Quote:
Originally Posted by runway30 View Post
Pilot wasn't shy in announcing on social media obtaining his PPL and his new aeroplane. No mention of an IMC rating or I/R. Many instances of VFR pilots getting into difficulties in IMC in this aeroplane.
This was an N reg. If my memory serves me right, many years ago, an FAA PPL was required and when these hot ships first came out an IR was thrown in for good measure for the buyer. Then some bits and pieces started falling out of the sky and some new rules and training requirements were introduced. To get me out of trouble IMC rating, not recognised on the Continent, was hotly debated for many years and remained with a don`t try this yourselves at home warning. PPL`s with FAA IR`s could only opt for IFR after crossing the foreign FIR`s and the same for the return. They could not exercise the privileges of their FAA IR `s in UK controlled airspace in UK reg aircraft.
Without a valid IR, when an IFR routing is a must, it cannot be planned. By definition therefore it becomes a VFR plan. I don`t know the wx conditions on the day for the whole of the planned/intended routing, but if vis and cloud base were not present to conduct the flight under VFR then mechanical malfunction or not risk was significantly increased and flight safety margins were reduced if not compromised.
Just for the record and for the sake of the less up to date on these things reading in here, and making no assertions regarding the qualifications of this particular pilot, as it stands an FAA PPL with an IR allows one to fly an N-reg aircraft under the IFR any where in the world in accordance with ICAO protocols.... It also allows (until April 2016) such a pilot to fly a G-reg aircraft anywhere in the world (VFR only). After April next year (unless there is a further extension to the derogation), EASA has thumbed their noses at ICAO and for such a pilot (if he is a European resident) to fly under the IFR in his N-reg aircraft he/she will need an EASA IR (in addition to his FAA IR)....so-called "dual papers"...
An FAA IR on its own has never been sufficient for flying a G-reg aircraft under the IFR.
On a further note, the FAA allows a pilot to fly an N-reg aircraft in a given state with only the pilot licence of that state....so it is possible to fly an N-reg under the IFR in the UK without any FAA licence if you have a UK issued EASA licence...note this does not allow said pilot to fly to say France or anywhere outside the UK (in this example)...there has been some conjecture as to whether the FAA will allow an N-reg to be flown under the IFR by a pilot with only an IMC rating (known as an IR(R) under EASA) and not a full IR...
AQ