Briefing · Foreign Pilot Conversion
Your license,
verified.
Convert your foreign pilot certificate to fly in the US.
Five steps. No membership fees. No packages.
If you hold a pilot license issued outside the United States, the FAA requires a verification and conversion process before you can fly here. We have guided many international pilots through this process and can walk you through every step from paperwork to your first solo flight in an American aircraft.
The 6-Step Process
Let Sam know of your intended arrivalEmail first · WhatsApp if you prefer
Drop Sam an email at admin@aceshighaviation.com to introduce yourself and your intended dates. We will talk through your timeline, what aircraft you want to fly, and any questions about the conversion. After the first exchange we are happy to switch to WhatsApp if that is easier across time zones.
Submit verification paperworkStart before you travel
Submit FAA Form AC 8060-71 (Verification of Authenticity of Foreign License and Medical Certification) along with legible copies of your medical certificate and your foreign pilot license. Mail it directly to the FAA Airmen Certification Branch. Start well before you travel. Processing typically runs 45 to 90 days. We will walk you through the form if anything is unclear.
Wait for verification letterAirmen Certification Branch
The FAA Airmen Certification Branch reviews your submission and issues a verification letter confirming your foreign license credentials. Processing time varies, so submit early.
Schedule DPE appointment~$50 · 30–45 minutes
Once your verification letter arrives, contact us at Aces and we will phone the Designated Pilot Examiner directly to set up your appointment. The visit runs roughly $50 and takes 30 to 45 minutes. We handle the coordination so you do not have to chase scheduling from overseas.
Attend DPE upon US arrivalBring every document · temporary certificate issued
Meet the Designated Pilot Examiner once you arrive in the United States. Bring everything: your original foreign pilot license, your foreign medical certificate, the FAA verification letter, and any issuance paperwork from your CAA. Missing documents means a wasted trip. With everything in hand, the DPE issues a temporary US airman certificate on the spot.
Complete flight review with Aces HighThen you are cleared to fly
Complete a flight review with one of our instructors. Once signed off, you are cleared to rent aircraft and fly solo from Long Beach Airport. Welcome to KLGB.
Practical Details
D · 01
No membership fees.
No enrollment fee, no monthly dues, no annual membership. Fly pay-as-you-go at the posted hourly rate.
D · 02
Renters insurance.
All solo renters are required to carry a current renters insurance policy. Expect approximately $300 to $350 per year.
D · 03
Local FSDO.
Long Beach Flight Standards District Office: 5001 Airport Plaza Dr #100, Long Beach CA 90815. Phone: +1 (562) 420-1755.
D · 04
We are here to help.
Call management directly at (562) 726-3719 or email to start the process. After a brief email exchange we are happy to switch to WhatsApp for faster back-and-forth across time zones.
Jamie’s Guide
In memory of Jamie · UK Pilot · Time-Builder at Aces
Jamie came to us from the UK for time-building. When he wrapped up his hours, he sat down and wrote out a few pages of notes for me. He thought the information would be helpful to the British and European pilots who would follow him. He passed away in May of 2026. He wanted to leave these notes to help future pilots like you.
With his guide as the spine, expanded with links and additional context, this section now lives here so the next British or European pilot off the plane has a head start. The voice and structure are his. The references are ours. Blue skies, mate.
J · 01
Flight Following
“Different to the UK where we have Basic Service and Traffic Service for VFR flight. Flight Following is pretty much the same as a Traffic Service. Make sure you understand what airspace you can fly into on Flight Following — e.g. only fly into Class B if they have specifically cleared you in and you have read it back correctly.”
Flight Following is an ATC-provided radar traffic advisory for VFR aircraft (AIM 4-1-15). To request it, contact the nearest approach facility (out of KLGB that is SoCal Approach) with call sign, type, position, altitude, and destination. Critical point Jamie nailed: Flight Following is not a clearance. You still need an explicit “cleared into the Bravo” before entering Class B, and you must read it back verbatim. Same rule applies to Class C entry. Two-way radio contact (controller saying your call sign) is the minimum, not Flight Following itself.
J · 02
Airspace Classes & LA SFRA
“Look up in depth the types of airspace and how they are displayed on a sectional. Research LA Special Flight Rules. Good YouTube video: youtu.be/j3xly2Ql-rc”
US uses Class A/B/C/D/E/G. UK pilots are usually solid on A/D/G but Bravo, Charlie, and Echo are the gotchas. Memorize the 3-152 VFR weather minimums and the floor/ceiling structure of each. On a sectional, Class B is solid blue, Class C is solid magenta, Class D is dashed blue, Class E starts at the dashed magenta line. The FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge Chapter 15 is the canonical reference. The LA Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) sits over LAX. The Mini-Route, Coastal Route, and the Special Flight Rules corridor at 3500/4500 ft let you transit without a Bravo clearance, but each has specific procedures (squawk, altitude, frequency, position reports) that must be flown to the letter.
J · 03
MCPRAWN
“Research MCPRAWN so you know how and what to look out for in different restrictions.”
The Special Use Airspace mnemonic. Learn the symbology and rules for each:
- M: MOA, Military Operations Area. VFR may transit, but exercise extreme caution when active.
- C: CFA, Controlled Firing Area. Activities suspended when an aircraft approaches; not charted.
- P: Prohibited. No flight, period (e.g. P-56 over the White House).
- R: Restricted. Entry only with permission from the controlling agency.
- A: Alert. High concentration of training or unusual aerial activity; transit allowed, eyes outside.
- W: Warning. Hazards in international airspace beyond 3 NM offshore.
- N: National Security Area. Pilots requested to voluntarily avoid; can become TFR on short notice.
Full reference: AIM Chapter 3, Section 4.
J · 04
Weather Briefings
“Look at how to obtain one of them and how to access.”
Three ways UK pilots can get a legal US weather briefing:
- Online: 1800wxbrief.com (Leidos Flight Service). Free account required. Choose Standard, Abbreviated, or Outlook brief.
- Phone: 1-800-WX-BRIEF (1-800-992-7433). Talk to a real briefer.
- Self-brief: aviationweather.gov. The official NOAA source for METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, SIGMETs, and prog charts.
ForeFlight rolls all of this into one integrated briefing once you log in. US uses statute miles for surface visibility (UK uses metres), and altimeter settings are reported in inches of mercury rather than hPa. Both feel weird for the first hour, then normalize.
J · 05
Tighter Traffic Pattern
“Traffic pattern flown a bit tighter compared to the UK.”
Standard US TPA is 1000 ft AGL for most GA fields (some are 800 or 1500, check the chart supplement). The downwind is flown closer to the runway than what UK pilots are used to, close enough that you would make the field on a power-off glide. Turn base when the runway threshold is roughly 45° behind your wingtip. The AIM 4-3-3 diagram is worth studying before your first pattern. KLGB pattern altitudes and runway-specific procedures live in the Chart Supplement entry for KLGB. We will walk through it on day one.
J · 06
ForeFlight, Get It Early
“Download ForeFlight, take out a membership, and have a play around before you come out. I only got it the day I was supposed to be flying and had no idea how to use it. Much simpler playing around with it at home than up in the air.”
This is the single best piece of advice in Jamie’s guide. ForeFlight is the de facto US EFB: sectional charts, weather, flight planning, geo-referenced taxi diagrams, logbook, and weight & balance, all in one app. Basic Plus ($120/year) covers VFR; Pro Plus ($300/year) adds IFR charts and approach plates. Start the 30-day free trial two weeks before you fly out, plan a few fake flights into KLGB, scroll the sectional, brief the LA SFRA. ForeFlight publishes excellent video tutorials. An evening with those puts you ahead of most students.
J · 07
iPad & ADS-B Receiver
“Ensure before coming out you have an iPad and an ADS-B receiver. Ensure the ADS-B receiver is FAA US compliant.”
The receiver must support 978 MHz UAT (US-only frequency, used for FIS-B weather and TIS-B traffic below 18,000 ft) and 1090 MHz ES (the global frequency). UK receivers built only for 1090 ES will not give you weather or the full traffic picture in US airspace. Reliable options:
- ForeFlight Sentry / Sentry Plus: ForeFlight-native, battery-powered, WAAS GPS.
- Stratus 3 / 3i: the older standard, still excellent.
- Garmin GDL 52: pairs with Garmin Pilot as well as ForeFlight.
An iPad Mini is the sweet spot for cockpit use. Full-size iPads cook in California summer sun and block the panel.
J · 08
YouTube Is Your Co-Instructor
“YouTube is your best resource when away from the flight school and instructor. There are heaps of videos which helped things suddenly click with me when going home.”
Channels Jamie and our other UK students have called out as genuinely useful:
- FlightInsight: clean, short explanations of regs and procedures.
- MzeroA Flight Training: thorough written-test and oral prep.
- Pilot Institute: sharp on airspace, sectionals, and ForeFlight.
- AOPA: safety briefs and real-world scenarios.
Watch the night before a lesson, then again the night after. Jamie’s point was simple: the gap between a confused lesson and a confident one is often one good 12-minute video.
Begin
Fly in the US.
Call or email to start the foreign license verification process. We will walk you through every form, every step, and have an aircraft ready when you land.