Hey Guys,

So I have a Canadian CPL with Group 1 instrument rating & Class 4 Instructor rating. I want to convert it all to FAA but confused on the process of how to do so.. Can someone with experience doing this tell me how many exams I need to write and where I could get study guides ETC.. The fas site isn't as user friendly as TC

Buy the Gleim product. Best there is out there.
First you need to get a validation. That is valid for 6 months i believe. When you apply for the validation they will ask you which FSDO office you would like to apply through. Id suggest doing one nearby where you live.

Once you have the validation, get the exams done (pretty easy with Gleims). The exams MUST be written at a school that is authorised to do it. You'd have to call them and find out.
Once the exams are written, you now have to contact one of the FSDO examiners to meet with you and ensure you have your results plus all canadian licenses and logbooks etc etc.

Mine was issued on the spot. Now, in order to fly there you also have to get a FCIC (i think thats the acronym) for their equivalent of a radio license.

Good Luck.

Hi riaz6668,

Have you done this conversion lately? I was under the impression that you have to complete a type rating on something over 20 tonnes and it was quite an involved process.

Maybe the process has changed recently?

CPL

you will also need an FAA Medical. There are some fees as well each exam is Approx $165 one for the commercial and one or the IFR and I would also assume one for the Instructor Rating. The if I remember correcty the lic fee is $200USand $50US for each additional rating. You will also have to do a check ride with an CFI in the US before you can fly a N-Reg aircraft.

Charlie Papa Lima wrote:Hi riaz6668,

Have you done this conversion lately? I was under the impression that you have to complete a type rating on something over 20 tonnes and it was quite an involved process.

Maybe the process has changed recently?

CPL

You are referring to qualifica ions to sit the ATPL exams only. This does not apply to converting a CPL

I'm doing it right now for the FAA CPL and I've done it previously for the PPL (foreign based). You need a medical (can be done here, I paid $130 for Class 1), and you need to write an exam (two for IR). They're called CCP and ICP. The only location to write these in Canada is at some place in Mississauga called Canadian Business College. Not sure the cost.

While you're doing the medical and studying for the exam, send in a request to the FAA to verify your foreign license. It takes a few weeks and they fax or mail a letter to you that you can bring to the FSDO. I used the Rochester FSDO but any of them can do it.

Call the FSDO to make an appointment or they will give you a list of authorized people (who charge) that will do the final steps.

If you have the tests complete, a copy of your logbook, a medical, and the verification from the FAA, the FSDO or authorized person should issue the license on the spot. It takes the FAA about 4-6 weeks to mail the card.

You will have to do a biennial proficiency check in an airplane like all other FAA pilots before you can exercise privileges of the certificate.

Canadian Business College does not offer FAA exams.

Does anybody know of anywhere else in Toronto/GTA to write CPL & IR exams.

Thanks

Cessna 180 wrote:I'm doing it right now for the FAA CPL and I've done it previously for the PPL (foreign based). You need a medical (can be done here, I paid $130 for Class 1), and you need to write an exam (two for IR). They're called CCP and ICP. The only location to write these in Canada is at some place in Mississauga called Canadian Business College. Not sure the cost.

While you're doing the medical and studying for the exam, send in a request to the FAA to verify your foreign license. It takes a few weeks and they fax or mail a letter to you that you can bring to the FSDO. I used the Rochester FSDO but any of them can do it.

Call the FSDO to make an appointment or they will give you a list of authorized people (who charge) that will do the final steps.

If you have the tests complete, a copy of your logbook, a medical, and the verification from the FAA, the FSDO or authorized person should issue the license on the spot. It takes the FAA about 4-6 weeks to mail the card.

You will have to do a biennial proficiency check in an airplane like all other FAA pilots before you can exercise privileges of the certificate.

How did you deal with the ATP CTP course requirement?

Reading through the advisory circ, it looks like it shouldn't be required if your Canadian ATPL was issued before Jul 31 2014. I have a call into an FSDO on this and waiting for an answer.

Curious what people around here have been doing.

Reading through the advisory circ, it looks like it shouldn't be required if your Canadian ATPL was issued before Jul 31 2014. I have a call into an FSDO on this and waiting for an answer.

Curious what people around here have been doing.[/quote]

I think that's incorrect but wait and see what the FAA says. Please keep us posted.

I've been indirectly saying F you to the FAA until this gong show is figured out.

cdnpilot04 wrote:

Cessna 180 wrote:I'm doing it right now for the FAA CPL and I've done it previously for the PPL (foreign based). You need a medical (can be done here, I paid $130 for Class 1), and you need to write an exam (two for IR). They're called CCP and ICP. The only location to write these in Canada is at some place in Mississauga called Canadian Business College. Not sure the cost.

While you're doing the medical and studying for the exam, send in a request to the FAA to verify your foreign license. It takes a few weeks and they fax or mail a letter to you that you can bring to the FSDO. I used the Rochester FSDO but any of them can do it.

Call the FSDO to make an appointment or they will give you a list of authorized people (who charge) that will do the final steps.

If you have the tests complete, a copy of your logbook, a medical, and the verification from the FAA, the FSDO or authorized person should issue the license on the spot. It takes the FAA about 4-6 weeks to mail the card.

You will have to do a biennial proficiency check in an airplane like all other FAA pilots before you can exercise privileges of the certificate.

How did you deal with the ATP CTP course requirement?

Reading through the advisory circ, it looks like it shouldn't be required if your Canadian ATPL was issued before Jul 31 2014. I have a call into an FSDO on this and waiting for an answer.

Curious what people around here have been doing.

I also don't think this is correct. I believe the circular refers to having sat the FAA ATPL exam prior to July 31, 2014 (or August 31, I can't remember) exempted you from the CTP course for up to 2 years while you completed the ATPL requirements. If you wanted to write the exam the day after this came into effect, you needed the CTP course regardless of the method of obtaining an FAA ATPL.

If you have a Canadian ATPL, can you just apply to only have an FAA CPL instead of doing the ATP CTP?

S.

Yes, you just have to do the CPL conversion exam and medical, get the validation from Oklahoma City and get it signed off at an FSDO.

Sweet, thanks cdn.

S.

Just heard back, and yes, it is as said on here. No way around the CTP for the ATP.

The line I kept reading over and over must have some bad english lol Makes sense if you see it in another light though.

4. An applicant for an FAA ATP Certificate with an airplane category and
multiengine class rating after July 31, 2014 must present a graduation certificate from an
authorized training provider for the ATP CTP at the time of application for the appropriate FAA
ATP knowledge test.

I guess it's just CPL IFR for me lol

I just did the conversion fully this week for my CPL and Instrument rating. Done at the Helena FSDO. I wrote 2 tests at a testing center in Great Falls, back to back. The Instrument was significantly more difficult than the Commercial. Took about 1hr to do the instrument. Make sure you study the big differences in US Air Law (alternates, Part 91 Ops) as well as departure procedures and approaches using the FAA plates.

The Commercial took all of maybe 15 minutes and was very very strait forward. Still worth studying for. Most of the questions I got were word for word in the study website I used.

Made an appointment in advance with the Helena FSDO. Very nice people. No fee. Bring Form 8710 with you filled out if you can along with your driver's license or passport, US Class 1 or 2 medical, Canadian License, Logbook. I got my seaplane rating brought over. Thought I wouldn't be able to, but it wasn't an issue. Couldn't get my MES because I have no PIC time in a multi-sea plane.

Printed off my temp certificate right there.

Overall, worth the beautiful drive to Helena.

I used the Gleim Aviation study site and I would recommend buying both Commercial and Instrument (Canadian) study guides as there are enough differences to make studying worth while. Many of the questions asked are word for word.

The advice on this topic is useful for commercial conversions. But has anyone actually done an ATP conversion since the rules changed a couple of years ago? Specifically, I need to do an ATP CTP course at an FAA-approved school in the USA before doing the conversion wrtitten exam. Does anyone have a recommendation for the school? Thanks.

I am thinking of heading south for a job.

Not sure of what path to take here.

1. apply for the atp license and then try and get hired with a company that provides the course. Seems like getting without an actual FAA license would be difficult

2. apply for the atp license and do a $4k 6 day course in Las Vegas.

3. Just convert my atpl to a FAA CPL and write the tests for upgrade so that I can attempt to get hired by a company that supplies the ATP course.

I'm not sure what you mean by "apply for the ATP" then Worry about the CTP? As stated above, you cannot sit the ATP conversion exam until you have completed the ATP-CTP course and therefore can't apply for the ATP license.

johngalt wrote:I am thinking of heading south for a job.

Not sure of what path to take here.

1. apply for the atp license and then try and get hired with a company that provides the course. Seems like getting without an actual FAA license would be difficult

2. apply for the atp license and do a $4k 6 day course in Las Vegas.

3. Just convert my atpl to a FAA CPL and write the tests for upgrade so that I can attempt to get hired by a company that supplies the ATP course.

Best bet is to convert to FAA CPL and have a potential employer pay for the CTP course. Don't pay for it, all regional and corporate employer will pay for the course and will pay you to do it. The CTP is well known in the states to be a joke and the written also.

I'm assuming that you have the right to work in the US.

Good luck

Is the process for the CPL the same as for the PPL?

when I get my PPL, i just want FAA PPL so i can rent planes when I travel. I hear it's simple, but still need a medical.

there are FAA cert docs here in canada, so that makes it easy.

mk

As far as test exam prep... my understanding is that you would do both the CPL and the Instrument courses from Gleim?

As a Canadian citizen, do I need some sort of visa to go across the border to do this exam?

praveen4143 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:31 pm As a Canadian citizen, do I need some sort of visa to go across the border to do this exam?

Nope. Your Canadian passport is the only document you need. Be sure to bring at least TWO government IDs to write your exams. One needs your current address on it. So passport and driver's license is sufficient.

jg24 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 3:36 am

praveen4143 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:31 pm As a Canadian citizen, do I need some sort of visa to go across the border to do this exam?

Nope. Your Canadian passport is the only document you need. Be sure to bring at least TWO government IDs to write your exams. One needs your current address on it. So passport and driver's license is sufficient.

Excellent! Thank you for the information!