EASA PART-NCO (Non Commercial Operations)
 

Recent CAA notice says this new reg is in force from the end of August. Seems to apply to most General Aviation in the UK that's flown under EASA. Has some "new" rules about carriage of PLB amongst other gems. Does it apply to mere mortals pottering around in a C152? Definitely seems to and definitely applies to ATO. Thoughts?

Update: for those frustrated by the easa regulations being split up in a haphazard way, try this. Its all the operational easa rules together with everything arranged in the right order and not lost in legalese writing. Annex VII is PART-NCO. If your mount is bigger there's PART-NCC (complex non commercial).

Also note that from next year, aerobatics gets its own section PART-SPA which for example means you don't need the in flight documentation. Another facet that GA might want to consider is that PART-NCO makes some aircraft illegal to fly in IMC that were OK to do so privately (pitot heat, OAT gauge). And where the heck do you put the fire extinguisher in a tiny cockpit?

Yes, it applies to all Non Commercial operations by Other than complex motor powered aircraft.

Joy. Thought so. How ridiculous that carriage of a PLB is now mandatory for even circuit work.

True. On the other hand, it's finally legal to leave that paper map at home. As long as you have an electronic solution where availability is guaranteed (which means you've got to have a backup in case the 'puter shuts down).

Just looked at their "quick guide to the changes" link, what a waste, tells you almost nothing about what the actual changes are. The one useful bit in it is that it says the ANO should change at the same time so will also apply to non EASA aircraft.��

I think you will find theses rule are for Complex motor-powered aircraft

So not for light aircraft....

the term is defined in Article 3 (letter (j)) of the Basic Regulation:
“‘complex motor-powered aircraft’ shall mean:
an aeroplane:
with a maximum certificated take-off mass exceeding 5 700 kg, or
certificated for a maximum passenger seating configuration of more than nineteen, or
certificated for operation with a minimum crew of at least two pilots, or
equipped with (a) turbojet engine(s) or more than one turboprop engine, or
a helicopter certificated:
for a maximum take-off mass exceeding 3 175 kg, or
for a maximum passenger seating configuration of more than nine, or
for operation with a minimum crew of at least two pilots, or
a tilt rotor aircraft;”

Part-NCO becomes active from 25th August. CAA says in a linked document from its information notice that all pilots/operators who fly/operate an ‘other-than-complex motor-powered aircraft’ need to familiarise themselves with the relevant:

"Annexes of the Air Operations Regulations in the table below:
<CAA appears to have missed a bit out of the document here, it is on the CAA website page for NCO and is a mighty list to wade through>

As a Part-NCO operator, you also need to know:

the EASA Basic Regulation
Annex l - Definitions
NCO.SPEC*

*NCO.SPEC does not come into force until 21 April 2017."

Those who have to study this nausea for our day jobs would suggest that part-time amateur users have little chance. Well done CAA for providing no guidance at all.

FWIW below is a summary I prepared for my fellow syndicate members of the effects of Part-NCO (for context, we fly an AA5). It was a Word document so some of the formatting will be lost. I'll try to sort it with edits to follow.

Part-NCO is the EASA regulations for operating non-complex aircraft. It is the part of EASA operations regulations that apply to us. Note that if you are looking for this on the EASA web site they make it rather less difficult to find their Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material than the actual EU regulation. The AMC and GM are not law, the regulation is. The AMC and GM are EASA civil servant interpretations of the regulation and are subject to gold plating. The actual law is Commission Regulation 965 / 2012. It is a very large document. The bit that matters to us is Annex VII NCO. The regulation was passed in October 2012. However, annex VII (i.e. Part-NCO, the bit specific to us) could, at the decision of each national authority, be delayed until 25 August 2016 and UK CAA has done this (Information Notice Number: IN–2013/143). The areas covered are:

• Introductory Flights
• Responsibilities of the commander (nothing surprising in the content of that)
• Documents to be carried. This is very tedious for A to B flights (not A to A) unless CAA has over-ridden it but I have found nothing to suggest it has.
(a) The following documents, manuals and information shall be carried on each flight as originals or copies unless otherwise specified:
(1) the AFM, or equivalent document(s);
(2) the original certificate of registration;
(3) the original certificate of airworthiness (CofA);
(4) the noise certificate, if applicable;
(5) the list of specific approvals, if applicable;
(6) the aircraft radio licence, if applicable;
(7) the third party liability insurance certificate(s);
(8) the journey log, or equivalent, for the aircraft;
(9) details of the filed ATS flight plan, if applicable;
(10) current and suitable aeronautical charts for the route area of the proposed flight and all routes along which it is reasonable to expect that the flight may be diverted;
(11) procedures and visual signals information for use by intercepting and intercepted aircraft;
(12) the MEL or CDL, if applicable; and
(13) any other documentation that may be pertinent to the flight or is required by the States concerned with the flight.
(b) Notwithstanding (a), on flights:
(1) intending to take off and land at the same aerodrome/operating site; or
(2) remaining within a distance or area determined by the competent authority,
the documents and information in (a)(2) to (a)(8) may be retained at the aerodrome or operating site.
…
(d) The pilot-in-command shall make available within a reasonable time of being requested to do so by the competent authority, the documentation required to be carried on board.

So, the items in bold are required every flight, the non-bold ones only on land-away.
Note that the regulation does not say that the charts must be paper.

• Dangerous goods (not as onerous as was first threatened. Essentially for ELA 2 and below it amounts to not being stupid)
• Aerodrome Minima (nothing onerous)
• Fuel minima
o VFR within sight of the airfield, as required plus 10 minutes;
o VFR out of site of the airfield as required plus 30 minutes;
o night VFR and IFR as required plus 45 minutes
• Preparation (nothing surprising in the content of that)
• Passenger briefing (nothing surprising in the content of that)
• Weather (nothing surprising in the content of that)

• Minimum equipment:

All Flights:
If > 1 flight crew, intercom
Seat and belt for each occupant
First aid kit
If operating >10000’, oxygen
One fire ext’ each occupied compartment
Radio A/R by airspace
Navaids A/R
Landing aids A/R
Transponder A/R by airspace
ELT 406 ELT on 1 occupant
Magnetic heading (including deviation placard)
Time (H, M, S)
Pressure altitude
ASI

Add for VMC night:
Turn & slip
Attitude
Vertical speed
Stabilised heading
Indicate inadequate power to gyro instr’
Pitot heat

Add for IFR:
OAT

Add for Night:
Anti-collision lights
Nav / pos lights
Landing light
Instr’ lighting supplied from electrical system
Pax space lighting supplied by elec’ system
Independent portable light each crew station

Add where Over Water or where SAR is difficult:
Life jackets
Distress signals PiC option
Rafts PiC option
Other life-saving equipment PiC option

As indicated above by A/R (as required), national regulators set the rules for navigation and identification equipment to fly in their airspace hence why transponder and ELT carriage rules are not consistent across countries. Another example is that for flight in UK Class A airspace add RNAV 5 equipment and a second pressure altimeter. These requirements are in the UK ANO not Part-NCO.

Trevs99uk,


These are the rules for non-complex aircraft so anything that is not the definition you quote. Yes, it's a bizarre way to define something, a bit like saying it's a man if it's not a woman or some such equally daft phrasing.