BEagle

Hot off the press - the CAA Chief Flight Examiner has stated that Section 3A shall henceforth be included in a SE LST/LPC. Examiners must now "exercise discretion to require a minimum time exercising basic DR skills sufficient to address the requirements of Section 3A, bearing in mind the recent experience of the applicant".

No clues as to what this means; however, bearing in mind that a 'route sector' for a MEP aeroplane is a minimum of 15 minutes, I guess it means adding a 15 min visual navigation exercise to the long-established requirements of any re-validation SEP LPC?

(Reference is NOTEX A1/2004 to the Flight Examiners' Handbook).

Zlin526

Wot no GPS???? Maybe this is to address the problem of pilots busting CAS on a fairly regular basis due to failings in their nav techniques.

Irv

I'm not convinced 15 mins is enough to really prove much. I suppose its the bare minumum to have one mid leg checkpoint to see if the pilot makes a reasonable re-assessment of ETA or heading IF things are noticeably out in just 7.5 mins (10 miles?)but it does seem a bit short.

I'd just got some pilots used to the idea that an LPC might be a revalidation option to consider instead of the 12 hours route - I can imagine this will drive them back to 12 hours route again (Nav is a known weakness with many and they'll avoid this at all costs!)

Beagle - It's gotto be worth mentioning this 'CAA announcement' on the Examiners Forum - I was going to post it Friday but didn't have my password handy. It will take a while to get through to some examiners. (I bet there was someone who read one side of the paper and didn't turn it over and spot this!)

Irv

Keygrip

Interesting point, Irv - but the entire (single) nav leg for the CPL skill test is only 20 minutes (ish), plus a divert.

robin

Sorry guys, the clocks have gone back and my brain can't cope with abbreviations

What are LST and LPC?

<<edit: Licensing Skill Test (for initial issue of [or renewal of an expired] rating) and Licensing Proficiency Check (for revalidation of a current rating [before it expires]).>>

Irv

Doesn't alter what I said!

Robin: I think the main thing that pilots will want to know (or get confused about) is that this 'nav leg' instruction does not apply to the content of the 'hour with an instructor' flight which is part of the 12 hour 'by experence' revalidation route, which is a training flight. The 'nav' instruction applies to revalidation or renewal via tests/proficiency checks with examiners.

BEagle

After some helpful additional information from the CFE:

1. The reason that this has been introduced was that the UK wasn't really in compliance with JAA requirements. Hence no industry consultation or RIA was needed.

2. What constitutes this minimum time VFR navigation exercise is left to the Examiner's discretion. In other words, if a pilot hadn't flown at all in the previous 23.999 months, then perhaps more than a simple 15 min sector would be needed as Irv suggests. Remember the old requirement for PPL pilots lapsed by 26 months to 5 years? A specified course of instruction followed by a test which was a flight to an aerodrome >50 miles away, circuit and landing at that aerodrome, then a return flight? Rather more than the minimum LST requirements currently call for! I shall certainly be looking rather more closely at 'longish' time re-validation and renewal applicants from now on and using my discretion accordingly.

3. If you combine an IMC Rating re-validation/renewal with a SE LST/LPC, then this is considered acceptable for Section 3B, hence Section 3A will not be required in such a case.

bookworm

Not sure I follow that. JAR-FCL1 App 3 to 1.240 doesn't show section 3A as a mandatory item. The applicable notes seem to make it clear that it is required for a VFR-only revalidation of an MEP-class or type rating.