PPL medicals...at last!

[Howto communicate]

Changes to private pilot medical requirements announced | UK Civil Aviation Authority (http://www.caa.co.uk/News/Changes-to-private-pilot-medical-requirements-announced/)

[GBEBZ]

the medical requirement for UK private pilot licence and national private pilot licence holders


Currently, UK PPL holders are able to fly EASA aircraft using the privileges of a LAPL. This is anticipated to change in 2018, at which point the benefits of this change in medical requirements will decrease for those pilots. However, we aim to influence EASA in considering reviewing the medical requirements for EASA Private Pilot licence holders flying EASA aircraft.

The wording means that those (the majority?) with standard EASA PPL will not benefit from this at all as its only the national licenses, not the standard EASA licenses, that are effected, and only for a maximum of 2 years - hardly the big announcement...

[flybymike]

I disagree.

There are many pre year 2000 JAA/EASA national licence holders, and any one is free to apply for an NPPL at any time anyway.

The ability to fly any permit or annexe2 aircraft without any form of medical contact with either an AME or GP is a valuable concession, and the current ability to use the concession on EASA aircraft until at least 2018 with a fair chance of an extension, (possibly even a permanent one) thereafter may yet prove a massive benefit.

[mikehallam]

I'm jumping for joy.

A Triumph for our few fragments of English/British independence from the Eu maw.

** HURRAH !! **

Our OWN CAA has wrought a marvellous change in the face of EASA & the rest of them, in sensibly granting NPPL and UK PPL pilots to do their own Medical Self certification.

That means us lot on the upper side of 70 who will shortly be allowed, just as for our Driving Licences, to carry on flying without having to deal any more with with sometimes obstructive and fee demanding GPs - who in any case have better things to do with their time.

It's noteworthy that in the CAA document mentioned above
a) We're doing the same as the USA (Not what is demanded by the Eu 'masters we suffer from normally) and
b) Our CAA will try and persuade the EASA wallahs to do the British thing themselves.

I'm so very grateful the UK CAA gave me a lifetime PPL which through thick & thin and other enticements to change to another Licence, is still the gold plated key allowing me to continue flying.

[All we need do now is totally leave the Eu and regulate our own destiny as we see fit.]

mike hallam

[chillindan]

Happy days for us microlight pilots!!!

[flybymike]

I haven't checked the latest FAA requirements but I think the CAA requirements are actually less strict than the US (which may still require an initial examination.)

[Broadlands]

There is a contradiction in this announcement with published policy. I note that the text says

Holders of a UK PPL currently need an EU class 2 medical or the NPPL medical requirements if they only use the privileges of an NPPL licence.

However, ORS4 995 at the end of the document says

Explanatory note
Whenever the licence holder needs to include, revalidate or renew any rating or certi cate that is outside the scope of the NPPL, the licence holder must have a medical certi cate for the licence he holds; a medical declaration will not be accepted.

Already I have been approached by UK PPL holders who have decided they can fly on a declaration based on the first quote.
I phoned the CAA today who have escalated it for urgent clarification.

As far as I am concerned, ORS4 995 has not been superseded so must take precedence.

[300hrWannaB]

So...
Like many others I passed a UK PPL (A) and have been regularly subjected to CAA Class 2 medicals. As the aircraft that I fly most often is now EASA certified, I have had to have my licence changed to an EASA one, although it clearly makes reference to the UK PPL that I gained back then.
The wording on my licence documents (why there are two, I knoweth not) implied that I only needed a Class 2 for an EASA plane. In other words, no medical, no flying my plane.
So what's changed?

[Skylark58]

The downside for a minority of pilots such as myself, flying Annex II on a NPPL with Medical Declaration, is that if you have certain pre-existing medical conditions as listed in CAP1397 (in my case a by-pass op 20 years ago) you have to pass an LAPL medical with an AME and in my case pass an ECG and provide a cardiologists report, just to do what I do now.