31 December 2007
A series of meetings in Euroland before Christmas have brought some mixed news about the future of various licences, ratings and privileges for pilots around Europe.
The main bone of contention for many existing UK pilots revolves around the IMC rating. The main news here appears on the surface to be bad. The IMC rating will cease to exist, and at the moment there is nothing to replace it.
However, there is a strong likelihood that a working group will be set up to examine the requirements of instrument flying privileges in Europe. This has come about following lobbying which has highlighted to European officials the desirability of some form of sub-instrument rating for private pilots. There are no details at all yet. The CAA – which is supporting moves to retain some form of sub-instrument rating allowing IMC privileges for PPLs – is likely to form part of the group.
In the meantime there is the suggestion that the IMC rating will still be with us for four or so years, allowing pilots already holding the rating to exercise their privileges, by which time new arrangements may (but may not) be in place. However, it is not clear whether training for the IMC rating (which, remember, is currently a UK-only rating) will be able to continue for the whole of that period, if current proposals are adopted.
The timetable is that an NPA (Notice of Proposed Amendment) will be issued in the first quarter of 2008. This will cover a broad range of issues, including the new LAPL (a European Light Aircraft Pilot Licence – a sub-PPL licence which aims to encourage sport flying) and the dropping of the requirement for a flying instructors to hold a CPL, as well as the matters relating to the IMC rating.
Elsewhere on the IMC rating front, the campaign to preserve the existing rating continues, with a growing petition on the Number 10 website and a new site (<a href=’http://www.ukimc.org/’ target=’_blank’>www.ukimc.org/</a>) run by pilots to support that petition.
