CAA publishes 60 day update on GA work

Significant progress continues to be made to make regulation of the UK’s General Aviation (GA) sector more proportionate and evidence-based the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said today.

In the fourth regular update to confirm its work in the area the CAA said that in the last 60 days it had:

• Launched a consultation on private pilot medical requirements. This proposes that the medical requirement for UK private pilot licence and national private pilot licence holders are to hold a current DVLA Group 1 Ordinary Driving Licence. So far over 1,400 responses have been received and the consultation closes on 10 July.

• Introduced a new alternative EASA PPL(A) and LAPL(A) syllabus that is more suitable for today’s flying environment. It has been devised in conjunction with some of GA’s leading instructors and training experts and is available to use now.

• Issued guidance on transferring aircraft from a Certificate of Airworthiness to a Permit to Fly.

• Demonstrated a flexible approach by remotely issuing a Permit to Fly for a Rotorsport UK MT-03 gyroplane currently attempting to achieve a record to be the first gyroplane to fly around the world (www.gyroxgoesglobal.com).

• Responded to a request from the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, to allow towing of a hang glider by a type approved microlight aeroplane by issuing an exemption for this aerial work.

• Followed the new risk based approach to regulation by granting permission for Red Bull to undertake a formation aerobatic flight through an aircraft hangar.

All of the changes support the CAA’s new top level principles for GA regulation:

• Only regulate directly when necessary and do so proportionately

• Deregulate where we can

• Delegate where appropriate

• Do not gold-plate, and quickly and efficiently remove gold-plating that already exists

• Help create a vibrant and dynamic GA sector in the UK.

Similar 60 day updates will be published throughout 2015 on 1st Sep; and 2nd Nov.

More detail on the CAA’s GA activities and the work of the GA Unit are available at www.caa.co.uk/ga

For further media information please contact the CAA press office on 020 7453 6030.