The future of general aviation - have your say

In a co-ordinated initiative the European Commission and EASA have launched two separate consultations asking some of the very big questions in aviation life:
How is the EASA regulation working so far, what did we do wrong and where should we go from here?
This is the first major opening to make changes to the EASA Basic Regulation since it was adopted in 2008. Since then problem solving has mainly been a matter of finding work-arounds when developing the implementing rules. Now is the chance to look at the fundamental flaws in the Basic Regulation and get them fixed. The process will most likely take three to four years to complete, so this is indeed THE opportunity we will get this decade to fix what is broken and steer EASA in the right direction.
When reading the motivation for the consultations it is clear that both EASA and the Commission have understood the message that IAOPA has been driving home for years - that the current regulation system for GA is not fit for purpose. Among the fundamental issues that are now up for discussion are things like the definition of commercial operations, the definition of complex aircraft, requirements for third country licenses and aircraft, the CAMO system and the requirement for registered facilities to become approved training organisations (ATOs).
Looking at the way ahead EASA and the Commission are asking us if there are new areas where EASA should take over responsibility, like a common EU level aircraft register, a common repository for licenses and approvals, or strengthening EASA's role in the international context. Also the question of the future financing of EASA is on the table with ideas such as en-route fees, passenger charges, etc.
These are very significant questions and there is no doubt that the two consultations will be studied carefully by AOPAs and other stakeholders all over Europe. IAOPA Europe encourages all stakeholders to submit their reply to both the EU Commission and EASA. Also, IAOPA Europe will produce a consolidated response and therefore invites all members to provide their input to IAOPA at the email iaopa@iaopa-eur.org before August 15th.
The two consultations can be found here and here:
The deadline for the official consultations is September 15th 2014.

'New' EASA plans vital general aviation conference

The European Aviation Safety Agency is planning a conference on GA to take place in Rome on October 15th and 16th under the Italian Presidency of the EU. IAOPA believes that because of fundamental shifts in attitude that EASA is currently showing this conference could represent a pivotal moment for European GA, and Senior Vice President Martin Robinson has offered EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky the association’s full support for the changes he intends to make. M Ky is looking at the way in which the UK is trying to improve regulation of GA by cutting red tape, and among those invited to speak at the conference is British politician Grant Shapps MP, a private pilot who is conveying a wish-list from general aviation to the government.
Martin Robinson says: “It is clear to me from speaking to people in the European Commission that they also fully support Mr Ky in his quest to make improvements in the way EASA operates. IAOPA has been battering away at the Commission for more than a decade trying to get it to address the GA issues that EASA has thrown up, and in turn the Commission has become increasingly – and sometimes publicly – exasperated at EASA as it continued to plod along in the same old way. But change at the top, with Patrick Ky taking over from Patrick Goudou at the end of last year, seems to be making a genuine difference. EASA is becoming much more open to discussion and debate, and it’s being proactive about telling industry what it’s doing and why. The old way of paying lip service to consultation and issuing orders from on high may have fallen out of favour. Patrick Ky seems to be fashioning a more confident, less defensive EASA that’s better able to create regulation that is suited to general aviation.”
With the Green Party looking like securing the Chairmanship of the EU Transport Committee, it's never been more important for our industry to have a robust defence.

FAA - EASA bilateral moves ahead slowly

At the EASA/FAA conference in Washington in June, an announcement was expected on the Private Pilot Licensing annexe to the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA). Due to legal and technical issues there is a delay to publication. The good news from the conference is that if you require a US validation of your European licence, then the 61.75 route remains in place. However, under the BASA arrangement it may be the case that before you receive your 61.75 you will also have to do a US Air Law exam – this is to be confirmed.  

Cessna SIDs - German LBA makes matters even worse

The saga of Cessna’s Supplemental Inspection Documents (SIDs) for older aircraft, as interpreted by the German aviation authority, the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, goes from bad to worse. AOPA Germany thought a breakthrough had been achieved when the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) agreed to vary its previously inflexible approach, which dictated that the SIDs must be fully complied with by all affected owners. But the LBA has announced that the concessions it is making will be hedged about with conditions that will drive up costs again.
The SIDs call for corrosion inspections of Cessna 100 and 200 models which involve in some cases removing the wings at a cost of more than €15,000. Given the low value of some older Cessnas, this would effectively write them off – even when no problem is found some perfectly airworthy aircraft would have to be scrapped. Like the American FAA, most European aviation authorities  accept that the SIDs are discretionary for private owners, but the LBA says all German owners must comply.
Negotiations over the last year led the LBA to reappraise its position, but when it published its official notice on the issue on June 20^th, it included the condition that a 200-hour inspection had to have been completed in the year before the corrosion inspection. The inspection had to be carried out according to Cessna’s Corrosion Prevention and Control Programs (CPCP) before the end of 2014. If nothing is found, compliance with the full SIDs may be postponed until the end of 2015. This would mean that Cessnas up to 1200 kg MTOW would be subject to the new EASA ‘Part M lite’ maintenance regulation called ELA1, due to take effect from spring of 2015, which among other things shifts responsibility for carrying out the sort of work recommended in the SIDs to the aircraft operator. But to get to that position, the LBA wants smaller Cessna owners to spend thousands of Euros. If the additional CPCP inspections can be done within the context of a 200-hour check the cost will be around €1,000. If an aircraft also has to have a 200-hour check to make the SID inspection possible, the cost can make the aircraft unviable. An additional cost-driver is that in Germany there is no LAMP – all aircraft have individual maintenance programmes which have to be written with a lot of effort and accepted by the LBA. This drives the cost of the paperwork required for the interim solution up to €1000.
There are a number of other conditions which make the inspections as costly as they are unnecessary, and for the owners of Cessnas above 1200 kg MTOW such as the 182, 206 and 210, all the problems remain. The complete text of the LFB’s announcement can be found here:
AOPA Germany says the LFB’s requirements will cost a minimum of 
around €2,000 per Cessna, but it can also easily be twice as much. AOPA Germany is suggesting that owners carefully consider the option to ‘flag out’ their aircraft to countries like the UK were there is a “friendlier and more competent aviation authority”.

8.33 radios back on the agenda

2017 is the date by which all of Europe’s airspace goes 8.33. There is some confusion because in theory each state can decide which portions of its airspace are 8.33 compliant. The likelihood is that most European states will opt for 8.33 throughout their airspace, because they see 8.33 as an enabler to increase airspace capacity. Under the current plan, GA is being asked to pay for additional airspace capacity which is of no value to GA. Frequency allocation in Europe has been the responsibility of individual states; some years ago AOPA Germany produced algorithms to show that if all those allocation offices were replaced by a single office whose personnel worked without respecting state boundaries, the current .25 mHz spacing would be more than sufficient. Eurocontrol, however, says that only when all of Europe’s airspace is converted to 8.33 would they finally have enough capacity.
IAOPA has been working to get some funding out of Europe to help to defray the costs of 8.33 compliance – the rules state that if change imposes costs on those who do not benefit, recompense should be made. But this issue has been on the agenda for 20 years and there seem to be many ways of avoiding the issue.

Dr Michael Erb to chair EASA GA sub-committee

Dr. Michael Erb, Managing Director of AOPA Germany and Deputy Vice President of IAOPA Europe, has been named Chair of the European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) Safety Standards Consultative Committee General Aviation Subcommittee (GA-SSCC) at a recent meeting held in Cologne. The GA-SSCC is composed of organisations and associations representing the general aviation industry and will examine ways to improve the efficiency of EASA regulation, including initial and continued airworthiness, operations, licensing, aerodromes and air traffic management. Established in the summer of 2013, the GA-SSCC group will be a central part of EASA’s new “simpler, lighter and better” rules initiative made public by the agency at Aero 2014.
Michael Erb has been Managing Director of AOPA-Germany for 13 years and holds a Diploma in Business Administration and a doctorate in Political Science. He is a CPL with an Instrument Rating.
After his appointment Michael characterised the work of the GA sub-committee of the SSCC as “consulting with EASA, in close cooperation and partnership with the other representatives on the sub-committeee, in such a way that their administrative framework will be adjusted so that general aviation, which is suffering heavily from over-regulation today, can recover and prosper again in the near future.”
In addition to Michael, IAOPA is represented on the committee by Jacob Pedersen, President of AOPA Denmark.

Farnborough talks your language

James Chan of AOPA UK reports that the organisers of Farnborough Air Show have produced posters in French, Dutch and German to inform visiting pilots about the widespread restrictions imposed on airspace around Farnborough during the show. The show runs from July 14th to 20th, but restrictions cover the period from July 7th to 21st to allow aircraft participating in the show to fly into and out, and to practice their demonstrations. Farnborough has asked IAOPA Europe in France, Benelux and Germany to distribute these posters in magazines, on mailing lists, on websites and at airport notice boards to try to get the message across and reduce infringements. Click on the links above to download your poster.

AOPA Romania succeeds in new airfield negotiations

AOPA Romania has negotiated a new system for the registration of aerodromes and heliports with the national CAA, and the results have exceeded all their expectations. The new version of the regulations should allow airfields and heliport owners to register their fields in order to be published in the Romanian AIP and be able legally to have commercial flight activities on their airfields. AOPA Romania was the only GA association in negotiation with the CAA to obtain this result.
The old law was so restrictive and very expensive to comply with – only two airfields in the whole country registered, and one lost its registration within a year. Andrei Zincenco, Vice President of AOPA Romania, who led the negotiations with fellow member Vlad Codreanu, says: “We are very proud of how we have approached this negotiation. Through it all, progress has been fully transparent to all our members. All intermediate versions have been published on our website and sent automatically next morning to all our mailing list subscribers. The result of this was that knowledgeable members were able to have direct input into the negotiation, and they came up with valuable amendments that were included in the legal text.”
AOPA Romania has obtained much more than it had expected.

1. There will be a dramatic reduction in cost because experts not accredited by the CAA will be allowed to furnish topographical plans.
2. The minimum allowable dimensions of airfields will be reduced to levels that are still safe.
3. Registration will last a lifetime, rather than the three years as at present.
4. Clear and appropriate fire and rescue requirements. For GA aircraft under two tonnes, portable fire extinguishers will suffice.
5. There are many clauses in the text preventing the CAA from delaying or increasing the cost of registration.

Andrew Zincenco adds: “We had been actively involved in this kind of negotiation since 2006, but this is the first time that we have acted as a true national Association incorporating the knowledge of the members who chose to be involved.”

*Bucharest International Air Show 2014 broke all records in June with 100,000 visitors. AOPA Romania was one of the event partners and the main contributor of aircraft in the static display, with 10 out of 15 GA aircraft belonging to the Association.

AOPA UK offers Flight Instructor Refresher Seminars

If flight instructors anywhere in Europe are having difficulty arranging the required refresher seminars, it’s worth remembering that you can now undertake them in other European countries.
AOPA UK has been running Flight Instructor Refresher Seminars for many years. Instructors from outside the UK can attend these, and their attendance accredited towards the renewal/revalidation of their Instructor Rating in their home country, provided it is located in EASA-land. Please look on the AOPA UK website for further details, or contact the Administrator directly on +44 (0)7754780335.

Love flying in Bavaria and the Alps?

Join AOPA Germany’s 36th Flight Safety Camp in Eggenfelden from 17th to 22nd August 2014, with 60 participants expected. You can choose between three and six days training for SEP, MEP, VFR or IFR. This is a holiday camp with a family character, which is attended by most participants for a full week.
Due to the proximity of the Alps, our mountain course is a highlight, and is offered by instructors with local experience. For all participants, interesting flights across the Alps to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia as day trips with experienced flight instructors are offered, also the full range of training flights from Basic Refresher to Advanced IFR and Upset Recovery Training in an aerobatic aircraft. All training content can be adapted to your individual abilities and needs. What would you like? We make it possible!
You can come with your own aircraft or rent a plane in Eggenfelden.  Come and sample a unique flying experience with many other aviators – and Bavarian cuisine! Deadline for registration is July 16th 2014.
For details and price information please click here 

World Assembly in China

AOPA China is hosting the International AOPA World Assembly 2014, which begins in Beijing on September 9th and runs to the 13th. As well as contributing to resolutions which will shape the future direction of IAOPA and general aviation worldwide, elegates will have the opportunity to meet with Chinese officials attending the China Low Altitude Summit and share their insights into how China can successfully develop its own general aviation industry. AOPA China is finalising arrangements that will allow IAOPA delegates to add a flight over the Great Wall to the ‘remarks’ section of their logbooks. For full details see the AOPA China website

AOPA makes it easy to hire and fly in Greece 

Athens Flying Week organisers are offering a novel solution to a limited number of AOPA pilots who want to fly in Greece while avoiding the cost and the time required to fly into and out of the country.
Local flying schools and flight clubs are to lease a number of planes to AOPA pilots who may come to Greece using any airline, get a Cessna/Piper on arrival, and spend a few days flying around the Aegean.
The organisers will provide the plane and all information required for the flight. Since this program is available only to a limited number of pilots, early booking is a must. Interested pilots should contact Mrs. Marina via email or the AOPA Greece email address.
A comprehensive list of hotels, supporting the AFW Fly-In is now published at the Athens Flying Week/info/accommodation website. Prices for a single room in a nice hotel vary from €55 to €120 per night including breakfast and all taxes.
Pilots planning to come to Greece next September are advised to visit the Athens Flying Week website frequently so to have all latest information.

Next IAOPA Europe Regional Meeting is in Greece...

The 131st IAOPA Europe Regional Meeting is of course in Athens on September 27th, and will be followed by an opportunity to visit the Athens Flying Week air show, in which AOPA Greece is heavily involved. The meeting will be held in the Caravel Divani Hotel starting at 09:30 on Saturday 27th, and will conclude around 17:30. On the following day buses will be provided to take delegates to Tatoi for the show, which in the last five years has become the most important aviation event in southern Europe. For full details contact this email address.

Surprise aircraft announced for Flying Legends Air Show

The Fighter Collection is delighted to announce a surprise addition to the flying participation for the Flying Legends Air Show 2014. The Planes of Fame Boeing P-26 Peashooter will cross the Atlantic to display at the Flying Legends Air Show at Duxford, England; the only opportunity to see this unique aircraft in action in 2014. You can see the aircraft up-close on the flight line walk before watching it perform a stunning solo display during the afternoon’s flying programme. Read more.