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Mountain Flying Malarky

Hi All,

So what exactly is the story with the Mountain Flying “Rating”?

I have heard you need it for the Alps, but where is the limit of need? Is it just for altiports or for en-route within the valleys? Or for all airports in a specific area.

Cheers

J

EDHS, Germany

For as far as I know: it used to be a French document, allowing one to fly into several altiports*. Recently there seems to exist an EASA mountain rating, but I am not sure neither about how to get it or how to keep it current nor what rights one gets from it. But there’s someone around who knows more, stay tuned.

*in fact, “altiport” seems to be a French-only term, indicating a very steep runway that can only be landed in one direction and departed the opposite way. There are a few in Italy, but less steep and not categorised separately.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Your first paragraph fits exactly what I had heard. With my licence UK issued I can’t find much useful info from the CAA, but to be fair there are only hills there in comparison to the Alps.

I am trying to bottom it out because I have a couple of things I want to do this year. Crossing the Alps to Italy is one, and the other the “VFR” / “Mid-Europe” or whatever we are calling it this week fly in. I liked the suggestion of Achim for the Austrian meeting point. Sell Am Zee or whatever it is ( on mobile and can’t multi window to look it up).

EDHS, Germany

You don’t need anything to fly through or over the Alps. These ratings are only for landing there.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Where do they publish what you need? AIP? I have not yet seen anything that says ‘To land here you need a rating’

except for the French AIP where everything classed as an altiport was by definition included.

EDHS, Germany

Currently there are two specific MOU ratings, one in Switzerland (landings on glaciers) and one in France (landings on altiports, with ski / wheels option). The Swiss one is only valid in Switzerland, the French one in France.

EASA introduces a Mountain Rating, to replace the national rating that already exists in Switzerland and elsewhere. This will be granted on completion of an approved course on taking off and landing in mountainous regions. The effect of this in the future will be that pilots will not be able to take-off or land in mountainous areas with EASA aircraft unless they have a mountain rating. The rating will not be mandatory until 8th April 2015.

It’s not exactly clear to me what “taking off and landing in mountainous regions” means. Most of Swiss airfields are in a “mountainous region” but not even necessarily high elevation (except Saanen and Samedan).

Simply flying through the Alps does not require a specific license.

I wonder if EASA have defined a mountain yet.

EDHS, Germany

I wonder if EASA have defined a mountain yet.

What does EASA have to do with it? Special qualifications for difficult airports or flying environments (there are others too apart from mountains) have been part of national regulations since flying was regulated.

EDDS - Stuttgart

With regards to license requirements see the Courchevel example:

https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/aip/enligne/PDF_AIPparSSection/VAC/AD/2/1407_AD-2.LFLJ.pdf

The English translation isn’t very accurate – but in summary you either need the MOU rating or a site qualification with a MOU-rated instructor.

yeah. but the swiss say “You need a mountain rating to fly from certain airports and the glaciers” and the french say “from altiports” then it is defined.

if EASA say “mountainous region” what the hell is that. Stuttgart and its surrounding area could be if EASA says a mountainous area is anywhere with a peak higher than 200 feet.

EDHS, Germany
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