The actual facts are that the BIR was developed by RMT.0677, which included members of the UK CAA, DGAC, PPL/IR Europe and IAOPA (Europe) plus others.
After a lot of work, we even persuaded the DGAC rep to accept that, with sufficient NAA oversight, there was no reason to exclude DTOs from conducting training for the BIR. So our draft NPA indeed included that. Based on IR(R) instructor / examiner requirements, we submitted requirements for BIR instructors and examiners to RMT.0596 which, at the time was working on Subparts J&K; the requirements were also passed to the FCL Training and Partnership Group's team working on instructor recommendations. All were quite content.
However, someone at EASA (and they've never admitted who it was), subsequently reversed the draft NPA DTO recommendation, so that when the actual NPA appeared DTO training had been deleted.
EASA Advisory Boards were happy with the final CRD and opinion; however, when FCL.835 went to the EASA Committee for a vote, the 'IR(R)-level' instructor / examiner requirements had been deleted, meaning that only IR instructors and examiners could teach / test BIR applicants. This now means that far from being the achievable rating available at your local DTO which was a core RMT.0677 requirement, the BIR will only be available at ATOs - at ATO prices, no doubt.
So far from being 'continually ineffective' as you wrongly state, AOPA (UK) convinced the EASA Advisory Boards. But someone in EASA decided that they knew better, despite the 4 years of work in which we'd been involved. They also introduced the same Class 1 medical hearing requirements which we'd said were totally unnecessary.
FCL.835 is now in European Law; however, the date of effect won't be until 1 Sep 2021. By which time the UK may well be outside EASA - so quite what this will mean to UK adoption of the BIR remains to be seen.
On other topics, AOPA persuaded EASA to ditch the '6 sittings' requirements for LAPL/PPL exams and we have submitted non-controversial proposals to allow night rating training within the PPL/LAPL course if the applicant wishes - and also recognition for all previous LAPL training for someone who starts a LAPL course but then wishes to change to a PPL course. At UK level we contributed to the work of the LAPL/PPL Exam Working Group by reviewing, accepting/rejecting and (where necessary) rewriting the 600 questions and 2400 answers for the forthcoming LAPL/PPL e-exams. All this work was unpaid, as was our RMT.0677 work.
What have you done to further the GA interest?
Last edited by BEagle; 9th Mar 2020 at 08:10.