PPL across the midwest?

Heres the thought...I want to go to America, buy a plane (yes, it has to
be a biplane, probably, almost certainly, a Stolp Starduster Too) and
then fly the thing from one side to the other, tracing the route of
Bach, author of Reluctant Messiah and Jonathan Livingston Seagul). Of
course he may not have been on the route I want to take, it doesnt
matter. I want to fly over endless corn fields, see the rockies, waft
over the midwest and land at many small and different airfields.
Finally, dismantle my plane and ship it home. (No, not flying it home,
been there done that and it's scary).

I know the issues the PFA have with importing US aeroplanes, so thats
not a problem - my question is this: how easy is it likely to be to get
my UK ATPL converted to a US PPL and actually be allowed to fly across
the US? Anyone done it? Are they likely to issue an IR as well?

David

Thanks both for the info. I'm sure I'll fathom it in time for the trip
which I am hoping will be within the next two or three years. Thats when
we reckon we'll have the time and the money to go anyway.

I guess that the onl;y way to get round the ownership issue is to find
the plane i want and place the money for it in escrow - to be paid on
return and sale or death and destruction.

It sounds like a sugar candy dream doesnt it (to use a nice pukey US
phrase) but it's something I have fancied doing for a while now.

Thanks guys.

david

"Borat" <borat$$@kazak.com> wrote:

>As to owning an aircraft, unless you have residency you cannot.

Don't you have to be a U.S. *citizen* to own an N-reg?

There are plenty of non-US-resident US-citizen pilots who own N-reg
airplanes.

There is no doubt that as an Englishman you could simply buy an N-reg
airplane but the CofA or CofR would be invalid unless the owner meets
the ownership requirement. This happened, I believe, in a well known
case many years ago where the insurer refused to pay out and the
wealthy estate of the pilot was cleaned out by the dependants of the
passengers. I tried to find out more (out of curiosity) but nobody was
willing to part with the information; nevertheless it appeared that
this is what must have happened.