Complex Aircraft Endorsement EASA PPL-A
 

Hello,

I did all my PPL-A hours on a SR-20. If I was to charter, lets say, a Beech Bonanza, what other qualifications do I need in Europe to do so? Is there also such a thing as a complex aircraft endorsement (like in the US)? I was not able to find a definitive answer on this, maybe I'm just overlooking the relevant text passage of EASA part-FCL...

Looking forward for your replies!

There is no such thing as a "Complex Aircraft Endorsement" in EASA land (I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong).

What does exist is a requirement to have "Differences Training" to cover certain features - these include:
- Tailwheel
- Variable Pitch / Constant Speed Propellors
- Turbo Charging
- Super Charging
- Retractable Undercarriage
(I'm sure there are others - which someone will add).

In EASA Land there is something called HPA (High Performance Aircraft) - but these are REALLY high performance, so not likely to impact you.

OC619

As OC619 says. Also need differences training/sign-off for EFIS.

If the SR20 has any of these 'differences' features then you already have differences sign-off for whatever was on the SR20 as you were (presumably) found competent on the SR20. Not being that familiar with SR20 I can't say what those feature might be but you will know.

The obvious one being retractable gear - no problem though with the magic spell uttered just before landing :ok:

Having flown in both aircraft types, I'd say there is a huge gulf between the Cirrus and the Bonanza, beyond the legislation. I'd want 10-15 hours in a Bonanza before I felt remotely comfortable handling it. I've seen even experienced Bonanza pilots pushing/pulling the wrong plunger control for prop/mixture/throttle. They are a 'legacy' ergonomic nightmare. Great go-places machines especially with a turbo and oxygen.
On the other hand, you really need the autopilot in both types to be able to look after the navigation, especially I'd say in the Cirrus. In view of the number of incidents' accidents involving autopilots, maybe it should be included in the above list.

TOO

Thanks for your answers! This helps.

Sort of like what ETOPS said! I am doing a MPL course right now and finished my initial flight training in May, with the PPL in my hands. Our school switched from analogue F33As to SR20 G6 just when we started, but I can't let go of those beautiful old 1980s Bonanzas standing on the apron at our training airport, even if we never got to fly them... So I started looking for a school in Europe (or even the US), where I can take self-funded lesson on a Bonanza, and maybe integrate those into my PPL somehow.

EDIT: Of course I asked my school whether we can arrange something like that, but unfortunately, they do not not accomodate such requests, so I am looking around for alternatives...