A Reddit user holding an FAA Commercial Pilot License with dual EU citizenship is proposing to transfer their license to EASA, secure a right-seat turbine position with a European operator, build hours abroad, and then return to the United States to qualify for Part 135 employment — effectively bypassing the domestic CFI hour-building path entirely. While the underlying logic has surface appeal, the plan contains several structural assumptions that do not hold up under scrutiny of both EASA regulatory requirements and the realities of entry-level hiring in European commercial aviation. The concept is not absurd, but it is far more complicated and expensive than the post implies, and the probability of execution as described is substantially lower than the author anticipates.
Converting an FAA CPL to an EASA Part-FCL CPL is a formal regulatory process that varies by EU member state but universally requires passing all 14 EASA Airline Transport Pilot License theoretical knowledge examinations — a multi-month academic undertaking covering subjects from air law and meteorology to flight planning and performance. Beyond theory exams, applicants typically must complete a skill test administered by their chosen national aviation authority and meet EASA medical standards independently of any existing FAA medical. Depending on the country of application and the training organization used, the full conversion process can cost between €10,000 and €20,000 or more, and realistically takes six to eighteen months from start to finish. EU citizenship confers the right to reside and work in any member state, which removes one significant barrier, but it does not accelerate or simplify the regulatory conversion pathway itself.
The more critical gap in the plan is the assumption that a low-hour CPL holder with a freshly converted EASA license can readily obtain a right-seat turbine position with a European carrier. The European entry-level airline hiring landscape is dominated either by competitive cadet and ab initio programs run by carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Lufthansa — programs that select candidates years before they hold any license — or by type-rating-required hiring pipelines where the applicant is expected to self-fund a type rating on a narrowbody aircraft, a practice commonly called pay-to-fly. These type ratings on aircraft like the Airbus A320 family typically cost €20,000 to €40,000 and are a prerequisite for many first-officer positions at European low-cost carriers. The result is that the financial outlay required to actually secure that right-seat turbine job in Europe often rivals or exceeds the cost of a domestic CFI pathway, without the income that instructing provides during the hour-building phase.
From a Part 135 qualification standpoint, foreign flight time logged under ICAO standards is fully creditable toward FAA certification requirements, including the 1,500-hour total time threshold for an ATP certificate. Right-seat turbine time accrued in Europe in a multi-crew environment is legitimate and recognized flight time. However, Part 135 operations in the United States themselves carry varying minimums depending on aircraft class, IFR versus VFR operations, and whether the pilot is serving as PIC or SIC — meaning the return to the US does not guarantee immediate eligibility for every 135 operation a pilot might seek. The hours would count, but the type of operation and certificate action still depend on meeting applicable minimums across the board, not simply total time.
The broader context for this kind of career path inquiry is the persistent pressure the FAA's 1,500-hour ATP rule — enacted following the 2009 Colgan Air accident — places on entry-level domestic commercial pilot candidates. The CFI route remains the dominant domestic solution because it generates income while building time in a structured, FAA-recognized environment, but it is a slow and often financially unrewarding path at the lower rungs. Alternative hour-building pathways — including Part 135 cargo operations, banner towing, charter, and international cadet programs — are legitimately pursued by pilots seeking to diversify their experience. The EU dual-citizenship angle the poster raises is a real strategic variable that some pilots have used successfully, but the execution demands realistic capital, patience with foreign regulatory processes, and an understanding that European airlines are not suffering from the same entry-level pilot shortage dynamics that have opened doors in US regional aviation. Pilots considering this path should budget for the full EASA conversion cost, price out type rating requirements in their target country, and speak directly with pilots who have completed the process before treating it as a shortcut.