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Need advise on most efficient way to obtain Commercial License.

Asked by: 3184 views Commercial Pilot

Hey guys, I got a few questions for you, but let me explain my situation and see if you guys could give me some advise of how to best do it.

I am an American but I live in South America, I am planning to go after getting my CPL, I had planned to do a majority of the training reading the materials and doing the online courses and doing my flight time in South America.  Then when I have logged the appropiate hours and and ready for the tests to fly back to the states and do it so it is all FAA certified and I don't have to go through doing all the paperwork later if I want as FAA certified is obviously accepted worldwide without question.  The schooling programs here are generally 18-24 months and I can't take 10-12 months living in the states.  Is my plan of studying online materials and programs and doing the actual flying in South America while passing the tests in the US very flawed?  I plan for now to build my hours in South America to at least get to 2000 hours and then I can decide from there.  I appreciate any feedback.  Thank you.

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1 Answers



  1. John D. Collins on Jan 19, 2013

    I don’t see any problem with your basic plan, particularly if you can get your training from a US certified CFI and CFII (the instrument portion). The training you receive from a non US CFI or CFII can be credited towards the Commercial rating, but you will need a US CFI to make the required endorsements, see 61.41 quoted below for your convenience. In many countries there are training schools certified by the FAA and that have FAA designated examiners. If you can find one locally, then you don’t have to travel to the USA. Often, there are pilots in the country that have their USA flight instructor certificates.

    “Sec. 61.41 Flight training received from flight instructors not certificated by the FAA

    (a) A person may credit flight training toward the requirements of a pilot certificate or rating issued under this part, if that person received the training from:
    (1) A flight instructor of an Armed Force in a program for training military pilots of either–
    (i) The United States; or
    (ii) A foreign contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
    (2) A flight instructor who is authorized to give such training by the licensing authority of a foreign contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the flight training is given outside the United States.
    (b) A flight instructor described in paragraph (a) of this section is only authorized to give endorsements to show training given.”

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