The final straw ....
Perhaps some-one could shed some light on two issues that have been raised in this discussion ....
1 - General flying club ops in Europe are not required to be Public Transport under EASA, but they are in the UK ? Is this true ?
2 - The CAA consider that Public Transport ops require engine replacement every 12 years, but operating privately it can continue 'on condition'.
Examining the logic of #2 in terms of safety. Are they saying that one operation is less safe than the other ? Or that there is a lesser chance of an engine failure. Surely if the engine is considered by the CAA unsafe for Public Transport, then it must be equally unsafe for Private flight ? Or, if it is considered safe for Private flight, then why is it not considered safe for Public flight.
If we further examine the logic of flying club ops.
Q -Who is likely to fly in a flying club aircraft ?
A - PPLs who prefer to rent or who cannot afford to buy their own plane/share, and their friends.
Q - Who is likely to fly in a private aircraft ?
A - PPLs who can afford to buy an aircraft/share, and their friends.
Q - So basically it is exactly the same people who would fly in both cases.
A - yes
Q - So why is one flight considered safe and the other not?
A - Good question.
Q - So are the CAA infringing my rights by discriminating in this manner.
A - who knows
Q - Who are the CAA answerable to in their determination of what is safe/unsafe?
A - no-one, least of all the GA community.
Q - So can I appeal to any higher authority/political body/EASA
A- Who knows?
Q - What about registering an aircraft in another EASA country and operating it under EASA rules in the UK ?
A - ???