IMC: 'Hung out to dry by our own side'

[Fuji Abound]

During the transfer of the JAR-FCL requirements into the proposal for EASA Implementing Rules, the FCL.001 group and the MDM.032 group (dealing with better regulations for General Aviation) came to the conclusion that the existing requirements for the Instrument Rating seemed to be too demanding for the PPL holder. Additionally some of the group experts were in favor to develop a similar rating as the UK national IMC rating with lesser requirements than the current requirements for the Instrument Rating (IR) which allows the pilot to fly in circumstances that require compliance with the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) but in certain airspace categories only.

EASA's terms of reference.

One wonders why they even contemplated developing a similiar rating if it was impossible. Nore carefully no mention of approach limitations. Perhaps they didnt know what they were doing when they drafted their own terms of reference or perhaps they have chosen to ignore their terms of reference.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been successful in ensuring that the UK IMC rating will remain in place during the four-year transition period, from the national regulations on flight crew licensing to the regulatory system governed by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). EASA has agreed to establish a rulemaking group to consider proposals for a similar rating at the European level. The Department for Transport will be working closely with the CAA and EASA to identify a solution, prior to the end of the transition period, to ensure that the privileges of IMC rating holders are protected.

This is what our Government said with the full knowledge of the CAA and the DTi. No mention there that the priviliges on the IMC rating holder could not be protected.

421C - it is a very dangerous game making statements such as these (and I could refer you to quite a few more) if you were never able to carry them out.

Anyway as I have said before discussion is a complete waste of time - you dont know what you are talking about anymore than most other people - time will tell and the battle lines will be drawn. If there is the will to resist these changes then indeed the changes will be resisted but it is not yet the time.