CAA confirms IMC available to April 2019

[fulham fan]

CAA announced today CAA welcomes IMC vote | CAA Newsroom | About the CAA

[Fuji Abound]

Great news, and for a change, those that said it would be buried for ever, were wrong - sense has prevailed.

[soaringhigh650]

Long live the "IR" with less than 30% of the training!

[David Roberts]

The EASA Committee (comitology process) voted unanimously today to adopt the rules for the new IR and also the EIR and - for glider pilots - the SCFR. I understand the only amendment to the text proposed by the Commission for this meeting was the addition of English language proficiency for the IR and EIR.

The UK IMCR gets a life extension until April 2019.

The texts still have to go through the European Parliament scrutiny process, but that should be OK and on a timescale that the new ratings become law by end of first quarter 2014 or soon after.

A day for celebration after a long haul.

More on a thread on the 'dark side'.

[BEagle]

The English Language proficency requirement for the Cb-M IR and EIR is perhaps a blessing in disguise for the continuance of the IMCr / IR(R). Because it means that francophone pilots, if unable to achieve ICAO 6 level English, will still be able to obtain either the Cb-M IR or EIR restricted to French-speaking Member States - and will thus be useful allies to add strength to more flexible regulation in the Basic Regulation before 2019....

But it will be interesting to see how much interest there will actually be in the EIR. As now proposed, it is far better than the rather vague original proposal - and which led to so many arguments when the NPA was first released.

[mad_jock]

Is there anyone going to be left to be able to teach it by 2019?

What's required to be able to teach for it?

[BEagle]

To teach what?

[RTN11]

To teach what?

To teach instrument flying, ie the IMC rating or the IR.

When you get an FI(A) rating, it comes with a "no applied instruments" restriction, which you need 200 hours IFR to be eligible to remove.

The CAA used to do a nice practical solution and say that 1 hour flying in actual IMC, so fully on instruments, would equate to 4 hours flying IFR (where you could be in VMC the whole time).

So that meant if you had logged 50 hours actual instrument time, you could get the restriction removed.

Mad_jock is referring to the fact the CAA removed this nice solution, so now you need 200 hours IFR, which very few instructors will be able to build up to, so there will definitely be a shortage of instructors able to teach this rating.

[BEagle]

AOPA has already suggested a solution to the CAA; once the current opinion has received approval from the EU parliament, it should be simple enough to adopt it. Certainly for the IMCr / IR(R).

[dsc810]

In respect of the Sailplane Cloud Flying Rating....
Maybe I'm missing something here or have totally misunderstood having looked at Document NPA 2011-16.pdf - section 3 and the proposed new FCL.830. in document Amdt 1178-2011
This all relates to new licence privileges to fly sailplanes in cloud. Fair enough and I understand them, the training and the requirements etc.

But what about the situation where gliders are thermalling below cloud to over 3000ft - being the split point of what is in/out of VMC criterion.
So said glider is certainly NOT in cloud, yet closer to cloud (usually vertically) than permitted to still be in VFR?

[rgsaero]

"soaringhigh650 - Long live the "IR" with less than 30% of the training! "

That was - presumably - a joke!

I know of no-one who either believes the IMC rating is akin to an IR or tries to use it as such.

It is - and will remain - a valuable aid to safety in a rapidly changing environment in which even with the best planning it's too easy to find oneself in (potentially life threatening) adverse conditions.

[Mickey Kaye]

Beagle would you care to elaborate what has been suggested?

[BEagle]

Beagle would you care to elaborate what has been suggested?

Not at this point in time.

"soaringhigh650 - Long live the "IR" with less than 30% of the training! "

Presumably he is referring to the C-bM IR, which requires only 60% of the current theoretical knowledge syllabus / exams?

But what about the situation where gliders are thermalling below cloud to over 3000ft - being the split point of what is in/out of VMC criterion.
So said glider is certainly NOT in cloud, yet closer to cloud (usually vertically) than permitted to still be in VFR?

FCL.600 states:

Operations under IFR on an aeroplane, helicopter, airship or powered-lift aircraft shall only be conducted by holders of a PPL, CPL, MPL and ATPL with an IR appropriate to the category of aircraft or when undergoing skill testing or dual instruction.

There is no reference to any such requirement for sailplanes.....

[Prop swinger]

dsc810,

Have a close look at FCL.600 & note the omission.