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EASA and N-reg flying - still the way to go now? (merged)

I fly an G reg aircraft but I was talking to an N reg pilot, domiciled in the UK.
He was of the opinion that his N reg rights will be void in about 18 months when EASA implement the “on hold” legislation regarding N reg aircraft in Europe.
Is he right?

Propman
Nuthampstead , United Kingdom

Depends what you mean by N reg rights?

All that will happen is that he needs to have an EASA licence and ratings in addition to the FAA certificate and ratings.

Darley Moor, Gamston (UK)

Exactly, the statement is somewhat meaningless.

EGTK Oxford

And in less than 18 months (April 2016)

LFPT, LFPN

My view is that this story is nonsense.

But I hear something like this almost every day. Loads of people walk up to me when near my plane and say “aren’t EASA going to ban N-regs?”. So I explain that currently the date for dual pilot papers is April 2016, and there are no known plans for long term parking / operating limits, apart from the old Denmark (and Norway too IIRC) ones.

And I give them a EuroGA leaflet so they can get properly informed

I also think EASA has no jurisdiction on long term parking / operating limits on national soil and within national airspaces. That’s how Denmark is not compelled to terminate its anti N-reg scheme, for example. Norway can do what it likes as it is non-EU.

The original post is not impossible in as much as anything is possible long-term, but not on an 18-month timescale. It would take massive political capital to pull that off, and I think EASA is a spent force on that front now. The whole anti N-reg scene is based on envy, industry interests (N-regs don’t create much work for EASA 21 companies), envy, anti US politics, and envy…

Also many people knowingly spread disinformation, especially people working in the industry (maintenance, pilot training, CAAs). I had been fed with massive bullsh1t at flying schools.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I agree.

We’ve been hearing that the N reg world is “going to Armageddon in 18 months” since about 2005!

Nothing has changed, and I suspect won’t looking forward. Indeed, more interestingly EASA seems to have shifted towards a simpler solution to many things in the same period.

Safe flights… Sam.

I am a US citizen with an FAA PPL. I recently bought a G-Reg plane. What do I have to do to transfer it to N-Reg? The plane will be based in Europe.

Last Edited by WhiskeyPapa at 08 Aug 15:25
Tököl LHTL

First of all, if you are resident in Europe, you will need an EASA license in oder to fly 100% legally in the future. You orobably know this.

Also, there ar le a couple if war stories making the rounds on the internet about such changes of registry costing a fortune. Probably doesn’t always happen, but I would still definitely avoid this and consider only aircraft already on the N-reg.

Last Edited by boscomantico at 08 Aug 15:59
Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

@WhiskeyPapa, I suggest you have a quick read of this

Transferring to N-reg is OK if your plane is in a good condition and meets various requirements.

There appear to be a % of people who try to move shagged out and neglected (and increasingly expensive to run) EASA-regs to N-reg, because somebody told them the usual bull that N-regs don’t need maintenance and they find it isn’t so easy.

N-reg is great for the pro-active owner who likes his aircraft to be maintained to high standards, who finds the local Part M firms to do a poor job, and who can assemble a good team to do the work, possibly in a hangar where the work can be done without protests from the based Part M company. This is what I have been doing the last 10 years.

Also note that from April 2016 (on the current interpretation of the EASA FCL attack on N-regs) you will need European pilot papers, in addition to your FAA papers. The exact need will depend on where the “operator” is based and it may be that in your case (an American living in Europe for a bit) you may find a way around it if your stay is somewhat transient. But the wording of the regs remains undefined – deliberately so IMHO.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

In fact, I’m not a resident of the EU, but the plane will be based in EASA land. EASA validation of my FAA PPL is a separate saga. I completed the required theory exams for a UK EASA license and was about to take the practical test with an examiner, when he told me that he could give me the test, but that the CAA wouldn’t issue the validation because my EASA Class 2 Medical was issued by Germany and the LBA doesn’t transfer medical records (the CAA has to have the records to issue a license). The German ATOs I’ve spoken to will not let me take the exam in my own plane. I have no answer from the LBA on whether my passing the theory exams passed for the UK CAA will apply in Germany (probably not). So it looks I have to get the piece of paper from a German flight school at significant additional expense.

It’s no wonder Europeans flee to FAA jurisdiction when they can.

Tököl LHTL
34 Posts
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