10 February 2015
As part of its response to the Government’s GA Red Tape Challenge, and its ongoing work to ensure regulation of GA is more proportionate, the UK CAA has relaxed the need for GA aircraft to carry certain equipment when flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).
The change means that aircraft flying on IFR private flights do not necessarily need to comply with the equipment levels laid out in Schedule 5 of the Air Navigation Order.
This means that instruments such as VOR, DME or ADF are no longer required just because an aircraft is flying IFR in controlled airspace. However, they must be carried when the route or airfields to be used demand them.
It directly answers a Red Tape challenge that the CAA should, ‘align national navigational equipage carriage requirements (Schedule 5 of the Air Navigation Order) for GA operators with those of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s Part-NCO as soon as possible, limiting any ‘airspace requirements’ to performance based navigation specifications.’
In addressing this Red Tape challenge, the CAA has brought forward a European change by six months, ensuring UK pilots can get the benefit straight away.
Pilots taking advantage of this change are reminded to ensure they still have a backup system of navigation should their primary system fail.
The change doesn’t affect requirements to have a radio and transponder in certain airspace or any other stipulations such as performance based navigation requirements.
<a href=’http://www.caa.co.uk/ga’ target=’_blank’>www.caa.co.uk/ga.</a>
