ICAO Licence Conversion

Hi, my name is Quinton and you’re probably here because you’ve found the conversion to the EASA/UK licence very open-ended, lacking details and being told huge hour requirements from ATOs. I have completed my conversion from a South African ICAO ATPL to the EASA and UKCAA CPL (frozen ATPL). So hopefully I can answer some, if not all questions and provide some clarity from my experience.

Why do the conversion

Firstly, why would you want to transfer from an ICAO to UK or EASA licence?

Well, as most pilots in South Africa know, work is scarce, especially airline work. Often requiring a huge amount of turbine time or Multi pilot time, which you can mostly only get through flying for an airline or contract work.

Whereas, in Europe and the UK, airlines will often hire pilots with only 250 hours and an MCC endorsement completed. Plus, there are more airlines in Europe, which gives you a much higher chance of getting an airline job flying on a A320 or B737. The UK alone has 11 airlines and there are many more in the EU.

What to consider before starting

Rights to live and work: Before you start spending money and time on the conversion, please make sure you have, or can get rights to live and work in the UK or EU. Airlines here are unlikely to offer a job sponsorship for rights to live and work, while it is possible and I know people who have gotten work visa sponsorship, it is a time consuming process, that can only be done after completing the conversion and is known to fall through at the last minute. This can be in the form of a UK or EU passport, spousal visa, heritage/ancestry visa, etc. I personally am here on an ancestry visa through my grandmother, however this only allows me to live and work in the UK, not the EU. I can still apply for EU airlines, but it is a longer process. Ryanair is offering sponsored work visas at the moment for qualified FOs, but that is to work in Ireland not the UK.
Ireland does not, for the time being, require you to have a visa when travelling on the RSA passport.
Time: The licence conversion is very time consuming, especially if you decide to do the UK and EASA licences. There are 13 exams per licence, and the writing weeks are generally 2 weeks apart per month. After that, the actual training can take time due to the weather being unfavourable for VFR compared to South Africa. This is followed by MCC and then interviews. To complete your conversion, you can easily be looking at over a year, even with full time studying.
Money: This conversion is expensive to do, if you are looking in Rand value and must do a CPL-to-CPL conversion. ATPL-to-ATPL is cheaper, but more on that in a bit.
Patience: You need to have patience and not try to rush through the exams. The pass mark is 75% for the exams, but employers expect your best, seeking 90% and above per exam. The airlines here ask and will check your exam marks during interviews, and they have often been the deciding factor for some people.
Valid and current licence. Current type rating for direct ATPL conversion.

Type of conversion, and the differences

ICAO CPL or ATPL (non-full) to EASA/UK CPL:

Before starting, if you have an ICAO ATPL but DO NOT have 500 hours of Multi Pilot Time,a frozen ATPL, then it is regarded as only an ICAO CPL to EASA/UK CPL.

An ICAO CPL to EASA/UK CPL is not an easy process by any means, and is the more expensive way to do it, however it is also the most common way that it is done. You must write all 13 exams per licence, and undergo ground school, with a registered ATO. You must complete classroom time that they must sign off on before you can write the exams.

For the training, you will have to do complex training and then the test for the CPL part of the conversion. Discussed later.

For the IR conversion, it will depend whether you have 100 hours of Multi Engine PIC. Those with the 100 hours can go straight into the training, those without will be required to do a Multi Engine complex training first, even if you have ME class rating. Then, you must complete the IR skills tests. More on this later.

Once finished with the training, you will have to undergo an Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training course, followed by MCC training, before being able to apply to an airline in the UK or EU.

‍

ICAO ATPL to EASA/UK ATPL:

Only for those ATPL holders with 500 hours of Multi Pilot Time, an unfrozen ATPL.

Exams are the same as the CPL, but you do not have to go through ground school and can write the exams immediately. If you have a valid type rating, you can go straight into the test without any need for training, but it is advised to do training.

Ground School

ICAO ATPL to UK ATPL:

You can apply for a ground school exemption, through SRG2142 form, found here

ICAO to UK/EASA CPL/ frozen ATPL:
There are many options and places to do ground school. Most in the UK are certified for UK and EASA exams but not many in the EU are certified for UK exams.

There are even a few in South Africa which are now certified for the EASA exams, but unfortunately not the UKCAA exams yet.

I did mine with CAPT.gs, mainly because it is fully remote learning and the classroom time was done on weekends via Zoom. This was great for me as I was also working part time, and it is expensive to travel a lot in the UK. Plus they are certified for both EASA and UKCAA.

There are others, like Bristol Ground School, which is known world-wide for their fantastic material and question bank. Alternatively, CATS aviation in Luton is well known for high pass marks. It is up to you where you want to do it and I would advise requesting quotes from them all.

ICAO CPL to ATPL requires 400 hours of ground school of which 10% must be live tuition. ICAO PPL to ATPL requires 650 hours of ground school of which 10% must be live tuition.

KSA100 will also have to be completed, which does not have an official exam to write but is more down to the ATO were you train to decide how and when it is tested, but it must be completed before writing your final exam. Often tested via scenario-based tests involving all subjects, it is closer to a basic CRM training. It it is to make sure you are ready for the parts of aviation which can not be tested via exams.

The testing areas for KSA100 are: communication, leadership, problem solving and decision making, situation awareness, workload management, threat and error managment, application of knowledge and mental maths,

Once you are ready to write the exams after completing ground school, you will need your school to sign off that you are ready. For the UK this is done online, so you can just ask them to mark it as done. For EASA they must sign off on the exam request form, before submitting to write the exam.

Theory ATOs

Exams

In total there are 13 exams for the UK and 13 for EASA, they are the exact same exams and even use the same database but are written on difference systems. Both licences require you to complete the exams within 6 sittings, sitting being a week of exams. Both require you to finish within 18 months from passing the first exam and you may only write each exam up to 4 times. If any of these limits are exceeded, all passed exam credits are lost and you will have to start again. Pass mark for both is 75%, 74.9% is a failure.

EASA is written generally on an iPad, with multiple choice questions of 4 answers and chose the most correct one. UKCAA is written on a PC with multiple choice or “drop down” boxes, which are normally complete this sentence with the correct answer, you click the box and see the different answers or “select all the correct answers for full marks” which you must select the two, three or four correct answers.

These exams should not be taken lightly as they are not easy and can be very tricky, especially the UK exams as they are slightly different and can often be more scenario based than theory. I used AviationExams and ATPLquestions for my question databases for different reasons. AE is good as it is a downloadable database which allows you to write mock exams even when not connected to the internet, and offers practice of the UKCAA "drop down" questions. ATPLQ was great because of the up-to-date databases, comments and support on the website. Since changing over to the new ECQB 2021 database there are tons of new questions and sections that are still be reviewed and added. ATPLQ in my opinion had the most up to date that I’ve seen.

UKCAA exams are booked through the CAA services portal found here. You will need to register, which can take up to 10 working days to complete then under, "your services" you can select "flight crew e-Exams...." to go and book and pay for the exams. The process is straight forward from here but often you will need to book up to two months in advance.

EASA exams are booked through the centre where you wish to write. Each have their own booking system, CATS aviation, for example is online. Once you have booked the exams you will have to fill out an application form, have it signed by your ATO, then submit to the writing centre.

UKCAA portal for exam booking:

EASA form for exam booking:

Exam Centres

UKCAA Exam Centres

Aviation House, Gatwick UK
BGS, Bristol UK
CATS Aviation, Luton UK
Ayrshire College, Ayrshire UK
Skyborne, Gloucestershire Airport UK
Pathway Pilot Training, Rosyth UK
Leading Edge Aviation, Oxford UK
Malaysia Aviation Academy, Sepang, Malaysia

EASA Exam Centres

BGS, Bristol UK
CATS Aviation, Luton UK
Aeros, Gloucester UK
Easy-Pilot, Johannesburg RSA
Fly in Spain, Jerez Spain
Many more

Exam Equipment

UKCAA website

‍Depending on the specific exam you are taking, you may be allowed to bring the following approved items:

‍Clear plastic ruler

‍Approved calculators (the approved models are: Casio FX 83/85/300 series; Sharp EL-W531/531 series; Citizen SR-260 series; Texas Instruments TI-30X/XB/XS)

‍Approved flight computers – CRP-1; CRP-5/CR-3/CR-6; ARC-2; E6B:

‍Jeppesen General Student Pilot Route Manual – GSPRM

‍Protractor / plotter

‍Compass and dividers (without case)

‍Fine tip marker

You are not allowed to bring the following prohibited items into the exam: Pencil case (please note you will have to bring your own writing equipment as per booking confirmation) Mobile phone Watch Recording or communication equipment/devices

‍EASA is the same, plus the CAPs books can be brought in for the relevant exam.

Medical

As in any ICAO state you will need to obtain a class one medical. Unlike other states, the UK only has 3 approved for initial issuing. Making the waiting period vary from 1 to over 4 months.

I would recommend booking a medical when you start writing the exams. As it can be difficult to get an appointment and if there is any reason that they can not issue it on the spot, it can take months to get all the right paperwork sent and then approved.

You can get a UK or EASA only or both at the same time. If you are planning to do the dual licence it is recommended to do both at the same time, as they often offer a discounted price for two.

The exam assesses 10 different aspects:

Medical history
colour vision
Eyesight
Physical exam
Hearing
ECG
Lung function
Haemoglobin blood test
Lipids/ cholesterol
Urine test

UK only or UK and EASA:

In the UK there are only three Aeromedical Centres that are approved for UKCAA Class one initial issue.

Birmingham AeMC

London AeMC

Heathrow Medical Services LLP

Before you can book your appointment you will need to obtain an online profile to access Cellma Medical Records. This is done via the same portal you used to book the exams. Under "your services", then click on "medical" and complete the application, mostly just confirming your details are the same as they were during your exams. This verification can take 10 working days.

Once verified you will then have access to Cellma Medical Records, where you will need to complete the online assessment for the relevant medical you are applying for. Including facts about medical history, previous medical certificates, etc. Then you will need to pay a fee to submit it before going to the AME for the actual test.

The actual test with the AME will, in most cases need to be booked well in advance, up to 3 months, due to there only been three approved practices in the UK for the UK medical. You need to bring notes from your doctor stating any and all previous medical cases.

EASA only:

In the UK there are only the 2 certified AeMC certified for the initial issue of the class 1. But since the EU is a lot bigger you could, and is recommended, to obtain the medical in the state where you plan to write the exams and complete the flight training. NFC in Dublin, Ireland will help with the IAA class 1 medical if you plan to do the training there.

Costs: (Correct at time of writing, 2022)

Birmingham AeMC:

UK class 1: £612

UK and EASA class 1: £943

EASA class 1: £799

Heathrow Medical Services LLP:

UK class 1: £607

UK and EASA class 1: don't do

EASA class 1: don't do

London AeMC:

UK class 1: £660

UK and EASA class 1: £1056

EASA class 1: £768

Flight Training

Now that you’ve completed your exams and done well, you are eager to get back into the sky and fly!

Firstly, are you doing UK or EASA or both?

If you are doing the UK you need to apply for third country verification. Form is SRG2142. It is an online application and can be found here.

If you are doing towards an EASA, you will need to also apply for verification of your licence, for the IAA it is form RPPL-F-120/120a, I would submit both together as 120 is the form stated on the website but form 120a is the verification of ICAO licence. Form RPPL-F-095 is the payment form for the 120a.

English language Proficiency and Radio Licence certificate:

For the UKCAA, you will be required to complete a FRTOL test. I would recommend only doing it after completing a few flights, as the radio work in the UK is very different to ICAO and EASA. During this test your English Language Proficiency is also checked and marked off on the form.

The FRTOL test begins with a standard conversation with the examiner, where your English Level gets assessed. After which you are placed in a separate room with a computer and headset. You are given a route that you are going to "fly", and all the test entails is given the appropriate radio calls while flying the route, it will enter military airspace, controlled airspace as well as emergencies, pan pan and mayday. The whole test is recored but you receive your form on the day with you ELP and Radio Licence.

For the EASA you will have to check with the state in which you plan to convert to. For the IAA they will accept the Radio Licence but will not accept the ELP. You will be required to completed an ELP test, normally done through your training ATO, but make sure to ask them about it, else it may be forgotten until after your skills tests.

The ELP for the IAA consists of 4 parts, first part where you have a normal conversation, second to fourth part vary, but mainly you will listen to radio calls and then have to explain what happened, look at pictures and explain in 30 seconds what is going on in the photo, and describe the difference between photos shown to you. The whole test is recorded and then sent to the issuing company.

These hours are based on the law requirements for ICAO CPL to UKCAA/EASA CPL, BUT your Total Time before starting can affect the training you have to complete.

As you will see the EASA and UK training requirements are the same but not interchangeable, UNLESS done at an ATO that is registered for both. The ME/IR skills test requires you to do the approaches in the airspace of the licence you are doing, so UK approach in the UK and EASA in the EU. There are many schools in the UK that offer both skills tests and will often just fly across the channel to France to do the approach there during the EASA skills test. FTA-Global in Brighton is perfectly located for this as there is no need to spend extra money to fly down to the coast before crossing the channel and they hold both EASA and UK ATO registration.

ME CPL can be reduced from the 25 hour requirement based in your total hours.

CPL conversion.

UKCAA bases it on the above table, line 3.

EASA it is more of a guideline on what to expect but can be reduced down to 2 or 3 hours of ME training before doing the test. BUT it is based on an assessment flight/sim before starting the training and it is up to the Head of Training.

The training required by the UKCAA is there to make sure you are comfortable and able to fly in UK airspace, as it is very different to most ICAO countries airspace. Since everything is privately owned, there is a lot more radio changing and different terminology used. If you are not used to it, it can become very over whelming, and you do not want to be over whelmed in your test.

The DA40 and DA42 are nice aircraft to fly, handle similar to the piper in that they like to float for ages, but since they have an FMC, the complex part of it is a lot easier. Also they are G1000 equipped, which for a first time is a lot to handle but it makes the tests a lot easier, especially the IR as it can be fully programmed for the route and auto pilot if equipped.

ME/IR conversion.

UKCAA ME/IR please refer to the UKCAA website here and see which route you can follow. It has been updated as of 01/01/2023. And to see training requirements for CB-IR, please see here. Based on "Part-FCL Annex I Appendix 6 Competency-based modular flying training course".

The minimum an ATO is allowed to initially offer is 15 hours, of which 10 hours can be in an FNPT II simulator, but it can be further reduced on the condition the Head of Training writes a letter to the UKCAA requesting that the hours be reduced to competency-based IR, requirements can be seen here. You may qualify for the CB-IR but if the Head of Training deems that you need to do some training, you either find another school and try again, but if they have notified the UKCAA you may be stuck or do the required training they deem necessary.

While 15 hours can be expensive I would recommend it if you have not flown in quite a while as the UK airspace and way of doing things is different to the rest of the world due to the small and tight airspace. Or atleast some FNPT II for the procedures and a single MEIR flight for radio and aircraft control.

EASA ME/IR, works differently and is based on the state in which you do your training.

For the Ireland CAA and Denmark CAA: You must have over 100 hours of PIC on a ME. You complete a check flight with the HOT at an ATO. It is then up to them to credit hours towards the training course. Most will still want you to do the whole training course so you MUST advise them about your ME PIC and IFR PIC hours. Refer to IAA website, here, for more information.

Other states might have different requirements. It would be best to contact the CAA of the state in which you want to obtain your licence from.

Once it is completed you will need to do an Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training course, generally done over 2 or 3 days consisting of ground school for a day and then two flights. This was made compulsory in order to try and get pilots more aware and active when unusual attitudes occur and to prevent loss of life.

MCC

The final step before being able to apply for airline jobs in the EU or UK, is MCC. Now there are two types that you can chose from. APS MCC or MCC with JOC.

The difference is one is the old way, and one is new and made for airline environment.

MCC with JOC is your standard MCC course with a JOC. You spend the standard 20/25 hours in the sim with 25 hours of ground school. And lasts around 2 weeks. It is unregulated and can be done on any device, like a king air sim or similar.

APS MCC is different as it has an extra 15 hours of training on the sim, must be done on an FNPT II small jet sim and is highly regulated. Having been brought in by airlines due to a high percentage of students failing their airline assessments. It allows a more seamless transition to a type rating and better equips you for an airline’s cockpit environment. Often using the SOP of actual airlines in operation. The course is 3 weeks and costs more than the MCC with JOC. If you have a UK licence you must do the MCC with an UK ATO and vice versa for the EASA. There are a few in the UK which hold both and will allow you to get MCC for both licences, if you do a dual licence course. The cost is the same for the single or dual licence course.

There are many ATOs that can do the APS MCC, it will come down to a matter of personal circumstances, costs and making a decision. I will be completing the course at VA Airline Training, as they are approved for the UK and EASA APS MCC and are a mentor school with Ryanair.

If you plan to get into Ryanair, I recommend checking on their website for their partner ATOs and applying to the mentor program. You may not get in, however that ATO will have a higher rate of students making it into Ryanair. There are of course other ATOs if you plan to go to a different airline.

Costs (correct at time of writing, 2022)

Now for the part most people need to know before starting. It is not cheap by any means to do the conversion.

Quotes based on my personal Total Time and training requirements needed, I did not do the CBIR course for the UKCAA but as I never received the requested Information from the UKCAA in time to begin my training I ended up doing the full 15 hours for the MEIR.

TT 1700 hrs

ME PIC 470 hrs

ME/IF over 15 hrs

PIC IFR over 50 hours

Again these costs are based initial quotes when received and are not the final figure, which is still to be updated after MCC training.

Doing a UK ATPL or EASA ATPL only is pretty much the same costs as the training requirements are still the same if you do the single or dual licence, minus the extra exams. However an EASA only you can and will get cheaper training costs. There is a school in Dublin, National Flight Centre, that quoted €7981, roughly £7000, for the CPL and MEIR without the class rating. The ME class rating was an extra €3222, roughly £2824 extra.

There are other expenses, which can add up fast to well over £1000.

Since FTA closed before I received my final costs break down, I do not know the costs of the examiner fees.

The UKCAA licencing fee was £306. This includes the cost of issuing and delivery.

The IAA licencing fee was £414. This inculding the issuing and delivery.

For the IAA, i had to post my full logbook and paperwork, with tracked first class at £15, however the more logbooks you have, it will cost more to post.

This does not include the costs of accommodation, petrol and food. So, you will need to factor in those as extras. VA Airline Training do offer accommodation during their APS MCC course at roughly £700 for the duration.

Would I do it again

Yes, for many reasons. BUT I wish I knew everything before starting.

The groundschool and exams. I feel that my knowledge and ability to deduce the theory is a lot better than for the SACAA exams, and I can understand why the UK and EASA require you to write their exams. The SACAA standard is below.
Book your medical either before starting the exams or during, just because you hold a class 1 already does not mean you will easily get your UK or EASA medicals. The process takes time.
My dream has always been to end up flying in the UK, preferably for BA, but that is my next step of my career.
The job opportunities are second to none. The number of airlines here that you can fly for, from short haul to inter-continental, it allows you a choice beyond 3 or 4 airlines for short haul only. As SAA is the only long haul and that’s not an option for me.

Reasons I would not do the CPL conversion:

It is very expensive, a lot more than I believed it to me, mainly due to the lack of communication and information out there on reduction of training hours.
A direct full ATPL conversion is a lot cheaper. I wish I had gone and done contact flying in Africa to get multi pilot time to then convert, but it was not an option at the time when I emigrated due to COVID and lack of jobs.
Lack of flying, it is a long process and you will not be flying often if you are dedicating full time to the conversion and living in the UK.

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