Just to clarify, in case anyone misconstrued what I wrote Getting
a GPC/PPL endorsement does not allow a person to fly foreign
aircraft. It is, however, a necessary prerequisite to go through the
process of being allowed to fly a foreign state aircraft.
The basic rule is this:
If an aircraft is registered in a certain country, the _only_ people
who can fly it are people with a license from that country.
This has always been the basic rule since forever.
Foreign states will allow a person to fly their registered aircraft
for a short time provided certain conditions are met. Usually with
conditions attached (like no flying for money). In the mid 2000s I
acquired a French validation of my license. I had to supply:
-Photocopies of the license.
-A certificate from the country of issue confirming the authenticity
of the license and that the pilot is permitted to exercise the
privileges mentioned.
-Photocopy of a recent medical aptitude certificate attached to the
valid license.
-Photocopy of the last page of the flight notebook certifying the
overall total of flying hours as well as those flown as captain /
pilot in command.
-Photocopy of the passport or National identity Card.
-2 identity photographs .
-A letter requesting the validation of a foreign license including
both the home address and French address (if possible) of the
claimant.
So, to fly a German Aircraft you need a validation of your own
license (or get a German license*). To fly a French aircraft you need
a French validation... etc
I did consider (briefly) getting a German license by going through
the German exams. However, even though English is one of the two
recognised air traffic languages, they only did the exams in German.
What has made this a little more complex is that with EASA, there is
now the possibility to fly any European aircraft on an EASA license
(as well as the country specific option). But I believe the country
specific option will conk out soon and who knows what brexit will do
to British EASA license holders.
And to add slight complication to the mix, the BGA don't have
licenses (same as GFA, and NZ too). The French cope with this because
they have seen it so many times and will accept evidence of membership
of the gliding organisation _and_ a check ride in France, in lieu of
the first dot point above (they still want all the rest as well). Most
other countries simply wont believe you can fly if you cant show a
license.
I will note that the Austrian club I flew at a few years ago had a
Pawnee for a tug which was an "N" reg. The instrument panel had
English placards, and I assume all the pilots had FAA licenses, though
I didn't ask.
For the record, I have flown 15 different aircraft with a mix
of German, French and Austrian registrations.
SWK
----- Original Message -----
From: "Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia."
@lists.base64.com.au>
To:"Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia."
Cc:
Sent:Mon, 6 Feb 2017 17:06:50 +1100
Subject:Re: [Aus-soaring] MEMBERSHIP AND A WORLD REVIEW
The GPL exists and it is real. You can get one right now. It's a lot
of expensive CASA paperwork (I do begrudge the GFA for a few odd
things, but they do an excellent job shielding us from CASA
paperwork).Though there seems to be a widespread misunderstanding that
having a licence means you can just go to a foreign country, jump in a
glider and fly. It does nothing of the sort. You still need to
validate your licence with the local authority, often at great time
and expense. For my german validation for WGC last year, I had to pay
hundreds of Euros and communicate via FAX (yes! really! they don't
'do' email) to get a 2 week validation. At the end of the process
there was an error in their interpretation of my request and they
issued me a single day validation. Amending this error required paying
the full fee again and starting from scratch. The only difference now
that we have the licence, is we actually have something to fax them
other than our logbook, which gets over the very first hurdle of
"where's your equivalent licence?". We are now on level footing with
the rest of the non-EASA world and it's as good as it's going to get
short of CASA joining EASA (GOD HELP US ALL) or some kind of fasttrack
validation agreement between CASA/GFA/EASA (plausible?).
>I am pretty sure that up till the mid 2000s, people flying German
(and most other European countries) gliders on the old GFA white
card were doing it strictly illegally, just no one asked Yes, this is
my understanding too. Even pilots who think they are doing the right
thing are often not. For example, a validation to fly a German
glider... only allows you to fly German gliders in Germany. Almost any
glider you rent for a foreign WGC will not come from the country
hosting the WGC - i.e. German glider taken to Poland.
@lists.base64.com.au>
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