Originally Posted by
Fl1ingfrog
LastStandards, don't be so quick. Currently the UK CAA is constrained by the EASA contract. If we are no longer a member of EASA then the CAA will not be constrained other than by the ICAO regulations.
(middle edited for brevity)
For EASA not to recognise the licenses that were issued in accordance with their regulations will be appalling. The EASA should not only continue to recognise the compliant licenses designed and demanded by them but also they should provide for the maintenance for continuing compliance.
Indeed - however the last few CAA liaison group meetings I've been on have made it very clear that the UK's initial policy in January will be to change very little, if anything, with the aim of being able to demonstrate an ongoing equivalent standard as and when bilateral agreement talks start, once the political side has simmered down. In particular, we must not expect any instant beneficial changes until the future consequences are fully understood - Policy's words, not mine, although they were slightly pithier. The minutes are I'm afraid confidential as part of ongoing briefings, the import of them is open to all.
EASA will, sadly, have no requirement to recognise UK licences as soon as they lose oversight of the authority. They have provided for continuing compliance by allowing transfer to an authority that will remain under EASA's oversight. Sadly, we're heading into a brave new world, with suspicions that in 5 years or so it'll look much like this world, only with more cost to maintain parallel systems without support. A look at the CAA's careers site shows work over the last few years to recruit people to build up some of the departments that lost most over the last 10-20 years.