We flew to Catalina and took the bus down to Avalon where we had lunch and did the glass boat. So it was an air/land/sea adventure.

The day couldn’t be more perfect. There was no marine layer stopping us from getting home this time.

Here are some pics below and the rest can be found here on flickr.

Here’s a video landing in Santa Monica with my friend Tim and his wife Bonnie:

Here’s a video where I duct-taped a video camera to the inside window of the plane and did a loop around Downtown Los Angeles:

Here’s a video flying along the Malibu coast with my roommate Marissa:

Ontario had two runways in Parallel. I was cleared to land on the right runway alongside a Southwest Airlines Airbus A320 which was landing on the left on the runway. It was a fascinating experience!

My Flight Review went well and now I have officially completed my transition from an Australian Pilot to a US Pilot.

The flight was pretty uneventful and the conditions were perfect (Cool air, calm winds, no turbulence, and clear skies).

All that remains now is to have my BFR (Biennial Flight Review), fill out some paperwork (Aircraft questionnaires, rental agreements etc.), and I can finally rent a plane and fly anywhere in the United States!

First of all, Technically there is no additional training required to have a US Private Pilot Certificate, as the FAA will issue you a license based on your current Australian license. ie. You’re technically still flying under the rules of your Australian license. The difference between the two however is minimal.

Probably the biggest difference is that in Australia, a private license is typically issued with DAY VFR rules. In order to fly at night, you would require a Night VFR rating. In the United States, both DAY and NIGHT VFR are standard as part of your Private Pilot Certificate.

In Australia in order to qualify for Night VFR, you would typically require at least 10 hours dual training and a flight test. In the United States, to be cleared for night flying requires just 3 hours of total night flying which must include a minimum of 10 takeoffs and landings.

STEP 1 Verification of License:

The FAA requires a verification of license before issuing a US PPC.

First you must file form 452 with CASA and pay the $50 fee for CASA to release the information. On the form enter the details of the FAA Airmen Certification Branch:

“Federal Aviation Administration
Airmen Certification Branch, AFS-760
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0082″

Fax or email the form to CASA, you can scan it and email to clarc@casa.gov.au

It takes about 5-7 days for CASA to respond to the form and debit your credit card. It might be a good idea to give them a call after a few days of lodging the form. Once you have confirmed that they payment has been made, then you can move onto the next step…

Second you must file the verification of foreign license form from the FAA’s website.

Enter the details of the Flight Standards District Office that you intend on picking up your US license from. You can find your nearest one on the FAA website.

Mail the form to the Airmen Certification Branch at the Oklahoma address above.

Once the branch has received the form, the will immediately contact CASA and request verification of the license. CASA takes just one day to respond to the request and a few days later, you will receive the letter in the mail from the Airmen Certification Branch that your license has been verified as current and you may now make your appointment at the Flight Standards District Office that you requested on the form. If it takes longer than a week, I would give the Certification branch a call to check up on it.

This whole process took less than 2 weeks for me.

Call your requested FSDO, and tell them you want to make an appointment to obtain your US Private Pilot Certificate based on your foreign license. When you visit the office, you will meet with a testing officer who will look over your license, medical, and logbook, and then issue you with a temporary US Private Pilot Certificate on the spot! It is valid as long as your current Australian PPL and medical are both valid .

You will receive your permanent credit-card style one in the mail within 3 months, but feel free to fly using your temporary one.

STEP 2 Check rides and Biennial Flight Review

So you have a US license but unfortunately that doesn’t mean you can go out and get a plane and off you go!! …

The rules are very similar in the US to Australia but that said there is still a lot to know and you will likely need a few check flights with an instructor before you are cleared for solo flying.

For me, this was a pretty big deal as I was used to flying in rural Australia and now all of a sudden I need to learn to fly in Los Angeles!

I had to learn to read US VTCs and various charts, understand the various airspace rules here, radio communication with ATC pretty much all the time, mostly navigating by GPS and VOR rather than compass, and basic US air law.

Be prepared to spend about 5-10 hours with an instructor before you are actually cleared to fly in the US.

Once the instructor is happy with the way you’re flying. You will then be subjected to a Biennial Flight Review which is an FAA requirement. To act as Pilot in Command in the US, you must have had a US Biennial flight review within the past 24 months. The Biennial Flight Review is a formality and consists of a one hour ground and one hour flight component. Once approved, you’ll get a sticker in your logbook and you’re ready to go!

I took my friend Tim with me as a passenger in the back seat so he can experience true flying for the first time.

The flight turned a little rough as we were faced by some extreme turbulence in the valley which made it very difficult to land and takeoff in Van Nuys. We then landed at Burbank where the instructor was supposed to give me a surprise destination to go to next. The surprise destination was Long Beach Airport and then back to Santa Monica via the LAX mini-route. As we waited at the threshold while we studied the map, we must’ve left the strobe lights running too long and the plane’s battery went dead. We couldn’t restart it and we got the airport manager to tow the plane to the tarmac. We then caught a taxi back to Santa Monica airport.

That said, I really need at least one more check flight at night. I’m not 100% comfortable yet.

Photo courtesy of Tim Brandt.

We went from Santa Monica to El Monte passed Los Angeles Downtown, then up to Ventura County to Oxnard, and back to Santa Monica.

Knowing the possiblity I was going to fly passed downtown. I borrowed my friend Toby’s Canon 5D Mark2 so that I can test it’s video mode at night. The result was amazing and beautiful! The lights of LA span all the way out to the horizon!

My night landings have improved and I think I’ve gotten the hang of it.