Update in relation to Brexit
A few questions have arisen regarding the possibility of flying to the United Kingdom now that Brexit has become a reality. We list the questions as they were asked.
- Question from a Microlight pilot with a Dutch registered Microlight and a Dutch National pilot’s licence: Is it possible for me to fly to the UK after having filled a flight plan and the GENDEC or do I need to have a special permission to fly an Annex 1 aircraft to the UK?
As Permit to Fly aircraft don’t have automatic international acceptance, they would require a specific permission. However, there is a general exemption that applies to home-built aircraft and some historic aircraft. This is ORS4 No. 1249. This allows overflight of the UK for no more than 28 days subject to the conditions. If the aircraft is not home-built, an application for overflight permission (Article 33 permission) needs to be applied for here.
The pilots licence must be valid in all respects including medical declaration or certification in accordance with the Dutch national pilot licensing requirements to be able to operate the Dutch (PH) registered aircraft in UK airspace.
- Question from an EU LAPL A licence holder with a LAPL medical who would like to fly a G registered aircraft in the EU. He has the document downloaded from your website “Certificate of Validation” of EU and EEA Part FCL licences. Is the validation valid for sub ICAO licences such as LAPL?
Unfortunately, the LAPL cannot be used to operate a UK (G) registered Part 21 aircraft, in UK or European airspace.
- Question from a member holding a LAPL Licence and a LAPL Medical flying an EU registered aircraft and would like to visit the UK. Is there anything that would prevent his flights? Can he fly with a sub ICAO licence to the UK or the Islands Guernsey or Jersey?
Unfortunately, the LAPL cannot be used within UK airspace when operating an EASA aircraft. To fly to the Channel Islands you or the pilot will need to contact the Channel Islands Director of Civil Aviation DCA; https://cidca.aero/ for further information.
For more information and updates on Brexit, please visit the link on the UK information site.
On request of IAOPA EU ARINC 424-23 specification & XML design will be updated with TMZ & RMZ airspaces
For some people, this will be somewhat abracadabra. But in plain pilot language, this means that to the navigation data base (Arinc 424), the TMZ & RMZ airspaces are now added. It all started with a request by Dr Michael Erb, president of IAOPA Europe, after it turned out that these airspaces TMZ & RMZ cannot be displayed in fixed-installed IFR avionics and pilots therefore unintentionally violated these airspaces.
What is the Arinc 424?ARINC 424 or ARINC 424 Navigation System Data Base Standard is an international standard file format or aircraft navigation data maintained by Airlines Electronic EngineeringCommitee and and published by Aeronautical Radio Inc. The ARINC 424 specifications are not a database but a "standard for the preparation and transmission of data for assembly of airborne navigation system data bases".
ARINC 424 specifies a 132-byte fixed-length record format. Each record consists of one piece of navigation information such as an airport, heliport, runway waypoints, navaids, arrival routes and departure routes. Since its initial publication in May 1975 ARINC 424 has been amended many times, introducing new record types and field values and revised coding rules as required by new technologies and classes of equipment such as GPS and Flight Management Computers. Each amendment is issued as a supplement, a format number suffix indicating the revision level of the standard. Supplement 22 was issued in July 2018, but the FAA currently publishes data in the older formats ARINC 424-18 format.
An RMZ is airspace of defined dimensions wherein the carriage and operation of suitable/appropriate radio equipment is mandatory. A TMZ is airspace of defined dimensions wherein the carriage and operation of pressure-altitude reporting transponders is mandatory.
On behalf of Garmin a working paper (#23) was presented. The great news is that this was accepted as proposed! Therefore, the ARINC 424-23 specification & XML design will be updated to include both the TMZ & RMZ airspaces. More about ARINC 424, click here.
Reykjavik flight school starts flying lessons on electric planes
Electric flying is really taking off these days. In many European countries flight schools start giving lessons on the electric Pipistrels. Also on Iceland. Reykjavik's flight school, the Reykjavik Flight Academy, is buying three eFlyer training aircraft from Denver-based Bye Aerospace.
With the purchase, the school is breaking new ground in the history of flight instruction in Iceland. For the first time, students can take lessons on fully electric aircraft. They are two eFlyer 2 aircraft, two-seaters for primary training, and one eFlyer 4. The latter aircraft is an advanced training aircraft with four seats. Further negotiations are underway for the purchase of two additional eFlyer aircraft. Delivery of the electric training aircraft will take place in 2-3 years. Operating costs are estimated at 20% compared to conventional aircraft. The aircraft are equipped with state-of-the-art Garmin navigation equipment and an emergency ballistic parachute.
Skycharge charger approved by EASA
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved the Skycharge charger for electric aircraft. Skycharge is an initiative of Green Motion and Pipistrel.
Both partners started their cooperation last year with the aim of developing universal charging infrastructure that is future-proof and environmentally friendly.
The charger is available as a fixed version on a stand or with wheels for mobility. The mobile version can charge both electric aircraft and electric cars using different adapters. The unit can even be easily connected to existing CEE sockets.
Klein Aircar goes for EASA certification
"Science fiction is now a reality" claims start-up Klein Vision from Slovakia.
On June 28, the Klein Aircar prototype made its 142nd landing, after a flight from Nita International Airport to Bratislava. And indeed it is spectacular to see how the Aircar flies, how the wings fold and retract automatically after landing and the tail then retracts into a ´batmobile´-like car body (for the younger AOPA members: the batmobile was Batman's car in the 1960s, of which every child owned his own miniature Dinky Toys version). Professor Stefan Klein and Klein Visions co-founder Anton Zajac let it be known after landing that the second prototype, with a 300 hp BMW engine, was intended to achieve both an EASA CS-23 rating and an M1 road rating. Want to see the Aircar fly for yourself? Click here for the movie on YouTube
Pipistrel production line in Hungary
The success of the Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel is so great that expansion of production capacity is being sought in several places, in addition to the production lines in Slovenia and Italy. Pipistrel signed an agreement on September 15 with Hungarian manufacturer Genevation Aircraft, giving the latter the right to build Pipistrel's SW121 under license. Aircraft in the SW121 family include the Virus and the Velis Electro. The Hungarian aircraft manufacturer also gets the right to sell these aircraft in a number of Central and Eastern European countries and some countries in Asia. The value of this license agreement is estimated to be €100 million.
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.
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