IR Testing
 

I've heard that during 2011 industry examiners will be allowed to start carrying out initial IR tests.

If this is the case does anyone know

What date the change will happen?

If there will be a transitional period?

Will you be required to pass a 170A test first?

Regards

Yes - and unfortunately this will lead to the degradation of standards as people begin to use the easy examiners or those who don't take you far on routes meaning the other examiners then have to do the same just to make a living - all leading to a lowering of standards in the end - isn't capitalism great? :ok:

Yes, it'll probably be harder than the test now :sad:

Has there been a date set for when the change occurs?

I can see pro's and con's to the change.

Pro's - You don't have to pay to fly your aircraft to the examiner and back (although the flight to the examiner is a useful warm up). When we're talking about twin time, it isn't cheap.

Con's - I can totally see what you mean about standards dropping.

I would like to think that standards would be kept fairly high though because of students own safety. If there were to be some incidents and the people involved were trained at a certain FTO, that wouldn't look good for the FTO either.

Having said that, from what i've heard a Spanish IR isn't converted to a UK IR with safety in mind. :eek:

Why is there such a discrepancy in the way IR tests are CURRENTLY conducted?!

At some airfields such as Cranfield- you can pick where you fly in the test!

Other places - Oxford, Bournemouth - you are given 45mins to plan and could go anywhere!

I agree as an IR student you should be able to fly anywhere, but everyone shoult be tested in that way! It would be easier to practice ONE route for a month and nail it!

Maybe the new system will get rid of this!

From Cranfield you cannot expect to fly for hours to another airfield and hence the short number of acceptable destinations, when you have to consider what other things are involved as part of the test.

Cranfield also has a made up SID which is used on the test too. Stony - Welin and its not in controlled airspace similar to Bournemouth. For those that don't train at Cranfield or Bournmouth, you obviously only train in the sim for those airfield departures / practise tests and locally to your training airfield to get the flight time.

Hopefully it will reduce the cost, on test day I personally paid a lot of money to fly to / from Cranfield and would have preferred to save that cash.

The EASA regulations coming in allow for initial IR tests by non staff examiners from memory. Sounds like other countries have been allowing non staff examiners for the initial IR test and the UK is coming into alignment.

Does anyone know what the other member states do for initial test?

Clob,

A valid point however the biggest problem I found doing my IR from Cranfield was finding beacon slots. With the best will in the world they fill up rapidly and organising the slots takes far more time than planning the route.

On the day, the route is entirely down to the examiner and if they want a particular route or not it's their decision. Fundamentally there are also a limited number of airfields you can reach going there and back and the G/H section in 2 1/2 hours or so each test takes. I suspect most of the routes from Oxford or Bournmouth will have all been practiced several times by their respective students.

Just my thoughts.

VFR

I book EMA at 06:58 on a morning and have been able to book all requested (app 6-7) slots , it just means setting the alarm clock.

Cambridge is booked by fax and again is available when required.

Stony - Welin is now just Stony at FL50 and you are given the clearance on the Radio by Cranfield from Birmingham not London anymore. Still same profile apart from the arc and Welin hold,