The Transition to the
EASA Aircrew Regulation
Ray Elgy
UK Civil Aviation Authority, Licensing & Training Standards
BBGA: March 2013
Content
• Context – Volumes of UK licensing activity
• The task:
- issue new licences, medicals and organisation approvals
- conversion of existing licences and approvals; and
- consolidation of the remaining national licences,
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•
•
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medicals, and approvals into a coherent and manageable
system.
What the programme involved
Our Approach and key decisions
What went well
What we could have done better, and where we still need to
improve
Slide 2
EASA “Aircrew” Regulation (regulation 1178/2011) comprises:
The EASA Aircrew Regulation - setting out the main rules;
Annex I -
Part-FCL – Replaces JAR-FCL 1 & 2
Annex II -
Conversion of European non-JAR Licences
Annex III -
Validation/Conversion of 3rd country licences
Annex IV -
Part-MED - Replaces JAR-FCL 3
Annex V -
Part - CC - Requirements for Cabin Crew
Annex VI -
Part-ARA - National Aviation Authorities.
Annex VII -
Part-ORA - Organisations.
Licensing & Medical Context
v ~18,000 active professional pilots (Class 1 Medicals)
v ~30,000 active private pilots (Class 2 Medicals or Medical
v
v
v
v
Declarations.
~2,000 active air traffic control officers (Class 3 Medicals)
~400 Registered Flight Training Facilities
~200 Approved Flight Training Organisations
91 Approved Type Rating Training Organisations
Slide 4
Licensing & Medical Volumes Annually…
Licensing
v ~8,000 new Licences
v ~13,000 Ratings
v >60,000 Telephone calls
v >10,000 E-mails plus ~10,000
Letters/Faxes (Licensing)
v ~15,000 Licence/Operator Proficiency
Checks
v ~100 Foreign Licence Validations
v ~35,000 Theory Examinations
v ~2,500 Flight Examinations
v ~250 annual audits of approved
companies,
v ~300 FSTD Qualification certificates
v ~400 FSTD User Approvals
Medical
v Correspondence ~10,000
v ~33,000 Telephone calls
v Clinic Initial Class 1 ~2,000 applicants
v Reviews/investigations ~1,700
v Support of AMEs (263) and,
v AME On - Line
Slide 5
Timetable
The CAA Transition Project was formally launched in March 2011
(But much preparatory work done beforehand)
The Aircrew Regulation became effective on 8th April 2012.
Derogation/Opt Out of Annexes for up to 12 months:
Amendment 1 the Aircrew Regulation allowed Member States the
flexibility to opt out of individual Annexes until dates of their
choosing between 8th April 2012 and 7th April 2013. However, the
end dates for conversion of national licences remain fixed.
Key Decision
The CAA determined that the date of applicability of all of the
Annexes in the UK would be 17th September 2012.
Timetable
Other Derogations/Opt Outs
- The CAA invoked the 3 year opt-out for the mandatory
requirement to hold the new EASA licences and ratings that have
no JAR equivalent – Light Aircraft Pilots licence (Aeroplane /
Helicopter / Sailplane / Balloon), and SPL(Sailplane),
BPL(Balloon); Aerobatic, Towing, Mountain and Flight Test Rating.
- The CAA invoked the permitted deferment of application of
validation requirements for private flights until April 2014.
- The CAA is taking the permitted period of 2 years to convert
national licences (being used for purposes outside the LAPL
privileges).
Licence Conversion Deadlines
To fly EASA aircraft:
Aircraft and Operation
Pilot must have an EASA licence by:
Aeroplanes and helicopters used
for commercial purposes.
8th April 2014
Aeroplanes and helicopters outside 8th April 2014
scope of LAPL used for any
purpose.
Aeroplanes and helicopters within 8th April 2015
the scope of the LAPL and used for
non-commercial purposes.
Balloons, Airships and Sailplanes.
8th April 2015
Aerobatic rating
Towing rating (Banner or Glider)
Mountain rating
Flight Test rating
8th April 2015
There are three distinct areas
of work for the CAA:
- to be ready to issue new licences, medicals and
organisation approvals in accordance with EASA rules
Parts FCL, MED, ORA, and ARA;
- conversion of existing licences and approvals into
appropriate EASA equivalents; and
- consolidation of the remaining national licences,
medicals, and approvals into a coherent and
manageable system.
Rationalisation of the national rules and
legacy licences.
Key Decision.
As far as is practicable, the privileges of national licences
should be the same as the EASA equivalents where
these exist (except that they will not be valid for EASA
aircraft).
For ratings on national licences that are the same as
EASA ratings, EASA rules will apply in their entirety.
EU rules apply to all aircraft (wherever
registered) except:
- Microlights.
- Light Gyroplanes.
- Amateur-built aircraft.
- Ex-military Aircraft, (and replicas of these)*.
- Vintage/Historic aircraft (designed before 1955).
- Complex Historic aircraft (and replicas of these)*.
- Research / scientific aircraft.
- Light gliders, including foot-launched
- UAVs with an operating mass of less than 150kg
- Any aircraft under 70 kg without pilot.
- Plus - State Aircraft (including military, Police, SAR)
These aircraft remain under national rules, (except those
marked * when used for Commercial Air Transport).
EASA aircraft and National aircraft
Use of EASA licences for Annex II and State aircraft.
The UK CAA and Dept for Transport amended UK law so that
EASA licences with Class ratings are valid for non-EASA aircraft
within the same Class ratings – (avoiding the necessity to hold a
national licence with SEP as well in order to fly an Annex II
machines such as an Auster, Tigermoth, or homebuilt aeroplane).
Pilots with EASA licences are able to fly EASA aircraft and most
non-EASA aeroplanes (subject to class and type ratings).
EASA aircraft and national aircraft
Pilots with ratings for non-EASA aircraft.
Issues arise where existing holders of JAR and national licences have
ratings that are not included in Part-FCL, such as a type rating for a
non-EASA aircraft.
There is no provision in Part-FCL or Part-ARA to include national
ratings on EASA licences.
To allow the flexibility to address such cases the CAA has re-introduced
the UK PPL, UK CPL, and UK ATPL, alongside the NPPL(A), but valid
for non-EASA aircraft only. This provides for an ICAO licence to be
issued to EASA licence holders as necessary to provide UK national
ratings; (not valid for EASA aircraft). There will also be an NPPL(H) to
cater for pilots who obtain a LAPL(H) and then a rating for an Annex II
helicopter.
The Scale of the Task:
What The Project Involved…….
•Over 17 man-years of effort expended in 18 Months.
•Over 270 Individual Work Specifications
•Over 70 application forms created/updated
•Over 30 Standards Documents (Guidance Material) revised
•5 Project Teams;
•Licensing Implementation Change Team (ICT)
•Medical ICT
•IT ICT
•Engineer Licensing ICT
•Readiness & Practical considerations group
The Project involved……..
•2 break-out projects identified, to take forward the Webinar
delivery of Training and forthcoming Engineer Licensing changes
•AME Seminars delivered by Medical Department
•Numerous presentations to Industry
•CAP804 published
•Numerous updates to website content
•“Quick-Guide to EASA-FCL Changes”
•Podcast on the changes (Over 4,500 downloads)
•Quick-guides for the introduction of the LAPL
•Webinar delivery of non-UK examiner briefings on-line
And also involved…….
• Changes to our main Licensing IT system, which included;
•77500 lines of reference data - Each line has many
values.
•Over 1500 individual tests run during UAT
•Non-stop implementation from 17:00 Wednesday 12th to
late afternoon Sunday 16th September
•Creation of a solution to allow LAPL Medical assessments to
be recorded
• Creation of an online Fee Calculator – to illustrate how the
scheme of charges applies to applications, including
conversion fees etc
What went well.
• Engagement with, and support from EASA
• Close liaison with, and support of Industry:
• Airlines
• Approved Training Organisations
• Ground Instructors
• Representative bodies
• Project Management
• Communications plan
• Use of a single page on our website to which
industry were directed throughout the project:
www.caa.co.uk/eupilotlicensing
What could have been done better...
• Ensuring all activities were assigned to an
accountable manager (We missed the
application forms!)
• We took on extra staff, but we still needed more
resources.
• We under-estimated the amount of changes in
the licensing assessment process, and the time
taken to process applications. This increased
the turn-round times – now back within
published targets.
Where we still need to improve…
• Our response times on ATO applications and
queries.
• You can help us by: Flagging which applications
are “Business Critical” items so we can prioritise
these; and, Amending your Procedures to take
advantage of the “Privileges” of your Approval
so that you manage more of the changes to
your business without needing CAA prior
agreement.
• Ensuring that we avoid “Gold-Plating” EASA rules.
CAA Information on licensing and EASA:
See CAA website where EASA licensing information may
be found–
www.caa.co.uk/eupilotlicensing
The CAA has published a number of documents such as;
• A “Quick Guide” to the changes.
• “European Legislation – The expected effects on the
licensing of pilots in the UK”
• Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your attention.