EASA ATPL Exemptions
 

Have any UK RAF Mil FW Pilots obtained an EASA ATPL from scratch recently? Was there any exemption for the ground studies like CAA exemption that allows you to go straight to the exams? If so, which national aviation authority did you go through? Thanks

Is that not just the CAA exemption? I've seen this but can't see anything similar for an EASA version with any of the NAAs I've looked at

From first-hand contact, I can tell you that Ireland grants no credits for military experience other than that gained in the Irish Armed Forces.

I'd heard something along those lines sadly. Thank you though

EASA will not even give credit for U.K. CAA ATPL theory done after 1/1/2021, so no chance of any dispensation for Mil qualifications

Thank you Brexit :D

I think your only option to get any credit would be:

• do your CAA ATPL exams
• Do a type rating on a MP aircraft (hopefully one you already fly in the military (eg Voyager/A330) which would get you your ATPL
• Do an EASA licence conversion on the basis of your CAA ATPL (so again straight to the exams)
• Do another LST on the type (this time for EASA), obtain ATPL licence.

speak to "UK Flying". They know the drill

Oh, and then getting the right to actually work in the EU which might make it all slightly pointless unless you play to work in Ireland where a seperate agreement exists.

Thanks.

Having done a bit more digging it seems this is the route sadly. Hoped there was an easier way but alas no. Thanks all for the advice

The gift that keeps on giving!

As posted above the exemptions for military pilots are on a national basis so 22 Group rules only apply to UK licence issue. If you wanted both UK and EASA you would need to do full approved courses for each element ideally at an ATO that carries both UK and EASA approvals (and most UK ATOs now do) gaining two regulatory ticks for each element. Similarly flight tests can be conducted by one examiner with two authorisations - one test two ticks. You would need 2 x Class 1 medical, but there are UK organisations that can do that for a few hundred pounds extra, you would need to take the ATPL exams twice (an extra grand or so in test fees) and make sure that your IR was conducted in the correct airspace, which depends on the location of your IR ATO. Although this may seem onerous it is approaching the normal path now for ab-initio UK applicants because Ryanair seem to be v keen to hire pilots with a right to live and work in the UK, but with EASA licences. For UK military pilots it also means you need to do full approved courses which adds to the expense and pretty much ties you to UK-based ATOs, at least at the moment, hence VAT is charged on training and it is more expensive. Paradoxically, gaining the two licences in parallel at the start seems to be much easier and cheaper than gaining a UK licence first then doing most everything again for a UK to EASA licence. The exception might be if you hold a full UK ATPL with more than 500 hours on multi-crew, all current, with a current type rating on a civil type, in which case as gypsymagpie says your conversion may involve only a new Class 1, a set of ATPL exams and an ATPL flight test incorporated into an EASA type rating. If you didn't have the full UK ATPL, the recognised multi hours and a type rating on an EASA type you might find this route closed to you.

Just a reminder that leaving EASA wasn't a necessary part of Brexit - Grant Schapps voluntarily ejected us. I had a bloody EASA ATPL, having done the EASA exams.

I think it was dependent on a 'soft' vs 'hard' Brexit agreement

It was dogma - the ultimate arbitrator above EASA was an EU court, and part of the dogma was to have nothing to do with that. Thus, exit EASA and rebuild the UK CAA - not an easy task.