Flying in the UK

[mtrep09]

I'm going to be stationed in England after I commission in May, and was curious about flying over there. After a quick google search it looks like an FAA PPL gives you privileges for daytime VFR. Does anyone have experience with this? Is there more paperwork involved or is it as easy as doing a rental checkout?

 

[NickH]

I've done it. It should be as simple as a rental checkout, but the radio stuff is a little different. Some places would love to sell you ten hours of lessons.

Be ready to spend a lot of money.

 

[mtrep09]

I've done it. It should be as simple as a rental checkout, but the radio stuff is a little different. Some places would love to sell you ten hours of lessons.

Thanks, I'm sure there is a good bit of studying to be done on the different procedures.

Be ready to spend a lot of money.

I was afraid of that.

 

[hook_dupin]

When I left Blighty, RAF Marham had an aero club and they had a few Yanks flying with them. Poke around up there if you're going to want to fly. Otherwise, the next closest place to rent a GA airplane is Cambridge, I think.

 

[I_Money]

I had no problems with my license - just showed up at the club and did a check out! Flying in the UK is different, I found the VFR chart very complicated, with very dense airspace with tons of identical looking towns dotted around the countryside. It might be easier with GPS.

It is also WICKED expensive!!!!

 

[drunkenbeagle]

It is also WICKED expensive!!!!

It will be super expensive, plan about $250/hour in a 172.

Glider clubs, on the other hand, are all over the UK. Most are about the same or cheaper than flying in the US. The British Glider Association(BGA) is delegated (at least until 2015) to handle licensing - there is no requirement to hold a pilot certificate to fly a glider in the UK. You'll just get a signoff from a BGA instructor. They primarily do winch launches, which are hard to find in the US anyway. And cheap. And a lot of fun from what I hear.

 

[popaviator]

$$$

 

[mtrep09]

It will be super expensive, plan about $250/hour in a 172.

Glider clubs, on the other hand, are all over the UK. Most are about the same or cheaper than flying in the US. The British Glider Association(BGA) is delegated (at least until 2015) to handle licensing - there is no requirement to hold a pilot certificate to fly a glider in the UK. You'll just get a signoff from a BGA instructor. They primarily do winch launches, which are hard to find in the US anyway. And cheap. And a lot of fun from what I hear.

That sounds very interesting actually, I'll have to look into it more.

 

[Zondaracer]

I'm going to be stationed in England after I commission in May, and was curious about flying over there. After a quick google search it looks like an FAA PPL gives you privileges for daytime VFR. Does anyone have experience with this? Is there more paperwork involved or is it as easy as doing a rental checkout?

Before the transition to EASA rules, there was automatic validation of foreign licenses for PPL privileges. The UK has transitioned to the new EASA rules. If you want to fly a European registered aircraft in the Uk, you now MUST do a license conversion (so even more £££). This was a recent change

Source: I am a UK licensed flight instructor

 

[Zondaracer]

It will be super expensive, plan about $250/hour in a 172.

Glider clubs, on the other hand, are all over the UK. Most are about the same or cheaper than flying in the US. The British Glider Association(BGA) is delegated (at least until 2015) to handle licensing - there is no requirement to hold a pilot certificate to fly a glider in the UK. You'll just get a signoff from a BGA instructor. They primarily do winch launches, which are hard to find in the US anyway. And cheap. And a lot of fun from what I hear.

Gliding used to be self regulating in the UK. Part of the EASA transition now involves state regulation and licensing for gliding in all of the EU. The UK is delaying the implementation of glider licenses until 2015. It is still probably the most affordable form of flying in the UK. Ultralights are also getting very popular (their definition of ultralights are like our Light Sport)

 

[mtrep09]

Before the transition to EASA rules, there was automatic validation of foreign licenses for PPL privileges. The UK has transitioned to the new EASA rules. If you want to fly a European registered aircraft in the Uk, you now MUST do a license conversion (so even more £££). This was a recent change

Source: I am a UK licensed flight instructor

Is that a paperwork issue or something done with an instructor?

 

[drunkenbeagle]

Gliding used to be self regulating in the UK. Part of the EASA transition now involves state regulation and licensing for gliding in all of the EU. The UK is delaying the implementation of glider licenses until 2015. It is still probably the most affordable form of flying in the UK. Ultralights are also getting very popular (their definition of ultralights are like our Light Sport)

Does this apply to foreign glider pilots now, or starting in 2015?

As the OP does not presumably hold a glider rating, would it even matter? It would seem that a student solo signoff would be all he would need anyway.

 

[Zondaracer]

Is that a paperwork issue or something done with an instructor?

Someone converting from a foreign ICAO PPL to an EASA PPL requires taking two (out of the total 9 PPL exams), and they must take a flight test with an examiner, and they must hold an EASA class 2 medical. The aircraft must be registered with an ATO (Approved Training Organisation) and any necessary training must be completed by an ATO. The flight test must use only licensed airfields. In the UK, there are licensed and unlicensed airfields, and flight tests cannot use unlicensed airfields. Also, to convert, the PPL holder must hold 100 hours TT, but there are no minimum dual requirements to convert the license.

 

[Zondaracer]

Does this apply to foreign glider pilots now, or starting in 2015?

As the OP does not presumably hold a glider rating, would it even matter? It would seem that a student solo signoff would be all he would need anyway.

This won't apply until 2015. Until then, gliding in the UK will still be self regulated. Since it is self regulated, if the OP has access to a glider, then technically they don't need a license or even an instructor signoff to legally fly it, but if they walked into a glider club and didn't have the British Gliding Association (BGA) club license or foreign license, they probably won't let you fly until you get a signoff from a gliding instructor. After the 2015 implementation date, they will need an EASA gliding license. I am not a gliding pilot so you would get better information directly from the BGA.

In the UK, gliding is currently self regulated, much like skydiving in the US. The FAA doesn't issue sky dive licenses, but to jump at a USPA drop zone, they will want to see your USPA issued license.

 

[Zondaracer]

One thing that I forgot to mention is that you could fly an N registered aircraft in the UK without doin a license conversion... but under the new EASA regulations, a pilot residing in Europe needs to get an EASA license within the first year, even to fly a non-EASA registered aircraft

 

[🦈💜]

What crap! I do so hate europe.

Clearly, we need to ban those inferior Europeans from flying here, as well. If they want to fly in the US, make 'em earn their US private/comm/instrument from the ground up. F-em.

-Fox D:

 

[Hacker15e]

I'm going to be stationed in England after I commission in May, and was curious about flying over there. After a quick google search it looks like an FAA PPL gives you privileges for daytime VFR. Does anyone have experience with this? Is there more paperwork involved or is it as easy as doing a rental checkout?

I was at RAF Lakenheath with hook_dupin, and looked at various places to go fly during the time I was there. Ultimately, I found it more hassle and expense than it was worth.

The "best" I could find was one club out near Norwich that had an N-registered 172 that was renting for £110/hour (at the time, that was about $225), and had a long laundry list of restrictions for renting it in terms of weather (VFR-only) and places you could go with it. At the big airport in Cambridge, there was another little club that had Chipmunks and Tiger Moths which I thought was quite fun, but they wouldn't let an FAA-licensed pilot go without a JAA-rated instructor on board.

FWIW, flying in the UK involves completely different rules and terminology. I had a formal day-long transition course that the USAF sent me through when I first arrived in the UK, and even with that background I found it a challenge to fly civilian aircraft with the many differences that the military transition training did not cover. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend that the casual GA pilot try and fly there without spending the time (and $/£) to get some proper formal ground and in-flight transition instruction from a local.

 

[J777Fly]

Flying in the UK is more hassle and expense than anything else. Doesn't matter if its a rental C172 or a trying to fly for the airlines here.

Bottom line is, your FAA license on its own with current medical will suffice. No conversion or validation procedure is necessary. But some flight schools try to make money out of you by insisting on 5-10 hours check out, whilst others simply shy away from FAA pilots altogether.

The Radio work is very different (super anal)
The VFR map is colourful but confusing, the air traffic control procedures is different.
The weather is poor and unpredictable most of the time (rain, low cloud, grey skies, wind, FOG)
The cost is exorbitant!

But realistically you should aim to do atleast 3-5 hours dual with an instructor before you go solo, plus pay for landing fees at every airport you go to. Its the same airplanes as the USA, but just a totally different flying culture here.

Thats why so many Brits/Europeans learn to fly in the USA first, then convert to the EASA. Its cheaper. Like for every one dual lesson you get in Euroland, you can get 3-4 in the USA with instructor! And NO LANDING FEES (at most GA airports anyway)!

As a side note; As far as a career in England/Europe goes, well after spending the equivalent of over $100,000 USD to finish flight school with your new EASA Frozen ATPL (CPL with 200 hours TT and ATP's written), just be prepared to get in a very long line and wait many years before any airline will hire you. Their are just too many pilots in the pool here, and not enough jobs. And the legacy careers only go for the ATPL, 2000+ hours and time on type guys, so the reality is most who have just finished their commercial will never get to exercise it!

Its a bad scene here!

 

[mtrep09]

Thanks for the info Zondaracer and Hacker15e. Lakenheath is where I'll be going as an aircraft maintenance officer. I think I could live without GA flying if the AF was letting me fly F15s occasionally.

 

[Zondaracer]

Bottom line is, your FAA license on its own with current medical will suffice. No conversion or validation procedure is necessary.

This will still be the case until the new EASA regulations are adopted in the UK for this part, which will be 8 April 2014. After which, a conversion will be necessary

Its a bad scene here!

You got that right, that's why I'm going back to 'Merica!