I agree that the CAA notice talks about airspace, which just goes to show that the rules are so stupidly complicated that even the authorities don't understand them. But again, how are the UK going to assess the base of the operator of a visiting aircraft in order to decide whether it applies even under their interpretation?
But with regards to MEPs, here is the regulation as published:
by way of derogation from paragraph 1, Member States may decide not to apply the provisions of this Regulation until 8 April 2017 to pilots holding a licence and associated medical certificate issued by a third country involved in the non-commercial operation of aircraft as specified in article 4(1)(b) or (c) of Regulation (EC) No 216/2008.
Can you tell me how that can be interpreted as all countries
will allow third party licences to be used? As I said, no amount of letters from an MEP saying they meant it to say something else is going to change it; they have to change the actual regulation.
The CAA, in their wisdom
, have elected to only not apply the rule until August for pilots flying NCC type aircraft. That is 100% within what the rule says, however much we may disagre with it. Life can be tough sometimes.