It is clear, homeguard, that you do not fully understand either the status or the intentions of EASA. As an agency of the EU, the rules that it develops, once accepted by the Commission and rubber-stamped by the parliament, become EU law, to which all member states are subject. Neither the UK nor any other member state will be able to legislate other than in accordance with EU law.
The first draft of the EASA Implementing Rules for Licensing has recently been published internally and the implications, particularly for the UK, are reported to be significant - e.g. loss of the IMC rating, restricted BCPLs, the NPPL, national (lifetime) PPLs, etc. Holders of UK national ATPLs, who do not have the required MPA experience for issue of an EASA ATPL, will have to downgrade to a CPL.
However, EASA does intend to issue a 'Light Aircraft Pilot Licence' for both aeroplanes and helicopters, which will not not be compliant with ICAO. This is intended to be a two tier licence, the lower tier allowing A to A flights (with no intermediate landing) limited to a radius of 50km from the point of departure and the higher tier giving privileges similar to the UK NPPL but extended throughout Europe. There is intended to be an instructor rating allied to this licence, which will allow instruction without the requirement to have passed the CPL exams - to instruct for a full EASA PPL and above, CPL knowledge will still be required.
Currently, EASA still seems to be determined to require an instructor to hold an EASA licence and rating in order to instruct for EASA qualifications. This will have a significant effect on those training organisations operating outside Europe who currently employ, for example, FAA licenced instructors under the terms of Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL 1.300. It will have an even greater effect on bizjet training where over 90% of type rating instruction is currently given by instructors who do not hold JAA licences.
Oh yes - the rules also currently require an instrument rating to be held for flight under IFR, which includes all night flight in the UK!!
The Implementing Rules will be published for consultation sometime next spring, probably March and it is important that everyone has their say. However, in the usual EU fashion, they are likely to be well hidden in the tortuous EU website and the consultation period will be limited to only 3 months so everyone will need to be on their toes.
Last edited by BillieBob; 20th Nov 2007 at 11:10.