jpboy, I might have started things rolling when I first spotted the opportunity with the introduction of JAR-FCL. As a part-time civil FI/FE, when JAR-FCL first came I had to study the new requirements and noted the relevant regulation covering military accreditation
en passant. After several letters and initiatives (despite some snotty Wg Cdr at Learning Command bleating about 'proper staffing processes'...
; he soon shut up when I told him that a 4-star had written to me personally to thank me for my initiative! ), it was, I understand The Scottish Officer who kicked Binnsworth into actually doing something positive, so the 'MCWG' was formed and it was
they who did all the spade work to define the requirements which eventually appeared - which were actually better than those I'd originally proposed.
After I'd pulled the B&Y, I did try through various contacts to remind the RAF that the leaden hand of €urocracy was approaching and that they needed to look at the current accreditations with some urgency, but there wasn't much more I could do. The CAA no longer has sufficient staffing to look after military accreditation proposals and has taken the reasonable view that, if the RAF wants accreditation then
it has to do the work! Under the EASA Basic Regulation, it is a
national responsibility to write the conversion criteria, not specifically a requirement for the competent authority to draft it.
I did ask the CAA whether the Army and RN were assisting the 2 guys at 22Gp and was told "Ah - good point! Not as far as I'm aware"
.
I do hope that 22Gp don't take a niggardly approach and undersell the training, experience and skill of military pilots when writing the 'conversion report'. A top tip might be to go to another country (e.g. Belgium, Netherlands or Germany) and find out what they do? But there's probably no money in the T&S kitty to allow such a fact-finding mission these days....
Of course delays and vacillation will merely encourage those trying to decide what to do to jump early, following the 'Better the devil you know' principle.
There are more than enough embuggerances in today's RAF, I'm told - so the last thing anyone would want is a non-seamless military accreditation transition next April. However, I fear that time might be running out........ I hope I'm proved wrong!