CAA announce 8.33 Hand Held Radios are LEGAL
 

CAA announce 8.33 Hand Held Radios are LEGAL for non EASA i.e LAA & Permit UK a/c. Hurrah for our nice CAA !

Handheld radios approved for use in flight | CAA Newsroom | About the CAA


mike hallam

From the CAA Manager... '' positively contributing to safety in the GA sector.”

Well, until the batteries go flat, or they are dropped into the foot-well.

Strangely enough, my handheld has neither fallen apart, blown up or done anything nasty for the last 5 years. I suspect that my new 8.33 when I purchase it will be the same too.
Positive move from the CAA. Well done to them.

Er, that's not how they are used in microlights and other permit aircraft. Usually the "handheld" is mounted on the panel and fed from the aircraft's power supply. £200 instead of £1000 for a panel mount (rough prices).

And the issue has been that when they are on a fixed mount and plumbed into the supply they have to be declared on the aircraft's radio licence - so they need approval.

So I can now fit a 8.33 handheld to my LAA permit aircraft and be legal but cannot legally fit something like an Icom 210 panelmounted 8.33 radio because even though it is a far better piece of kit and will deliver a far better performance than any handheld it is not TSO'd........
Something doesn't seem quite right to me.:ugh:

Shoestring
 

Please point me to the legislation that stops you fitting the ICOM.

The ICOM 210 does not have any EASA approval, so can't have a radio installation approval. The CAA get-out for the hand-helds is that they are 'carry-on' and not installed.

Hi Heston...

Well that may solve the battery going flat bit, but if you want to hear the loudspeaker maybe you need the headset adaptor, and/or the remote microphone (HM 112 for the Icom.)

Then you will most likely want to use an external aerial, and ditch the rubber duck. If your idea of mounting the radio is to use the belt clip into the plane's map pocket, then I hope you don't encounter too much turbulence...

We used to carry one on board our glider, I seem to remember the PTT was wired onto the stick, but gliders are considerably quieter than powered aircraft, and not usually contacting ATC facilities.

Some of you 'pilot' guys display amazing innuendo & assumptions !

In practice such radios have been in use for years (on 25K/cs spacing) as pilots and the CAA know very well.

Many light 'planes and flex-wing a/c have 'hand-held' radios that work consistently well.
If you cared to look, you'd see they get 12 volts supply off the a/c & naturally have an external aerial plugged in and headset adapter with PTT.

Just like a real a/c radio !

And as for mounting - again methods for attaching them safely have also been developed - so have no fears for we light a/c flyers.

It's simply the CAA accepting the status quo & knowing safety is enhanced by proper use of the airwaves - your imaginings describing likely perils need not have been disturbed.

No news is good news hey?:ugh:
My handheld is mounted securely to the bulkhead with clamps, has a headset adapter fitted to a 2 place intercom, which is also mounted securely.
The new system will cost me the price of a new handheld Radio which will fit securely to the aircraft.
Please note the use of the word securely and not taped or laid upon or resting between and other such nonsense you may be likely to insinuate.
This is good news for permit aircraft that have little room or no electrics.
Anything that doesn't compromise safety yet keeps the increasing costs down must be applauded :D
Handhelds now have permission provided they conform to certain criteria.
Why fit a fixed one that doesn't?
Don'tcha just love the naysayers and doom mongers.