Foreign License

[Ol Shy & Bashful]

Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
certificate and where from?
Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
USA?

[[email protected]]

On Mar 28, 10:46 am, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:
> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> certificate and where from?
> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> USA?


And to start topic drift already, I'd like to follow up with:

If an American citizen has a USA commercial, is there any easy way to
collect certificates from other countries? I can see the advantage of
collecting a few more that would be beyond the reach of TSA and FAA
lunatics.

[Gig 601XL Builder[_2_]]

wrote:
> On Mar 28, 10:46 am, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:
>> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
>> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
>> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
>> certificate and where from?
>> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
>> USA?
>
>
> And to start topic drift already, I'd like to follow up with:
>
> If an American citizen has a USA commercial, is there any easy way to
> collect certificates from other countries? I can see the advantage of
> collecting a few more that would be beyond the reach of TSA and FAA
> lunatics.

I believe that if you have a non-US issued certificate that is based on
a US certificate then if the US cert is pulled then the non-US certs
would be as well.

[Ol Shy & Bashful]

On Mar 28, 2:09*pm, Robert Moore > wrote:
> "Ol Shy & Bashful" *wrote
>
> > Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> > USA?
>
> I count at least 50. *:-)
>
> Bob Moore
> PanAm (retired)

Bob
Sure respect your career but have you been licensed in any other
countries? To reposte, I've worked in at least 30, flown in at least
that many more and have been licensed in at least 15 that I can find
certificates for.
Cheers
Rocky

[Ol Shy & Bashful]

On Mar 28, 1:04*pm, wrote:
> On Mar 28, 10:46 am, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:
>
> > Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
> > attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
> > I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> > certificate and where from?
> > Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> > USA?
>
> And to start topic drift already, I'd like to follow up with:
>
> If an American citizen has a USA commercial, is there any easy way to
> collect certificates from other countries? I can see the advantage of
> collecting a few more that would be beyond the reach of TSA and FAA
> lunatics.

You can get certificates that are reciprocal based on your US
certificate but the norm is for you to take a local flight physical,
take a written on local air law/regs (and usually in the local
language....) and sometimes take a flight check. Most of the time, it
can be based on a physical, written, and based on your flight log with
appropriate restrictions. For diplomatic reasons, I elected to get a
Canada Commercial pilot cert for those countries that are not friendly
to the USA. So far, I've been licensed in at least 15 countries and my
original is with the USA - ATP ASMELS-RIFR,CFII/RAM
The Canada commercial was the most laborious and took a couple weeks
out of my life while I was in Vancouver getting certified. The other
were fairly quick, a few days at most in the different countries. I
was required to get licensed to fly their locally registered aircraft
for my employment. Most of it was for agricultural ops (crop dusting)
with either airplanes or helicopters. Only a few of the countries did
I have to know the local language other than English.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

"Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote in news:e5dee1c7-b6b2-45dd-
:

> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> certificate and where from?
> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> USA?
>

I have several foreign licences, the only ones of which are current are the
FAA and the JAR.

Bertie

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

"Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote in news:9f5159fd-9377-
:



> You can get certificates that are reciprocal based on your US
> certificate but the norm is for you to take a local flight physical,
> take a written on local air law/regs (and usually in the local
> language....) and sometimes take a flight check. Most of the time, it
> can be based on a physical, written, and based on your flight log with
> appropriate restrictions. For diplomatic reasons, I elected to get a
> Canada Commercial pilot cert for those countries that are not friendly
> to the USA. So far, I've been licensed in at least 15 countries and my
> original is with the USA - ATP ASMELS-RIFR,CFII/RAM
> The Canada commercial was the most laborious and took a couple weeks
> out of my life while I was in Vancouver getting certified. The other
> were fairly quick, a few days at most in the different countries. I
> was required to get licensed to fly their locally registered aircraft
> for my employment. Most of it was for agricultural ops (crop dusting)
> with either airplanes or helicopters. Only a few of the countries did
> I have to know the local language other than English.
>


Depends on the country, but at the commercial level the other country is
probably going to insist on a full set of their writtens, which will
almost certainly be quite a bit different to the FAA writtens ( how's
your celestial nav, for instance? ) and a flight test, more than likely
a local instrument check, will be required as well. Having said that, a
couple of hundred bucks is all that's required throughout most of
africa.,



Bertie

[Robert M. Gary]

On Mar 28, 11:04*am, wrote:
> On Mar 28, 10:46 am, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:

> If an American citizen has a USA commercial, is there any easy way to
> collect certificates from other countries? I can see the advantage of
> collecting a few more that would be beyond the reach of TSA and FAA
> lunatics.

I was asked to bring a sea plane to a new buyer in the US from Canada.
I looked into it. For a regular commercial you have to take a mini
Canadian checkride but for a short term commercial you just present
your FAA certificate to the Canadian "FAA" and they will issue you a
temp. I think I might have also had to get a Canadian medical
certificate. I didn't end up taking the job.

In Mexico its almost impossible. The Mexican gov't will first ask you
to show that there are no Mexican commercial pilots who could do what
you want to do. They are very, very sensitive about Americans taking
Mexican jobs. I do know of at least one American that does hold a
Mexican commercial. I believe he had to do a full checkride but it
allows him to fly Mexican registered planes in Mexico.

-Robert

[Thomas Borchert]

Ol,

> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> certificate and where from?

Germany (that is, now, pan-European JAR-PPL)

> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> USA?

Most Western European countries.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[terry]

On Mar 29, 4:46*am, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:
> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> certificate and where from?
> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> USA?

Well I am from Australia ( PPL ). Other than as human cargo I havent
flown in any other country. I think there are more non americans
than you realise, some just dont make it public. If I am not being
lazy I usually put PPL downunder after my name, just so people know
that I am flying in a very different environment with different rules
( not to mention upside down of course).
Speaking of being US centric, I have to tell you about the guy in New
Orleans who, obviously detecting my "different' accent, asked me what
state I came from. So I just said Victoria, and then he asked me if
that was near California. Yeh mate, just a little bit further west.

Terry

[JGalban via AviationKB.com]

Ol Shy & Bashful wrote:

>Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
>USA?

I've flown in Canada several times.

A DEA agent once tried to give me credit for flying low into the U.S. from
Mexico, but that was just wishful thinking on his part :-)

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

--
Message posted via http://www.aviationkb.com

[Thomas Borchert]

Airbus,

> (except Switzerland).
>

And the UK.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[[email protected]]

On Mar 29, 9:44 am, Airbus > wrote:

> an "N" registered aircraft. You talk about the FAA "lunatics" but many foreign
> regulatory agencies are much more out of touch with general aviation.

I see a difference between eurocratic obstructionism and US government
lunacy, but the effect can be the same. The thought of attempting to
get a Schweizerdeutsch aviation official to hand over a license is
enough to get me to turn in my passport and go no further than
Disneyland.

But there must be lots of more flexible aviation authorities, perhaps
in English-speaking areas of the Caribbean, that might write up valid
credentials in exchange for reasonable compensation.

Not that I have any imminent need for such. My airman's certificate
and medical are valid and I have no reason to think that will change,
even after this posting becomes public.

[Airbus[_4_]]

Throughout Europe.
Have FAA aznd JAA certificates issued in US and France respectively).
It is now fairly straightforward to fly throughout western Europe - the
Schengen laws make it poossible to craoss borders without going through
customs and police formalities (except Switzerland).

Many people in Europe fly "N" registered aircraft. The reason is the regs
allow a US-certificated pilot to fly under FAA regulations internationally in
an "N" registered aircraft. You talk about the FAA "lunatics" but many foreign
regulatory agencies are much more out of touch with general aviation. An
instrument rating, in particular, is very costly and complex to complete in
Europe for GA flyers. Many opt to do the IR in the US, then fly IFR in Europe
using an "N" registered aircraft. In Paris you'll find Barons, Seneca V's
Mooneys and King Airs for rent with "N" callsigns. . .

[Orval Fairbairn[_2_]]

In article
>,
wrote:

> On Mar 29, 9:44 am, Airbus > wrote:
>
> > an "N" registered aircraft. You talk about the FAA "lunatics" but many
> > foreign
> > regulatory agencies are much more out of touch with general aviation.
>
> I see a difference between eurocratic obstructionism and US government
> lunacy, but the effect can be the same. The thought of attempting to
> get a Schweizerdeutsch aviation official to hand over a license is
> enough to get me to turn in my passport and go no further than
> Disneyland.
>
> But there must be lots of more flexible aviation authorities, perhaps
> in English-speaking areas of the Caribbean, that might write up valid
> credentials in exchange for reasonable compensation.
>
> Not that I have any imminent need for such. My airman's certificate
> and medical are valid and I have no reason to think that will change,
> even after this posting becomes public.

Unfortunately, the US has both the most pilots and personally-owned
aircraft of any nation in the world.

As a result, we also have some of the most liberal regulations of any
nation. We have some very good organizations (EAA, AOPA, state and local
pilots' associations) who keep an eye on the bureaucratic "mice" who
would destroy our rights.

All of Europe, which many people would call "enlightened," is really a
cesspool of anti-general aviation regulation, fueled by the Green and
socialist attitudes, which take a dim view of anybody "rich enough" to
fly his own plane (Oh, the humanity!).

--
Remove _'s from email address to talk to me.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

Airbus > wrote in
:

> Throughout Europe.
> Have FAA aznd JAA certificates issued in US and France respectively).
> It is now fairly straightforward to fly throughout western Europe -
> the Schengen laws make it poossible to craoss borders without going
> through customs and police formalities (except Switzerland).
>
> Many people in Europe fly "N" registered aircraft. The reason is the
> regs allow a US-certificated pilot to fly under FAA regulations
> internationally in an "N" registered aircraft.

The reason they fly US reg'd airplanes in western Europe is to escape
the beaurocratic, anal retentive and exorbinately expensive authorities
that exist there.


Bertie
>

[Dylan Smith]

On 2008-03-29, > wrote:
> But there must be lots of more flexible aviation authorities, perhaps
> in English-speaking areas of the Caribbean, that might write up valid
> credentials in exchange for reasonable compensation.

In the Isle of Man, you just fill in a form to fly M-reg aircraft.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

[Dylan Smith]

On 2008-03-30, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
> The reason they fly US reg'd airplanes in western Europe is to escape
> the beaurocratic, anal retentive and exorbinately expensive authorities
> that exist there.

The head of the new EASA organisation has said that he wants to see a
regulatory environment that allows GA to thrive, 'similar to the US'
(paraphrasing his words).

I'll believe it when I see it.

Already, EASA have forced us to register gliders and put them on a full
C of A (it used to simply be administered by the British Gliding
Association in British airspace), which is a severe step in the *wrong*
direction, since it adds considerable bureaucracy to glider operations
that wasn't there before. So I remain deeply skeptical.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

Dylan Smith > wrote in
:

> On 2008-03-30, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
>> The reason they fly US reg'd airplanes in western Europe is to escape
>> the beaurocratic, anal retentive and exorbinately expensive
authorities
>> that exist there.
>
> The head of the new EASA organisation has said that he wants to see a
> regulatory environment that allows GA to thrive, 'similar to the US'
> (paraphrasing his words).
>
> I'll believe it when I see it.


Me too.

>
> Already, EASA have forced us to register gliders and put them on a
full
> C of A (it used to simply be administered by the British Gliding
> Association in British airspace), which is a severe step in the
*wrong*
> direction, since it adds considerable bureaucracy to glider operations
> that wasn't there before. So I remain deeply skeptical.
>

Isn't the UK getting a new ultralight class with significantly less
regualtion? I picked up one of the Brit GA mags when I was in London
about 6 months ago and it was talking about that. Your PFA has an
approved "list" of allowable homebuilts and this rule would
substantially loosen that for aircraft under a certain weight and
perfomance with a lot fewer restrictions on certificatin and maintenance
as well. Is that right?


Bertie

[Flydive]

Dylan Smith wrote:
> On 2008-03-29, > wrote:
>> But there must be lots of more flexible aviation authorities, perhaps
>> in English-speaking areas of the Caribbean, that might write up valid
>> credentials in exchange for reasonable compensation.
>
> In the Isle of Man, you just fill in a form to fly M-reg aircraft.
>

Yes, like few other countries (VP-, for ex.), but is just a validation
based on a foreign license, you loose your license you loose the M
validation.....

[Mike[_20_]]

On Mar 28, 1:46 pm, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:
> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> certificate and where from?
> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> USA?

I am a US certified PPL, and I've flown (with a local instructor) in
both the UK and South Africa.

In the UK we flew out of a grass strip (the Old Sarum Flying Club near
Salisbury), and never went above 1500 feet on the hour long flight, to
avoid having to deal with ATC (which I think would have incurred
fees). Small country, we flew down to the channel and back and
toured some stately homes and got back all in about an hour, in a
Warrior.

In South Africa it's pretty much anything goes VFR, as long as you
stay out of the controlled airspace around military bases and major
airports. And even then, we asked for (and got) permission to overfly
the parliament and presidential palaces in Pretoria.

re: the discussion elsewhere in this thread about other countries
where flying is realtively cheap and free, I think South Africa would
qualify. The instructor I flew with told me that the U.S.,
Australia, and South Africa are pretty much the world's training
countries. My experience on a round the world business trip confirmed
that, lots of Aussie accents in the cockpits of Asian airlines.

The South African instructor also told me I fly "like a typical
American" which he said was a complement, because GA is relatively
cheap and free in the U.S. so most American GA pilots fly better than
from other countries because we practice more, because we can afford
to (comparatively). For example, we don't pay fees for landings at
most GA airports.

He runs a bush flying service and told me when a foreigner wants to
rent one of his planes, he asks what country they are from. If it's
Germany, France, or another European county where most flight training
is military or airline based and GA is so expensive most pilots can't
afford to stay current, he budgets a whole weekend plus the following
Monday for the checkout. If it's an American, he figures he can do it
all in a Saturday morning.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

Mike > wrote in news:cf1b10e2-f476-4ac0-af87-
:


> The South African instructor also told me I fly "like a typical
> American" which he said was a complement, because GA is relatively
> cheap and free in the U.S. so most American GA pilots fly better than
> from other countries because we practice more, because we can afford
> to (comparatively). For example, we don't pay fees for landings at
> most GA airports.
>

They also have very few good handling exercises there and most brits
have no clue as to how to do a crosswind landing.
They don't do things like turns around a point, and for the commercial
and other advanced ratings, have no equivelant of the lazy eight,
chandelle and what not. It shows in their flying. They're REALLY BIG on
mindless procedure. for instance, when I did my UK instrument rating, in
a twin, we did a simulated engine failure, clean,at altitude which was
announced beforehand. In addition, i regularly had to announce that I
was looking for ice ( in july) I wasn't allowed to land the airplane at
the end of it, the inspector did that. Just bizarre.
The instrument ride in the sim, multi crew, is equally bizarre. You're
not alowed to "help" each other during the instrument ride. IOW, no CRM
at all.


Bertie.

[akjcbkJA]

"Mike" > wrote in message
...
> On Mar 28, 1:46 pm, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > wrote:
>> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
>> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
>> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
>> certificate and where from?
>> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
>> USA?
>
> I am a US certified PPL, and I've flown (with a local instructor) in
> both the UK and South Africa.
>
> In the UK we flew out of a grass strip (the Old Sarum Flying Club near
> Salisbury), and never went above 1500 feet on the hour long flight, to
> avoid having to deal with ATC (which I think would have incurred
> fees). Small country, we flew down to the channel and back and
> toured some stately homes and got back all in about an hour, in a
> Warrior.
>
This is complete ******** - there is no charge for talking to ATC for a VFR
flight and only if you are over two and a half tonnes for IFR.

The reason for staying below 2000 ft is to avoid controlled airspace on the
run to the Isle of Wight and back.

[Dylan Smith]

On 2008-03-31, Mike > wrote:
> In the UK we flew out of a grass strip (the Old Sarum Flying Club near
> Salisbury), and never went above 1500 feet on the hour long flight, to
> avoid having to deal with ATC (which I think would have incurred
> fees).

Highly unlikely, no fees are charged for aircraft less than 2 metric
tonnes gross. In all probability the pilot probably just didn't want to
bother talking to ATC.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

[Dylan Smith]

On 2008-03-31, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
> They also have very few good handling exercises there and most brits
> have no clue as to how to do a crosswind landing.

And it's utterly lamentable.

> They don't do things like turns around a point, and for the commercial
> and other advanced ratings, have no equivelant of the lazy eight,
> chandelle and what not. It shows in their flying. They're REALLY BIG on
> mindless procedure.

Spot on. And it's why I will never bother getting a UK-issued rating,
and stick with my FAA ratings.

In my opinion, the regulatory system here practically has blood on its
hands - the regulations are making things significantly LESS safe, not
more safe. And then they try and fix that by adding MORE regulations,
that makes things less safe again.

Handling is made second class to how to talk on the radio, for instance.
Last time I looked, aircraft flew using the principles of Bernoulli and
Newton, not Marconi and Faraday. Stupidity like having to fly a 2nd
altimeter to fly airways, but not allowed to give it a separate static
system - and if we have to fill a hole in the instrument panel, I'd far
rather it be a backup attitude indicator.

When I returned here from living in Houston, I had planned to get my
commercial and flight instructor tickets so I could do some flight
instruction here. I soon found out all the mindless bureaucracy involved
and decided not to bother.

I *love* flying here, though, it's a beautiful place to fly, and in the
real world, it works pretty much as everywhere else, and ATC aren't the
monsters that flight instructors would have you believe. However, if
anyone asks me what they should do to learn to fly - I tell them to take
2 months off and go to the USA, and don't even bother with a JAA ticket
unless you want to fly for the airlines.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

Dylan Smith > wrote in
:

> On 2008-03-31, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
>> They also have very few good handling exercises there and most brits
>> have no clue as to how to do a crosswind landing.
>
> And it's utterly lamentable.
>
>> They don't do things like turns around a point, and for the
commercial
>> and other advanced ratings, have no equivelant of the lazy eight,
>> chandelle and what not. It shows in their flying. They're REALLY BIG
on
>> mindless procedure.
>
> Spot on. And it's why I will never bother getting a UK-issued rating,
> and stick with my FAA ratings.
>
> In my opinion, the regulatory system here practically has blood on its
> hands - the regulations are making things significantly LESS safe, not
> more safe. And then they try and fix that by adding MORE regulations,
> that makes things less safe again.
>
> Handling is made second class to how to talk on the radio, for
instance.
> Last time I looked, aircraft flew using the principles of Bernoulli
and
> Newton, not Marconi and Faraday. Stupidity like having to fly a 2nd
> altimeter to fly airways, but not allowed to give it a separate static
> system - and if we have to fill a hole in the instrument panel, I'd
far
> rather it be a backup attitude indicator.
>
> When I returned here from living in Houston, I had planned to get my
> commercial and flight instructor tickets so I could do some flight
> instruction here. I soon found out all the mindless bureaucracy
involved
> and decided not to bother.
>
> I *love* flying here, though, it's a beautiful place to fly, and in
the
> real world, it works pretty much as everywhere else, and ATC aren't
the
> monsters that flight instructors would have you believe. However, if
> anyone asks me what they should do to learn to fly - I tell them to
take
> 2 months off and go to the USA, and don't even bother with a JAA
ticket
> unless you want to fly for the airlines.
>

Yeah, it is a shame. I went for a trip up to Scotland with a flying club
guy, who is actually quite sharp, and he was clearly very intimidated by
ATC. He was given, i think it was RWY 13 in Prestwick, and with the
airplne traffic it would have added about 20 minutes to our flight ( at
about £140 an hour!) so I suggested he just ask for a straight in for
the runway closest to our inbound track, i think it was 36 or so. He was
amazed that we should attempt such a thing, but duly asked and did
recieve. What a revelation for him! And he's an experienced private
pilot with about 400 hours. He also did not know how to slip an airplane
at all. Nadda Nothing. Not to lose altitude and not to correct for a
crosswind. He had been taught to "kick it straight" because that's how
the big boys do it. I've since taught him how to do both.
Must be the same in Germany. I recently got to watch a Lufty MD-11
attempt a crosswind landing with a 90 deg 15 knot crosswind and they
went around twice, once off each runway. Then they diverted. Absolutely
amazing. the airplane has a limit of 35 knots!
I've done the UK writtens, though, and the US could definitely take a
few leaves out of that book. While a lot of is is BS, a lot of it most
definitely is not. Some of the CAA's info books are excellent as well. I
have a CAA book on radar usage, for instance, which is superb. I suppose
the biggest pity is national chauvinism which precludes any kind of
exchange of ideas. I'm sure you've heard flying club Nigels muttering
things about the US licence being a "licence to kill" when you and I
know the inverse is more the case. Many Americans don't want to know
about fuzzy furrin idees regarding flying and do themselves out of a
good education because of it. I'm sure you could pick out every nation
in turn and see how an exchange could benefit each.


Bertie

[Dylan Smith]

On 2008-04-01, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
> pilot with about 400 hours. He also did not know how to slip an airplane
> at all. Nadda Nothing. Not to lose altitude and not to correct for a
> crosswind. He had been taught to "kick it straight" because that's how
> the big boys do it. I've since taught him how to do both.

Out of my fellow pilots here, the ones I trust are the ones who fly
tailwheel or who have glider experience. All the soaring clubs I've been
to here teach proper handling skills - and anyone who's flown tailwheel,
well, if their instructor didn't teach them proper handling skills, then
the tailwheel aircraft certainly did! (Especially if it's an Auster,
which just loves to bounce).

Gliding is the best though, you do need to have good handling skills for
things like ground reference if you ever expect to ridge soar, and you
need to be able to do proper slow flight (i.e. nibbling at the edge of a
stall) if you want to keep your turns tight enough to stay up on a
scratchy weak thermal day. And also know how to recover from spins
instinctively.

> I've done the UK writtens, though, and the US could definitely take a
> few leaves out of that book. While a lot of is is BS, a lot of it most
> definitely is not. Some of the CAA's info books are excellent as well. I
> have a CAA book on radar usage, for instance, which is superb. I suppose
> the biggest pity is national chauvinism which precludes any kind of
> exchange of ideas. I'm sure you've heard flying club Nigels muttering
> things about the US licence being a "licence to kill" when you and I
> know the inverse is more the case.

The CAA certainly isn't *all* bad, and there are some exchanges of ideas
- if you ever see the GASIL leaflets, they bear a marked similarity to
the NASA ASRS newsletters. The CAA also publish some good informative safety
stuff as you've noted. And, operationally, I like being able to receive i
VFR non-radar services such as flight information service, rather than
just being told that I'm no longer in radar contact, good day!

Fortunately the 'flying club Nigels' are in the minority. Most people
are acutely aware of the realities.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

Dylan Smith > wrote in
:

> On 2008-04-01, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
>> pilot with about 400 hours. He also did not know how to slip an
>> airplane at all. Nadda Nothing. Not to lose altitude and not to
>> correct for a crosswind. He had been taught to "kick it straight"
>> because that's how the big boys do it. I've since taught him how to
>> do both.
>
> Out of my fellow pilots here, the ones I trust are the ones who fly
> tailwheel or who have glider experience. All the soaring clubs I've
> been to here teach proper handling skills - and anyone who's flown
> tailwheel, well, if their instructor didn't teach them proper handling
> skills, then the tailwheel aircraft certainly did! (Especially if it's
> an Auster, which just loves to bounce).
>

Well, the tailwheel thing is pretty much the same everywhere. The US
suffers from the same degradaion in basic skills, it's just that the UK
seems determined to bring it to an art form. The thing about most
taildraggers is the airpane does most of the instruction. Gliders too.

> Gliding is the best though, you do need to have good handling skills
> for things like ground reference if you ever expect to ridge soar, and
> you need to be able to do proper slow flight (i.e. nibbling at the
> edge of a stall) if you want to keep your turns tight enough to stay
> up on a scratchy weak thermal day. And also know how to recover from
> spins instinctively.

Preaching to the choir! I learned in a glider.
>
>> I've done the UK writtens, though, and the US could definitely take a
>> few leaves out of that book. While a lot of is is BS, a lot of it
>> most definitely is not. Some of the CAA's info books are excellent as
>> well. I have a CAA book on radar usage, for instance, which is
>> superb. I suppose the biggest pity is national chauvinism which
>> precludes any kind of exchange of ideas. I'm sure you've heard flying
>> club Nigels muttering things about the US licence being a "licence to
>> kill" when you and I know the inverse is more the case.
>
> The CAA certainly isn't *all* bad, and there are some exchanges of
> ideas - if you ever see the GASIL leaflets, they bear a marked
> similarity to the NASA ASRS newsletters. The CAA also publish some
> good informative safety stuff as you've noted. And, operationally, I
> like being able to receive i VFR non-radar services such as flight
> information service, rather than just being told that I'm no longer in
> radar contact, good day!
>
> Fortunately the 'flying club Nigels' are in the minority. Most people
> are acutely aware of the realities.
>

Good! Maybe they'll do something about them! I think your biggest
problem over there is just getting enough flying in to get proficient.
Between the Wx and the horrific cost it's certainly not for everyone.

Oh yeah, and would you please tell your fellow countrymen to stop
****ing up perfectly good anteeks by painting them up as warbirds!

Bertie

[C J Campbell[_1_]]

On 2008-03-28 10:46:09 -0700, "Ol Shy & Bashful" > said:

> Seems the overwhelming numbers here are USA. And, it feeds into the
> attitude that the USA is the only one that counts.
> I'm curious as to how many visitors here have a non USA pilot
> certificate and where from?
> Further, how many pilots here have flown in countries other than the
> USA?

I haven't for a long, long time -- and then it was all military, and
even then it was as a navigator.

Heck, I am having trouble even flying in the USofA. :-(

The only flying I have been doing lately is as an instructor of CFI
candidates, and not much of that.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor