I’m not convinced the number affected is as large as 6000. Most of the PPLs and LAPLs I come across flying EASA aircraft at the clubs I instruct at have at least a LAPL medical. Those flying Annex 1 aircraft as owners are much more likely to have gone down this route, and so would not be directly affected – it wouldn’t stop them taking their 1 hour dual instruction or even a proficiency check for SEP revalidation in an EASA aircraft at a flight school/club since you don’t require a medical for that. It is also unclear if this includes the many microlight pilots flying on NPPL(M) licences.
This is just a symptom of the very poor data that the CAA publishes about the number of pilots, licences and medicals they oversee. It would require some “de-duplication” analysis between licences, ratings and medicals issued to determine the number of potentially active pilots affected. The difficulty is that since the PMD does not need to be renewed online until age 70 (unlike the FAA Basic Med every three years), it is very difficult to track or assess how many LAPL licence holders have dropped out of flying and are no longer current.
Nonetheless, I could believe this will affect a number of pilots who will not be aware of the problem if the derogation isn’t extended, and will simply carry on flying. While I don’t believe this has any impact on flight safety, it may have implications for any insurance claim since the pilot would not be flying legally. However, even then, I’ve read in the past that in many cases the insurance companies would still pay out to affected parties.
Medical self declaration / pilot medical declaration / PMD had been extended until Nov 2020.
Entirely sensible move by the UK CAA.
I am sure they will extend it again in November, otherwise many pilots will be grounded.
However, the other day I heard, from an AME, that the CAA does not like the PMD used by pilots with certain medical conditions which are NOT listed on the CAA list of prohibited conditions for the PMD. I was not able to extract detail (never wise to press an AME 
) so I am not sure whether this was, shall we say, a bit of “private enterprise” by someone in the CAA medical department, or a mistake somewhere. It doesn’t affect me since I have a Class 2 anyway, plus the FAA medical and have complied with SRG2140/SRG2142 which is good until June 2021, so I am covered from every angle, but it may mean that some pilots who are actually flying on the PMD (as opposed to having merely filed the PMD some years ago, which will lead the CAA to assume you are actually flying on it) need to be careful about going public with their medical history on forums, especially if they fly a non G-reg type. Rest assured the CAA reads the forums. And this is not the first time I have heard this; I heard a similar thing about a year ago. This would not be the first time that one part of the CAA has given a concession while another one is not operating it; I have seen this a number of times in their FCL department.
Good spot. I still think this is an overestimate based on how few club and other owners I’ve come across but could well be wrong. Unless this is matched up with accurate SEP ratings it’s potentially poor quality and misleading data. It’s also almost impossible to track LAPL holders to check if they remain active. However it has made for a good argument to delay the change.
The point about prioritising commercial pilots when AMEs return to work is significant. I do hope it includes Instructors! Mine is due in November so the delays don’t impact me except that it will be very busy for AMEs when they do get back to work.
It was good work by the CAA to secure this derogation from EASA, probably not easy, last minute as often the case but very helpful for those affected nonetheless.
based on how few club and other owners I’ve come across
I think, based on my comment above, anybody actually flying on the privileges of the PMD is not going to be advertising it, given that most of them can’t get the Class 2 for some reason, and the main reason is likely to be cardio related which is as emotive as it gets short of chronic depression. The PMD is a fantastic concession which no other country has (the French no-medical ULM is the only other one AFAIK and is arguably of much less use, but will be used for the same reasons) and nobody wants to rattle the cage of the Gatwick medical dept which may have someone there attempting a rearguard action.
Yes the CAA is doing very good work for GA, at times. They sail as close to the wind as they dare given that (a) brexit is not done yet and (b) the current objective – a treaty with Brussels – will not be achieved if the UK sticks up a middle finger to them.
On 20th August 2020 the CAA issued ORS4 1421 which formalised the use of the PMD for certified aircraft (“EASA aircraft”). This is as expected. Thousands of pilots are flying certified G-regs on the PMD.
However, the CAA withdrew the above file 24hrs later “due to errors” (it took me a few mins to find the PDF on google, for amusement). They replaced it with ORS4 1370 and said they will reissue a corrected 1421.
It doesn’t extend medicals. It allows use of a PMD in lieu of a medical with a U.K issued. licence on EASA aircraft until March 2021 for LAPL level privileges only.
Some interesting limitations in ORS4 No1421 which I am sure most PMD (medical self declaration) pilots were not aware of:
So you cannot fly on the PMD to the Channel Islands, the IOM, and cannot cost-share.
It was phenomenally stupid of them to extend all medicals (and ratings) to exactly the same date during the first lockdown.
What they should have done was given an extra X months to everyone. That would have at least spread the backlog a bit.
