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Night currency (and Euro IR giving automatic night passenger carriage rights)

And for those of us with an IMC... what happens when it becomes an IR(R)...

I actually say that tongue-in-cheek... But it could be useful... Not sure if it is still true under EASA, or if it was always an additional restriction placed by my club, but Germany requires 2 night time landings in last 90 days (Achimha - help?)... and the wonderful noise restrictions prevent circuits at night in everything and the nearest GE/EN language published aerodrome is basically an hour away. (because I'm not allowed to sit the German RT exam)

So I wonder if getting an EASA PPL and an IR(R) would have benefits... but the next problem is then renewing it!!!

EDHS, Germany

Not sure if it is still true under EASA, or if it was always an additional restriction placed by my club, but Germany requires 2 night time landings in last 90 days

That appears to be a myth in Germany, I've heard about the 3/2 rule as well but looking at the actual law only mentions one start and one landing at night: § 122 LuftPersV

SERA will clean that up I guess. Section two of the article talking about currency requirements for blimps under IFR will probably go away too and nobody will miss it

If your homebase is EDTY, you're actually lucky to be at Germany's best equipped and cheapest GA airport with long opening hours. For most GA pilots here, night VFR means paying the airport to extend the opening hours and flying with inadequate runway lighting. I am not keen on night VFR at my homebase, I just like to use it from time to time for late arrival or early departure at some larger aerodrome. Some years ago a guy at my airfield disconnected the whole city from the electrical grid because his night approach was a bit too low. Surprisingly, he is still around.

However this highlights what is so wrong with the European GA scene, which is largely devoid of utility value. If you want to do a business trip, you want to be back the same day, ideally, but this isn't generally possible unless the airport opens say 6am, closes say 10pm, and is suitably equipped. Very different in the USA!

This is the reason why I am opting for Oxford in my local area. Everyone else closes at 6pm and opens at 8am. Just can't work for business trips.

EGTK Oxford

@achimha, that is a similar use to me, mainly at this time of year if I am running a bit late I can use it to get back that night and not overnight somewhere.

I happened to glance at the plates for your field and noticed that the field is Ge/En, so I could go there solo, plus it is like 10 minutes from EDTY. Is it possible to do a SS+35 departure? That way I could fly there on a week night and return to EDTY before 21:00 and get in 1 take-off and landing which would mean I could sort the night currency for 90 days.

EDHS, Germany

because I'm not allowed to sit the German RT exam

Why is that? Do you really need it? If you have an IMC, you must have a UK FRTOL. You can apply for a German AZF with just filling a form. You will get a restriction on English language. You can have a just oral examination of RT in German and you have a full AZF.

This is the form for you need:

United Kingdom

@italianjon: unfortunately EDTH closes at SS/20:00 LOC whichever is sooner. Just like most airfields in Germany. If you want to fly at night, you have to pay extra (and hope that one of the guys is willing to work extra hours). The runway lights aren't great either and I personally would not want to do night flying without a PAPI/VASI (see the guy that took down the power pole on final 07). Thanks to your local billionaire, you have an absolute dream airport.

I wouldn't take that Ge/En thing too serious at the moment. It is not being enforced at all in Germany. They are still working out the details how to issue Ge language certificates. If you speak German, it's a no brainer and if you don't, a quick phone call to a Ge only airfield will tell you whether you can land there.

@mdoerr, thanks, but i am not sure what advantage that would give me. My situation when i joined the club here was that i could use my UK issued JAR ppl and FRTOL no problems but obviously was restricted to English on the RT. Some helpful members of the club looked into how to get ICAO German levels added to my licence and they could not find a centre that would test. To be fair I am sure the market for Germans wanting English is far higher; than English wanting German. So we then looked at me getting a German FRTOL, but 2 people at the DFS said that I could not unless I could prove that I was a native speaker... So anyway my girlfriend took the licence as she is a native speaker and so she does my RT on the way into a Ge only airfield. (Since looking into this a Bulgarian has passed through the airfield doing ATPLs in German and has sat the DFS FRTOL, so it must be possible and I might re-explore that... ) But it all means that I am restricted to English speaking aerodromes while solo (subject to achimha's comments above)

My issue then becomes a simple one of how do i get in a sneaky 1 take-off and full-stop under cover of darkness to carry passengers, and be sensible (there are a few "ideas" by they are very cheeky). Seems also from Achimha's reply that my only options might be Stuttgart, Mannheim or Nurnberg. Schwabisch Hall is fine to land back at night it has VASI/PAPI and being IMCr I am able to fly an ILS, I just need to do it VMC while outside of UK. All I am trying to do is get the departure at official night.

Actually my silly joke above about the IMCr becoming an IR(R) is looking like the easiest option to lift the night passenger currency restriction... :D

EDHS, Germany

Does anyone know if the holder of an IRR is also permanently night current for passengers VFR?

AFAIK you need to have performed 3 take-offs and landings (to a full stop) at night in the last 90 days to bring passengers at night regardless of rules of flight or ratings held.

LFPT, LFPN

Under JAA, it used to be 3 take offs and landings in the last 90 days and at least one of those had to be at night. Surely, with the relative relaxation for IR holders under EASA, it can’t have moved backwards? I’m struggling to find a formal reference.

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