Flight under A conditions
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 218
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From: Lincs
WHAT NEW RULES?
Reading through this thread we seem to be talking about some deliberate change in the rules which now requires a bit of paper which costs £80 if you are unfortunate enough to get caught with an expired annual or CofA (and in future the ARC?). I speak from experience of getting an aircraft in for maintenance at 7.00 pm last night, a full five hours before its CofA expired at midnight! In my view, no new rule has been deliberately made to cause this to happen. The problem is that the old BCARs allowed the use of A Conditions but the new EASA regime does not have such a thing as A Conditions. When the EASA rules were consulted in 2003, over a miniscule period of about 28 days if I recall correctly, nobody spotted that they did not allow the Euro equivalent of A Conditions. Nobody from our representative organisations, maintenance organisations, licenced engineers or individual aircraft owners and operators spotted that this facility would go so no-one kicked up a fuss during the consultation. As a result, we now have a problem for EASA aircraft whilst non-EASA aircraft, of course, can still use A Conditions. Having lost the opportunity to get the founding legislation right, I fear it will will be the devil's own job to get any changes made. I think we are going to have to live with this one.
Similarly, we are going to have to live with the engine overhaul life thingy. Again, I don't think that EASA has just invented a twelve year rule out of spite, it is just saying you MUST comply with the engine manufacturer's recommendations. Therefore, because the big two put a twelve-year calendar time limit on engine overhaul in addition to the operating hour limitation then that is what you have to comply with. Note that there is certain flexibility allowed by Generic Requirment 24 in CAP 747 but even so it is no longer economic to have overhauled engines lying around for several years as spares 'just in case'.
There is also a big problem with Euroland's definition of commercial operation. As I understand it, the European Parliament definition included in the founding legislation means that if money changes hands it must be commercial. Hence, flying training, even on microlights, is defined as commercial and the aircraft must be certificated and maintained accordingly. I was at an EASA working group a couple of weeks ago and the EASA staff stated that this problem has been recognised but it could take up to two years to get any required change through the European Parliament legislative process.
Similarly, we are going to have to live with the engine overhaul life thingy. Again, I don't think that EASA has just invented a twelve year rule out of spite, it is just saying you MUST comply with the engine manufacturer's recommendations. Therefore, because the big two put a twelve-year calendar time limit on engine overhaul in addition to the operating hour limitation then that is what you have to comply with. Note that there is certain flexibility allowed by Generic Requirment 24 in CAP 747 but even so it is no longer economic to have overhauled engines lying around for several years as spares 'just in case'.
There is also a big problem with Euroland's definition of commercial operation. As I understand it, the European Parliament definition included in the founding legislation means that if money changes hands it must be commercial. Hence, flying training, even on microlights, is defined as commercial and the aircraft must be certificated and maintained accordingly. I was at an EASA working group a couple of weeks ago and the EASA staff stated that this problem has been recognised but it could take up to two years to get any required change through the European Parliament legislative process.
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
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From: EuroGA.org
The Q to always ask in these situations is this:
The FAA oversees approximately 90% of all the GA in the known universe, and they don't have 12 year+ planes plummetting out of the sky everywhere.
Why not?
What is it that the intellectually and morally superior Europeans know??
The FAA oversees approximately 90% of all the GA in the known universe, and they don't have 12 year+ planes plummetting out of the sky everywhere.
Why not?
What is it that the intellectually and morally superior Europeans know??
