Converting to Japanese license

[Koizie1]

Has anyone on here ever converted to, or heard of anyone who has ever converted to a Japanese commercial/atpl license?

Anything would help, I've searched everywhere and cant find any solid info.

[mcrit]

My info on this is a bit old (about 1996ish when I was there). It's pretty difficult to convert. You have to write the Japanese exams, in Japanese and do a flight test.

[mabcan]

I think you should be able to find your answers on the following forum : http://japanpilots.19.forumer.com/

[Elliot Moose]

You do have to do the exams (but not in Japanese) and they are fairly exhaustive. It will take about 3-5 months to get that part done. Then there is the flight test.

I did this for quite a few foreign pilots who had been hired by a Japanese carrier (they were current captains on type from various countries) and they worked extremely hard just to pass the written. They then thought they were home free on the flying part---WRONG!!! After 8-9 sessions in the sim, the failure rate was still 30-50%. Every one of them said it was the hardest training that they had ever done. The skill level must be high, and the SOP must be nearly perfect. On top of that, the oral exam (pre flight test brief)can cover anything that one should know.

Questions that I saw asked included:

• What is the sweep of the wings?
  At what angle does the wingtip hit the ground?
  What weather would you consult in planning a flight from Sendai to Osaka, and what are valid time periods for each forecast?
  What fuel is needed for various types of flight?
  Describe slow flight condition and recovery.

It can be done successfully, but you will work for it. If you don't have a firm job offer as a captain, don't bother. They have lots of FO's, but the country is desperate for left seaters with good time. If you don't have a pile of time with several hundred hours left seat on type, the JCAB will reject you before you even start.

Hope this helps.

[Koizie1]

Thanks very much for the info. The Mrs is Japanese so working visa isnt an issue, and studying for exams/fly tests is a pain but doable. No jet captain time though, and trying to find 703 style operators aint easy but their are a few. If anyone hears of any 703 type jobs please let me know.

Thanks again.

[TAWS]

You better be thin!

From what I hear, they don't like fat pilots over there.....just sayin'