MEP / IR Expiry date

[alanmtc]

Hi,

Can someone clear up an issue for me.

My MEP and IR expire on 30th September. However I will be out of the country from May 12th - October 6th which means my MEP and IR will expire whilst I am abroad.

Is there an overlapse period where I can start my renewal a week late and not suffer any problems?

Cheers

[philc1983]

Don't worry too much about it. You can renew the ME/IR up to 3 months prior to expiry or get it revalidated once its expired (I hope i got those the right way round). The only advantage of renewing is that you can do it in an approved sim (for the IR) the revalidation must be in an aircraft. The hoops you have to jump through for the aircraft flying on both accounts is fairly similar. Engine failure, steep turns, stall recovery, ILS, NDB, maybe some other failure (gear) at the examiner's discretion.

Hope this answers your question.

[alanmtc]

So to clarify.....

If I renew the IR before it expires, I can do this in the SIM

BUT

If I allow it to expire, I then need to revalidate it in the actual aircraft?




And the MEP renewal is in the Aircraft regardless of when it is done?

Thanks

[Charley]

Almost.

The renewal/revalidation thing is the wrong way round, AFAIK. One revalidates a rating prior to expiry, one renews an expired rating. Pedantic, I know, but if you go on to search for references elsewhere then it might become important.

Secondly I was once told (when in the same boat as you, and by an FTO) that you can only revalidate an IR(A) in the sim once every two years, i.e. you must do it in the aircraft at least once every other year. Admittedly, I don't have a reference for that, so it's nothing more than hearsay/'perceived wisdom' unless someone produces one.

MEP revalidations (LPC) and renewals are always done on the aircraft.

HTH

Edit: P.S. If you revalidate a rating with less than 3 months to go before it expires, the validity will be extended by 12 months from the original expiry date, not the date of test. If you revalidate yours in May, before you go, it'll be 'too soon' for that bonus and it'll expire the following May.

[alanmtc]

Thanks for that Charley,

I dont intend to revalidate in May, unless by allowing the IR to expire, even by a week, I would be giving myself a huge headache?

Are the Revalidation requirements and Renewal requirments much different?


Alan

[punk666]

I was thinking of letting mine expire till I need it.

I was told I can do the Se IR then later on do the MEP add on which is a much cheaper option if you want it still.

I also heard that you can revalidate it in the sim, then next time you do it it must be in the aircraft.

Im going to renew the single engine IR so ive got it.

[alanmtc]

can anyone clarify the differences between RENEWING and REVALIDATING.

[philc1983]

Charley wasn't 100% sure i'd got them the correct way round.

Alan, there is no difference between the actual testing for revalidating/renewing. They are both effectively tests the only difference is the sim for IR once every 2 years as has been discussed.

It will cover everything your IR initial had and the ME section will cover general handling skills (VFR really) that you will have done in your IR aswell.

I would suggest doing the ME/IR as one test i have always found this to be much cheaper IMHO.

Best of luck either way.

:)

[BillieBob]

An IR is valid for 12 months from the date of the Skill Test. It may be revalidated before it expires or renewed after it has expired. From the holder's point of view, there is no difference between revalidation and renewal so far as the content of the test is concerned, although the validity of the subsequent rating will be different.

If a rating is revalidated within the three months preceding its expiry, the new rating will be valid from the expiry date of the previous one. If, however, the revalidation is done more than 3 months prior to expiry or if the rating is allowed to expire, the new rating will be valid for 12 months from the date of the proficiency check.

Example: IR issued on 1 Jan 2010 and valid until 31 Dec 2010

If the revalidation proficiency check is completed prior to 1 Oct 2010 then the new validity will run for 12 months from the date of the check (e.g. 10 Sep 2010 to 9 Sep 2011).

If the revalidation proficiency check is completed between 1 Oct 2010 and 31 Dec 2010 then the new validity will run from 1 Jan 2011 to 31 Dec 2011

If the renewal proficiency check is completed after 31 Dec 2010 then the new validity will run for 12 months from the date of the check (e.g. 10 Jan 2011 to 9 Jan 2012).

Alternate validations may be completed in a suitably qualified FSTD. Since the first validation (the initial IR Skill Test) is invariably done in the aircraft, it follows that the first revalidation (but not renewal) may be done in an FSTD. Renewals may not be done in an FSTD.

There is nothing to prevent the MEP Class Rating being revalidated (or renewed) in a suitably qualified FSTD. Unfortunately there are, AFAIK, no MEP devices of sufficient fidelity to qualify under JAR-FSTD(A) for this purpose.