Canadian ATPL-H to EASA

[Metal Head]

Hey guys/gals,

I'm an active CH-146 pilot in the RCAF and I'm just about to finish my ATPL-H rating (doing INRAT in two weeks).

Being in the military, my civilian licensing knowledge is pretty slim except for what I read for my HARON exam. So I'm wondering, once you have the license, do you get any sort of credits when applying for an ATPL-H over in Europe or in the Middle East, etc.? I'm finding stuff online but like any federal aviation website, it's pretty hard to find precisely what I'm looking for. I'm really interested in hearing from your experiences and tips. On the same note, is there any country where the Canadian ATPL-H is credited 100%?

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,

[Lost]

22 hours ago, Metal Head said:

Hey guys/gals,

I'm an active CH-146 pilot in the RCAF and I'm just about to finish my ATPL-H rating (doing INRAT in two weeks).

Being in the military, my civilian licensing knowledge is pretty slim except for what I read for my HARON exam. So I'm wondering, once you have the license, do you get any sort of credits when applying for an ATPL-H over in Europe or in the Middle East, etc.? I'm finding stuff online but like any federal aviation website, it's pretty hard to find precisely what I'm looking for. I'm really interested in hearing from your experiences and tips. On the same note, is there any country where the Canadian ATPL-H is credited 100%?

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,

PM me 

[DGP]

Don't want to be the bearer of bad news but things in the civi world are not looking good...lots of high time drivers sitting at home...we are talking about guys with thousands of hours...and not a lot of ifr jobs around. Also military guys really don't fit into civi jobs...I know lots of guys on both sides. Just chatted the other day with an ex military guy who  retired who was an instructor on 412... he was working in the middle east....buddy of mine was chief pilot at Abu Dhabi.. many years ago....he cashed in an came home to Canada.

[Metal Head]

The timeline I'm looking into will be around summer of 2022 so the situation will more than likely have change by then (hopefully). 

 

I've browsed through the EASA website to gather as much info possible and haven't found a clear-cut answer to how we can credit foreign ATPL-H license. Here's what I got from the Article 8 of the COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1178/2011of 3 November 2011 (Link): 

 

"Conditions for the acceptance of licenses from third countries

1. Without prejudice to Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 and where there are no agreements concluded between the Union and a third country covering pilot licensing, Member States may accept third country licenses, and associated medical certificates issued by or on behalf of third countries, in accordance with the provisions of Annex III to this Regulation.

2. Applicants for Part-FCL licenses already holding at least an equivalent license, rating or certificate issued in accordance with Annex 1 to the Chicago Convention by a third country shall comply with all the requirements of Annex I to this Regulation, except that the requirements of course duration, number of lessons and specific training hours may be reduced.

3. The credit given to the applicant shall be determined by the Member State to which the pilot applies on the basis of a recommendation from an approved training organization.

4. Holders of an ATPL issued by or on behalf of a third country in accordance with Annex 1 to the Chicago Convention who have completed the experience requirements for the issue of an ATPL in the relevant aircraft category as set out in Subpart F of Annex I to this Regulation may be given full credit as regards the requirements to undergo a training course prior to undertaking the theoretical knowledge examinations and the skill test, provided that the third country license contains a valid type rating for the aircraft to be used for the ATPL skill test."

 

So with that being said, is there known countries with a history of easy credit process for the Canadian license?

[gwk]

 I worked for both Abu Dhabi Aviation and Gulf Helicopters  in Qatar, a few years ago, and both accepted Canadian ATPL's with no problems.

 My suggestion would be to contact these companies directly, via Chief Pilot or such and ask your questions directly, that way you get your most accurate answer.

 Best of luck.

[DGP]

The good news is a lot of guys are hitting 60...most are packing it in and leaving the Middle east. They have lots of restrictions when you hit 60.

[Metal Head]

10 hours ago, gwk said:

 I worked for both Abu Dhabi Aviation and Gulf Helicopters  in Qatar, a few years ago, and both accepted Canadian ATPL's with no problems.

 My suggestion would be to contact these companies directly, via Chief Pilot or such and ask your questions directly, that way you get your most accurate answer.

 Best of luck.

Precisely the type of info I was looking for.

Many thanks my friend.

[DGP]

My buddy was also chief ifr pilot off shore heli ops for Falcon Aviation...sounded like a very good outfit...give them a heads up. They had lots of Canadians and Americans working there....most guys over there seem to have an FAA license...but a Canadian one should be fine. My buddy and I did Canadores first official class together...1972-74.

[Metal Head]

1 hour ago, DGP said:

My buddy was also chief ifr pilot off shore heli ops for Falcon Aviation...sounded like a very good outfit...give them a heads up. They had lots of Canadians and Americans working there....most guys over there seem to have an FAA license...but a Canadian one should be fine. My buddy and I did Canadores first official class together...1972-74.

Falcon Aviation looks indeed pretty attractive as well. Their minimum requirement seems to be slightly higher than Abu Dhabi Aviation in terms of hours though. I wanted to reach out to them by email to look for info but didn't want to look like a tire kicker and burn my name with those companies. From what I'm gathering here it seems that this is a pretty common way to get info so I'll definitely reach out to them.

Again, thanks for your guidance and tips.

[heli_sdw]

As European licences are governed by EASA then the rules are meant to be generally similar across the 32 EASA countries but differences do occur!  From a UK perspective, the regulations regarding licence conversion can be found here (although the UK is shortly going to be leaving the jurisdiction of EASA!): https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Pilot-licences/Helicopters/Airline-transport-pilot-licence-for-helicopters/  

 

If you are looking to convert a Canadian ATPL(H) over then you can get credit for your hours / experience in reducing (or eliminating) the amount of theoretical knowledge training and flight training required before sitting the written exams / skills test.  However you aren't exempt from the exams themselves so you still have to pass the 14 written exams and the skills test.  If you don't meet the ATPL(H) requirements then you'd be looking at getting a CPL(H) + IR with the 'upgrade' to an ATPL(H) being done once you meet the hours requirements.

 

Currently, issuance of a UK (EASA) ATPL(H) based on a ICAO compliant licence requires:

- Class 1 Medical Certificate (has to be issued by the European country which will subsequently issue your licence)

- a pass in the 14 written exams

- minimum flight experience (e.g. 350hr multi-pilot, 250hr PIC, 200hr XC, 100hr night, etc.) 

- pass a skills test  

 

The other thing to watch is that you have to have a valid type rating (endorsement) on your licence for the same type of helicopter that will be used for the skills test.  Some military helicopters may not have an associated civilian equivalent so you'd need to cross reference with the EASA list (https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/15102020 EASA T_R_List_Helicopter.pdf).

 

If you decide to sit the written exams then feel free to send me a PM as I'm going through the process at the moment!