FAA Currency w/Foreign Checkride

[TD_Klondike]

I originally posted this in the GA discussion FAR forum, but I can hear crickets when I log in to that board.

So I live and work in D.R. Congo, formerly Zaire. My FAA currency is set to expire at about the same time that my contract here ends, so I'm planning on going back to the US to get a BFR. I'm working on the assumption that the FAA will not recognize a proficiency check by the Congolese authorities, but I haven't been able to post this question directly to the FAA because I can't find the question form on their website.

Part 61 doesn't mention checkrides in a foreign country or under a foreign authority, I can't find ICAO regs online, and I can't read them here because they're in french. Does anybody have any experience with this?

 

[TransMach]

Bfr

I just dropped pax in Brazzaville so I'll answer for you, maybe out of simple sympathy. Brazzaville was one place I was quite happy to see in the rear view mirror.

14CFR 61.56 requires the flight review. 61.56(c) states"Except as provided in paragraphs (d), (e) and (g) of this section ... requires an endorsement from an authorized instructor who gave the review certifying that the person has satisfactorily comleted the review". 61.56(d) exempts a person who has ... passed a pilot proficiency check conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a U.S. Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege" ... 61.56(e) "satisfactorily accomplished one or more phases of an FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency award program need not accomplish the flight review" ... and 61.56(g) speaks to student pilots.

So, unless you have completed a BFR with a U.S. authorized instructor, completed a 135/121 or military competency check or added a U.S. certificate or operating privilage or completed a "FAA Wings" program, you are rather out of luck and will need to do one of those things to utilize your U.S. FAA certificates and privilages until you do.

TransMach

 

[Dumb Pilot]

There seem to be the believe out there that the FAA is not affiliated at all with ICAO when in fact the FAA is an ICAO subscriber. Now having said that there are instances when a particular country is relegated to an inferior category and restricted not to fly into the U.S. or territories within the E.U. Is this the case with the Congolese authorities? I don't know but if there is no restrictions for them to operate internationally and fly into the U.S. and the E.U. there should be no problem for the FAA to accept your currency IF they have an approved training program and that is what you should find out. I'm in the same boat since I work in Japan and haven't flown in the U.S. for over three years and the FAA recognizes the training program here without any problems but then again it is Japan and not the Congo. You have to find out what is the status of the Congolese CAA and if it is recognized internationally and their training program is approved for operations into the E.U, and the U.S. then if it is, your training will be accepted for currency purposes. You won't be able to transfere your type rating though, you will have to undergo a training here in the U.S. but your experience in the A/C will be accepted and you are able to take a shorter course design for folks that have experience on type.

 

[d328pilot]

I wouldn't waste my time finding the ICAO regs, as they don't apply to US certificates. Your FAA certificate is issued in accordance to the FARs, not ICAO Annex 1 so anything you read there would not apply. There are tons of differences between Part 61 and ICAO Annex 1. (US ATP age 23, ICAO Annex 1 ATP age 21, etc...)

The regs allow for an exemption for Part 121/135 proficiency checks. Foreign airlines are certified under Part 129, not Part 121.

Maybe an inspector would accept a foreign PC for your currency, or maybe not. Absent a legal opinion from the FAA's chief legal counsel, I would recommend getting a BFR done just to cover your self.

I am in a similar situation and have been home in the US for the last month and went to get a BFR done at the local airport. It was actually a lot of fun flying small airplanes again.

 

[atpcliff]

hi!

U can find out if the checker/trainer is certified FAA. For example, i got a physical in Kenya, but the Dr. is FAA licensed, so it counted as an FAA physical. There are foreigners who are authorized by the Kenya CAA to do checkrides for the KCAA, so they don't necessarily have to be Kenyan, just approved by Kenya for the training.

cliff
YYZ

 

[TD_Klondike]

Hi all,

Thanks for the useful replies. I had a suspicion, after reading the regs, that I was going to have to get a flight review during this next vacation.

@atpcliff: No one around here is FAA certified except for me and one Airserv pilot. Lots of UN and Eastern Bloc pilots/airplanes, and they either have their own approved programs in the country of origin if they're UN, or they "fly under the radar", so to speak, if they're Eastern Bloc.

@d328 pilot: Glad to hear you had a good time. I can look forward to doing this in MN in March, though. It's going to be cooooooold.

@dumb pilot: D.R. Congo is at the bottom of list of respected Aviation Authorities. All Congolese registered airlines are blacklisted in the developed world. I was just kind of hoping to find some rule somewhere that could save me a few hundred bucks, but I guess I should have known better. Plus, I'm driving a Twotter around, so no type rating worries for me.

@ Transmach: And Brazzaville is in the NICE Congo...

 

[Dumb Pilot]

@dumb pilot: D.R. Congo is at the bottom of list of respected Aviation Authorities. All Congolese registered airlines are blacklisted in the developed world. I was just kind of hoping to find some rule somewhere that could save me a few hundred bucks, but I guess I should have known better. Plus, I'm driving a Twotter around, so no type rating worries for me.

Then I would most definitely follow d328's advice, I have a lot of experience with this since out of all my years flying most of it has been abroad and I've never had a problem with currency recognition when I came states side for new type ratings and the likes but my ICAO licence was from a member country in good standing within the ICAO member countries (including the U.S.) so the FAA never even question it, although once they requested the training records from the CAA in the country where I was working but they did it directly and I didn't have to do anything, this was done so that I didn't have to take training in the actual airplane and use only the sim for my first type rating in my FAA certificate (18 years ago now, damn I'm getting old) since you require a previous type to do the training and type certification done 100% in the sim and at that time I didn't have any types on my FAA licence but had three on my ICAO licence, the FAA used those types to meet the requirement and I didn't have to go do A/C training. But from a member in bad standing? C-172 renting time, I'm afraid!

 

[TransMach]

QUOTE

@ Transmach: And Brazzaville is in the NICE Congo...

ENDQUOTE

Then I REALLY wouldn't want to see the NOT NICE Congo ...

TransMach