IAOPA Europe Enews  5 October  2019 - Welcome to the IAOPA Europe enews which goes to 23,000 aircraft owners and pilots in 27 countries across the continent

 

Non-commercial OPS of AOC aircraft EU 2019/1384

 

With the publication of Regulation 2019/1384 it now clear that you can have mixed commercial/non-commercial use of an aircraft that is on an AOC. Until now it has been a grey area - some States accepted mixed use, some did not, and it was not clear how you could legally shift operational control from a commercial to a non-commercial operator under EASA rules.

Michael Erb and Jacob Pedersen have been involved in the EASA working group and the rules are now clear: an aircraft on an AOC can be used by other non-commercial operators when it is not flying for the AOC holder. It simply requires that the OPS manual has a procedure for how the operational control shifts from one operator to the other.
This is really good news particularly for owners of business aircraft, which may now get more utility out of the aircraft since it can more easily alternate between commercial and non-commercial operators.

The relevant rule is the following:

ORO.GEN.310   Use of aircraft listed on an AOC for non-commercial operations and specialised operations

(a) Aircraft listed on an operator's AOC may remain on the AOC if it is operated in any of the following situations:

(1) by the AOC holder itself, for specialised operations in accordance with Annex VIII (Part-SPO);

(2) by other operators, for non-commercial operations with motor-powered aircraft or for specialised operations performed in accordance with Annex VI (Part-NCC), Annex VII (Part-NCO) or Annex VIII (Part-SPO), provided that the aircraft is used for a continuous period not exceeding 30 days.

(b) When the aircraft is used in accordance with point (a)(2), the AOC holder providing the aircraft and the operator using the aircraft shall establish a procedure:

(1)
clearly identifying which operator is responsible for the operational control of each flight and to describe how the operational control is transferred between them;

(2) describing the handover procedure of the aircraft upon its return to the AOC holder.

The link to the new regulation is here
 

Crowdfunding for unfortunate Swiss pilot

AOPA Switzerland asked to announce the fact that a crowdfunding action has started for a very unfortunate Swiss pilot who was fined 25.000 Euro. According to the Swiss he was the victim of arbitrariness of customs authorities. Even though this pilot did his best to fly legally, he is now condemned to pay this steep amount of money. The attached PDF explains it all.

Since this pilot is unable to pay this file without filing for insolvency, AOPA Germany and AOPA Switzerland launch a crowdfunding. All donations – regardless the amount – are very important to cover this fine. It is most probably the first time to call for a crowdfunding, but AOPA is more than just an association – it’s also a family. We help members in very difficult situations. One for all and all for one!

So we kindly ask you to support and spread this request to all of your members and to ask for donations. All contributions can be sent to the IAOPA EUR account:

 

Bank Name: Cooperatieve Rabobank U.A.
Bank Address: Croeselaan 18, 3500 HG Utrecht (Netherlands)
IBAN: NL33 RABO 0184 3987 89 | BIC: RABONL2U
Subject: Crowdfund201908

AOPA Switzerland will inform all AOPA affiliates as soon as the amount of 25’000 Euros has been reached. Any possible leftover will be kept aside for similar cases. This crowdfunding will be monitored by the IAOPA EUR treasurer.

If anyone wants more information: please contact Philippe Hauser from AOPA Switzerland on office@aopa.ch

Last Minute Slots still available for AOPA Slovenia event on October 10-13

AOPA Slovenia, in association with the Aerodrome Portoroz and Go Portoroz Travel, has announced the 1st International Aircraft Pilot Forum & Pilot Golf Championship, October 10-13, 2019.
Located in Stria,  the largest peninsula on the northeastern part of the Adriatic Sea, the region connects Slovenia and Croatia and is the home to crystal clear sea, beautiful natural landscapes, picturesque ancient towns, and charming villages and medieval castles.

The program includes a full day forum focused on items of interest to general aviation pilots, and the 1st International Pilot Golf Championship held at Golf Adriatic in Croatia.

For full details of the program including cost and sign-up form visit the event website.

 

Visit to ATOL Avion in Finland – LSA 650 Aurora, great little seaplane
 

During the Regional Meeting of IAOPA EU in Finland we visited a small but special aircraft factory in Rovaniemi. More a place where they assemble the parts which are manufactured elsewhere. ATOL Avion designed and builds a great fun seaplane, the ATOL Amphibious 650 Aurora. They also offer a package to provide the Cessna 150 with an efficient and reliable Rotax engine.

The photos clearly show what the aircraft looks like. The prototype, unfortunately, crashed after a bad landing on the water.  At the time of our visit, therefore, no ready-made product could be seen. Test pilot Ari Tolonen is enthusiastic about the plane that only weights 375 kg (empty weight). With the 100 hp Rotax iS engine mounted on top of it the cruising speed is 160 km / h.

The LSA 650 is called Aurora. It is a modern two-seater seaplane with retractable landing gear. Made of durable wood composite material. Very light and very strong. The wings are foldable, making the aircraft easy to fit in a hangar. A mobile hangar is also available.

The aircraft is EASA type LSA certified. The FAA is expected to follow with the same certification. The first series production model will soon be ready.

The company is supported by shareholders (including one in the US) and has two "ambassadors" who were also present in Rovaniemi. Ex-formula 1 driver Mika Salo and the Finnish actor, dancer and private pilot Sami Saikkonen. For more video's etc see atolavion.com.

141th RM  IAOPA Europe in Rovaniemi very fruitful 

The Regional Meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland, was held on the 14th of September. It was a fruitful meeting, well organized by AOPA Finland. Lots of issues were discussed.


Lots of issues were discussed, like the situation with drones and the creation of U-space by the European Commission which has the potential to close GA out of the lowest airspace.

Consequentially we need to get some political influence in Brussels and therefore asked for professional support with mapping of policy makers, development of key facts and figures, MEP-visit-program and distribution of parliamentary questions.


Other issues on the agenda:
What to do with microlights within AOPA (of course they are welcome as pilot members), FCL licensing, member benefits (don’t forget 10% reduction for AOPA members on Jeppesen products), EASA rules, Part M light (which will finally become applicable on 24 March 2020), ADS-B, airspace infringments, risk of GNSS outage (no GPS available) etc. All issues that you might hear about from your national AOPA.

Also present at the RM was AEROPS, a Pilot Payment App, that will make it easier to pay airport charges, of whom CEO & Founder Daniel Steinhauss gave a presentation.

 

 

Flight Training Magazine, subscribe for free | A good pilot is always learning 

Speaking of member benefits. Every AOPA member  in any European country is entitled to receive a free copy of the Flight Training Magazine that AOPA USA is issuing. It’s digital, it’s online available. But your national AOPA has to make the magazine available for you.  Everybode should read this valuable online magazine. Flight Training magazine offers the insight and counsel of experienced pilot-authors to help both instructors and pilots-in-training as they progress toward their goals in aviation. After all, a good pilot is always learning.

So, go check out the website via the link further on. As an AOPA member you can get the magazine for free if your national AOPA has made the deal available and has sent you a discount link. If you have not yet received an invitation offer from your AOPA you should contact them and ask for it.  And tell your flight schools about it. Click here for the link.

 

Please keep us informed about the aviation news in your country

If you have any news or things that you would like to share with pilots in other countries - for instance if you organize a Fly-in that might be of interest or if there is news about airports or new rules and regulations in your country that other pilots should know - please don't hesitate to send all your news to me, Gerrit Brand | Netherlands | email: newsletteriaopaeu@hotmail.com, telephone or whatsapp + 31 6 50831893.