other they view an FAA ATP like it is a Student Certificate.

Your mileage may vary, but this has been my impression from dealing with the CAA at Gatwick a couple of years ago. The pprune folks should be able to fill you in on the latest and greatest though.

 

[2000Easyguy]

Thanks for the link and quick response!
Regards!

 

[Mudworm]

I am in the UK for 6 months an have looked into it. I have 7500 plus hours with a US ATP. Mostly GIV, GV time. It is possible to reduce the schooling required but you will still be required to take all of the required written exams. You must go through a aproved school to prepare for the exams.

I dropped it as I don't have the time while over here to put into studying.

BTW the exams are taken at Gatwick. Even for me to get just the Private Instrument license here I would be required to take 11 exams. I could take them all at once but it would take me 5 full days. I have no idea how many exams would be involved in the ATPL. uke:

 

[can99]

The last post is true, in a nutshell you take all the exams, undertaking what can be seen as supervised training. There are 14 exams, and about 15 000+ questions to get in your head..IT IS NOT EASY!!

The exams can be done here in the USA , they are held in Orlando on a monthly basis.Expect to hand over a lot of $$$$ for the exams.

Oh the books for the course will set you back around $2500 for the theory course. www.naplesaircenter.com www.bristol.gs and www.flyoft.com can help you.

You also need a JAA Class 1 medical, again nothing like the FAA medical, it must be dont in the UK.... expect to throw away around $600-800 plus airfare for this (the initial must be done in Europe.. there are 3 Doctors here in the USA ...maybe more.. that can renew it out here)

Once you have the medical out of the way and the theory exams, you can then have the privilege of the flight part, which involves a type rating flight test at an approved sim center... FSI and Simuflite are approved here in the USA, or you could get a Frozen ATPL, which means you undertake a CPL flight test with a USA based examiner and a Instrument rating checkride with an examiner...cant be combined into one flight.... the instrument rating MUST be undertaken in JAA airspace.

The realistic time frame for all this is around 6-8 mths done fulltime, and 1-2 years parttime. Have seen it done in 3 months by a very determined well sponsored guy flying a corporate B737, but most people I worked with did it in the 1-2 years timeframe. Its hard hard hard is all I can say. But its there system, its proven it works, and for the locals with a bare CPL/IR 99% of them hit their first job right seat in a B737 thru B747 or A340 with this system of training...or should I say over training.

Have been a JAA Ground school head of training for many years in my previous career hence the useless knowledge.

C