Conversion of Foreign IR ratings
Been reading the threads re. the JAA's decision that pilots with foreign IRs will have to completely redo their ratings in a JAA state. What a complete load of BS.
I find it completely ludicrous that the JAA have decreed that although I hold a foreign IR, they consider my skills to be on a level with a pilot with no instrument training at all. When is the JAA going to stop moving the goalposts so that we can begin to plan our careers further ahead than the next ridiculous JAA decision?
I completed my IR training in South Africa and a lot of people consider the training out there to be among the best in the world -certainly more comprehensive from an academic point of view than the States.
What is next? Are doctors, lawyers, IT experts and other proffessionals going to be required to redo their qualifications from scratch before they will be allowed to work in Europe?
As for the JAA's stand that the weather conditions in Europe are different from the rest of the world: What a load of poppycock. If you can fly with sole reference to instruments, or conduct a profficient ILS approach you have attained these skills whether they have been gained in Africa, Europe or Australia. Of course they are differences, but that is the purpose of conversion training. Besides, everyone has to pass the same flight test so any shortcomings will be picked up at that stage.
In fact I believe that the conditions in many other parts of the world present greater challenges to Instrument Rated Pilots.
IMC approaches in Africa for one are often associated with severe turbulence and pilots out there are regularly confronted with Cb's unlike anything seen in Europe with associated hail, turbulence, lightning, freezing rain etc.
Besides, are the JAA about to stop IR training in Spain due to the fact that the weather conditions don't accurately reflect the conditions experienced in the rest of Europe. Pilots that have trained in places such as Western Canada or New Zealand have been exposed to weather every bit as muggy as that found in Europe.
I truly believe that if something isn't broke don't fix it. There is no evidence that pilots that have trained for their IRs overseas and then converted them to European ratings are any less safe than their counterparts who have completed their training in Europe. So what has changed?
It is about time the JAA admitted to the fact that a lot of the legislation being passed is simply thinly veiled protectionism aimed at protecting an uncompetitive industry.
Out of interest, does anyone know if the CAA will still issue an IMC rating on the basis of a foreign IR. From what I have been told this used to be pretty much a formality. It used to be the fact that if you held an IMC rating you were given credit on the training required for a full IR. Anyone know if this is still the case??
[This message has been edited by flyingwigwam (edited 21 February 2001).]