FAR Question:

[Cat Driver]

Could anyone tell me is you can fly a privately owned PBY as PIC ( 28,000 pounds all up weight. ) with only a FAA Commercial with instrument rating or is an Airline Transport License required?

I'm just a dumb Canadian and don't have a copy of the FAR's availiable.

 

[Lead Sled]

You could fly it on a private certificate provided you've got the appropriate type rating. That sounds like a lot of fun. PBYs are OK, but you'll know when money becomes "no object" for me - there'll be a fully customized Albatross or Mallard sitting next to my house on the water.

Lead Sled

 

[TrafficInSight]

PBY have a type rating or is it an LOA?

 

[Cat Driver]

The PBY requires a type rating.

I don't know if the FAA will approve a LOA, but I bet someone here knows.

The reason I am asking is two of my partners have hundreds of hours flying all over Africa, Europe , & N. & S. America with me and we may get involved in another Cat in the U.S.A. and I was wondering if they can fly PIC on a FAA Commercial license if I am not availiable.

Chuck

 

[TrafficInSight]

Ok because I thought a type rating was only for aircraft that were civil certified and I wasn't sure if the PBY was or not. Type certificate = type rating. No type certificate = LOA.

 

[Cat Driver]

Yeh, the Cat has a type certificate and we even used them for airline passenger flying here in Canada. In fact that is how I first learned to fly one.

They are now becoming collectors play toys and some are being restored to like new.

I am doing type training on one in Holland, and they have spent over a million dollars restoring the thing.

Chuck

 

[FearlessFreep]

To reitierate what the above post says. If the aircraft was certified you require a type rating if the MGTOW is greater than 12,500 #. A number of World War II aircraft were actually certified on the civil registry and have an actual Type Certificate (some models of AT-6 for example) I do not know if the 'Cat was one of them. How the aircraft is registered (Normal, Limited, Restricted, Experimental (w/amateur built & display categories) may also have a factor on your certificate and rating requirements. In your case I think the LOA might be the requirement, though I cannot be certain about it.

The only License requirement for a type rating would be a Private Pilot's License. You would be restricted for private use and would not have any Commerical or ATP privledges, i.e., not for hire, 135 or 121 ops.

Quite a few people hold type ratings with only a Private Pilot's License.

'Cat,

Just posted this and saw your last post, make sure that the actual serial number of your aircraft is listed in the serial number range on the Type Certificate Data Sheet. Your specific aircraft may or may not be listed on the sheet as there might have been aircraft manufactured by different companies or any other number of different factors may be involved.
To really find out what's required your best bet is to find a FAA FSDO and find an inspector that you can talk to.

Good Luck to Us All!

 

[JAFI]

CAT, Is this a "N" numbered aircraft or a "C" lettered aircraft? If a "N" numbered aircraft then a type or LOA is needed to act as PIC. If it is a "C" lettered aircraft then Transport Canada may be the call.


There is a pilot type rating for the CAT and there can be an LOA. The LOA can have some restrictions on it while the type may not. I would ask the warbird community if you know any one. If not, I recall a warbird CAT flying some where in the North East, Uper state New York I think. If it is still there the Albany FSDO would be the one to call - (518) 785-5660 .

JAFI

 

[Cat Driver]

Yes, it sure gets confusing when one looks for answers.

I have been flying these things and giving pilot type training all over hell and back, in some countries such as Australia, South Africa and now Holland I had to apply for authority to conduct type rating training without being the holder of their licenses, Holland took a year to get approval, the European JAA stuff is far more complex than ours over here, anyhow I will be going back there next Friday and low and behold if I don't have another candidate for the training, a CAA Inspector. Looks like the Dutch are interested in having one of their own know something about the airplane that they will be doing check rides on.

Which brings them up several notches in my opinion, I never could figure out how some inspectors can check ride someone in an airplane they have never flown. Here in Canada we used to get check rides from T.C. inspectors quite frequently in the water bombing buisness, and the airplane knew more about the inspector than the inspector knew about the airplane.

In the USA I have not been successful in getting an exemption because they want me to hold a FAA CFI before they will accept me as a training pilot.

What possible difference me getting a CFI will make as far as teaching someone to fly a PBY goes escapes me completely.

Oh well soon I will get out of this business for good, and I have a perfect use for all the paper work, it will save on having to buy toilet paper.

Cat Driver.