Helicopter add on ?

[svcta]

I have a friend that has a British rotorcraft(and fixed wing) rating.
He went ahead and got an American PPL for airplanes for purposes of simplicity(essentially) and would now like to get the rotorcraft add on.

Background: Apparently it was more of a pain in the bum to keep his British rotorcraft cert. current so he after he sold his helicopter over there he let the license lapse. All told he has a couple of hundred hours in helicopters, all in England.

So here's the question: In tallying up all the requirements for a private helicopter rating, how much of his experience do you think will be allowed to fill the squares?

Obviously he's got an airman cert, so the basic private requirements have all been met. How much of 61.109(c) and 61.107(b)(3) do you think he will be deemed to have met?

Of course he'll at least need the 3 hours prep for the checkride and whatever time an instructor needs to feel comfy signing him off, but will his experience and past training transfer?

Thanks!

 

[Princedietrich]

In terms of now much of his logged flight training and experience will be honored by the FAA, the answer is: all of it. The FAA has standing policy that it will honor the previous training of a pilot from any ICAO member state for the purpose of meeting the requirements for a US pilot cert. Granted, your buddy will have to do the 3 hours prep within 60 days and will have to take the checkride as well. But he can rest assured that there will be no need to "grind" hours in a helo just to meet the numbers.

You mentioned that your friend already has an American private pilot cert for airplanes. That being the case, he won't be able to invoke the rule for a cert based on a foreign cert because he's already got an American one (ref 61.75b3).