EASA threat to operation of N Reg Aircraft

[Tetrimmo]

News ::: Part FCL.008

The CRD is published : http://hub.easa.europa.eu/crt/docs/viewcrdpdf/id_135


In short :


A Part-FCL licence holder who also holds ICAO Annex 1 instrument rating issued by third-country and the required 50 hours of flying experience as PIC in IFR/IMC needs only to pass a skill test and demonstrate the adequate level of theoretical knowledge during the skill test. He/she also needs to demonstrate English language proficiency.


Crediting for third-country licence holders


The Agency introduced a few changes in order to simplify the criteria for Part-FCL licence holders also holding a third-country IR, to obtain their IR converted into a Part-FCL IR.


Firstly, the demonstration of theoretical knowledge was clarified by allowing the applicant to demonstrate an adequate level of knowledge to the examiner during the skill test. The number of subjects was also reduced to three and cover air law, meteorology, and flight planning & performance.


Secondly, several comments proposed to further review the requirement of 100 hours prior instrument flight time as PIC. As this requirement stems from criteria already established for the acceptance of licences and ratings, the Agency came to the conclusion that this could be reduced to 50 hours of minimum experience (instrument flight time) as PIC. The Agency also made provisions for those pilots with less than the 50 hours of minimum experience by allowing them to credit PIC hours towards the EIR and competency-based IR(A) courses. Please see paragraph ‘crediting of prior experience’ in this section and items 13 and 31 for further details.


Finally, several comments requested the deletion of the skill test and English language requirements. The Agency strongly believes that to ensure a minimum standard and consistency both requirements should be kept and therefore decided to keep the skill test and the FCL.055 English language proficiency requirements as proposed by the NPA. The method of assessment shall be established by the competent authority.


Prior experience of flight time by reference to instruments


With GM1 Appendix 6 (6)(c) an additional GM was developed in order to address the issue of prior experience of flight time by reference to instruments. The three scenarios under which prior experience of flight time by reference to instruments as PIC will be credited as instrument flight time are:


Flight time should have been completed:

• instrument flight time under a rating providing the privileges to fly under IFR and in IMC issued by a competent authority of a Member State; or
• instrument flight time under a national instrument rating issued by a Member State completed before Part-FCL entered into force; or
• instrument flight time under a valid IR(A) issued in compliance with the requirements of Annex 1 to the Chicago Convention by a third country.