What if we were to take Jim Thorpe's EIR, and make two significant changes:
1. The airlines don't seem to want to share the airways with EIR trained pilots. But under JT's proposal that is exactly what they would be doing, without restriction. In order to allay their fears, suppose we said that the EIR would not be valid in airspace classes, A, B and C.
This would three effects:
A) it would effectively ban all EIR holder from airspace across Europe above FL195 (which is all moving to class C, most of it is already there). For the airlines this largely means no mixing it with EIR holders enroute which has to be a big improvement for them over JT's proposal.
B) it would ban EIR holders from busy terminal airspace, which tends to be class A or C.
C) it would allow regulators in countries that did not want EIR holders mixing it with commercial traffic the option of upgrading their class D airspace to class C, and effectively ban EIR holders from controlled airspace. Those that did wish to allow them could downgrade any class C to D. There isn't all the much difference between Class D and C anyway.
As for class E-G, well VFR pilots are already mixing it with commercial traffic here, and don't even require transponders nor two way comms!
Of course this would also allow EASA to have it's one size fits all for European airspace.
It would surely also be much to the 'safety benefit' of the airlines.
Regulators would have little cause for complaint, as they could effectively ban EIR holders from controlled airspace by upgrading class D areas to class C (They will be mixing it with non-transponding, non-radio VFR traffic in class E anyway, so I can't see much objection to mixing it with EIR traffic which will have to have a transponder, and will have to have two way comms).
2) In return for the above, EIR holders would be allowed to do approaches in IMC. Of course this would only be in airspace classes D-G
This would make the rating (as a stand alone rating) much more useful, as it would allow the rating to be useful in itself, in classes D-G.
It would allow those working towards the full IR to practice approaches to less busy airports.
From the airlines prospective they would only be mixing it with EIR holders at less busy airports (airports in airspace Classes D-G).
Would this have a chance of succeeding?
Would the banning of EIR holders from Class A-C cause logistical problems?
dp