How well is this system working?
I heard that most UK “professional pilot” ATOs have obtained EASA approvals.
Can e.g. the IR test be done in UK airspace too?
IAA does not seem to allow IR test outside EASA airspace and there are load of IAA ATO in UK, but a friend with Swiss licence asked FOCA and they confirmed he can do the test in UK with an IAA ATO
“The IAA will not accept IR skill tests commencing, ending or being flown partially outside of EU27 Member State Territory”
DGAC seems to accept IR tests partially flown outside EASA airspace (there is an ATO at LeTouquet that flies on Southend/Ostend/Calais sectors)
Total mess so far, FIs and FEs who have transferred are experiencing many issues / have sunk £000s into it. NAAs all seem to have different ideas and direction. The market is a disaster at the moment anyway so nobody is quite sure how this will all shake out.
Ps I’ve also heard that the fees EASA are demanding for FSTD approvals are beyond belief
I have just seen this in a recent issue of Flight Training News; the FTO industry rag:
I wonder what is actually happening. Something must be happening because there are loads of UK FTOs and nearly all of their students are not from anywhere near the UK 
Well, it is “visually obvious” that most are not from anywhere near Europe either so maybe they are all doing UK frozen ATPLs, and their domestic CAAs are converting them? That would be logical, since the UK stuff is 100% ICAO compliant, is done to at least as high a standard as anywhere in Europe, is done to a higher standard than at quite a few other popular places, and e.g. Singapore has no reason to “punish the UK for brexit” etc etc.
We did a bit of this topic around here when some people found that EASA would not accept UK FTO training/exams done while the UK was still in EASA! I think that was resolved in some cases, somehow… But this one is the “going forward” issue.
Am not aware there is a work around for the EASA IR practical test (initial) to be carried out outside the EU, or a in a country that is not part of EASA. Some ATOs will carry out some IR training in the UK, but the final route training and exam will be in Europe.
There are some secondhand reports of ATOs gaining a dispensation from some minor EU states, but these IR are not expected to stand up to airline scrutiny, and unlikely that EASA would go along with this minor country regulatory loophole.
So how are UK FTOs training the CPL/IR?
Are they flying to France for the test? You can’t do that currently (quarantine) unless the examiner flies with you as a passenger, and then you don’t leave the aircraft.
Some will have a long journey to reach EU airspace.
The ones I am familier with (three) are all training them for a UK CPL/IR
