Silvaire wrote:
We went as a flight of three planes today, one pilot per plane with just one live-in lady passenger in one plane. One of our usual lunch spots was serving – outside only, “flight crew only beyond this point” only, picnic tables appropriately spaced. It worked fine.
How eminently sensible. I like to read that there are some people out there that arent being forced into some alternate Orwellian construct…
I agree, Silvaire you are lucky living in a sensible part of the world.
I can update Peter’s post. In Jersey Channel Islands, EGJJ, access to the Airfield is allowed for 2 hours a day, no flying is allowed but engine runs are allowed. This is not a good policy, as often people won’t run their engine long enough and introduce more moisture from combustion into the oil.
The local DCA has gone against the UK CAA advice as well as Lycoming’s Service Letter which says engines should be flown for 1 hour and warns against ground running.
The Airport is still open for postal, freight and the odd commercial flight so the ban on GA flying will result in a lot of trashed engines and a reduction of safety.
It occurs to me that between family, work and hobbies (principally flying related at the moment) I’m mixing regularly with about 10 individuals, and little with others. In the spectrum between sitting in a room alone for months and being in crowds every day, that’s the right risk containment for me.
EGNS is closed but there’s no ban on flying here – although I’m at Andreas this does me any good, because I have to use EGNS/Ronaldsway to get fuel and I have about enough fuel for one local flight.
At this point I have come to accept that I’ll probably have to do an early engine overhaul and I’m very unlikely to fly for the next 12+ months as doing so is going to require leaving the IOM (no AME in the Isle of Man, so this requires a trip across, and no inspectors here either so I can’t get the plane signed off), and I suspect our borders will not be opening again this year.
If this outlook looks right by the time my permit runs out (end of May) I’m going to take the opportunity to completely renew the electrical system, build a new instrument panel, and replace all the hydraulic brake lines. It will be much nicer doing this during the summer when the weather’s nice rather than in the winter.
This is just weird. What kind of supposedly civilised world is this? In the UK you can do any flight at all for maintenance, and all the other stuff is just guidelines anyway.
The IOM CAA always plugged how flexible and accommodating it is. I had a meeting with a one time director of it; he did waffle rather a lot about Part 91 but he did make the point they really do help out pilots, and I know this from bizjet pilots flying M-regs. The IOM has a really can-do attitude. They even issue IOM Operator certificates, for EASA FCL.
Can’t you ask the CAA for a special permit? It totally beggars belief that they would just sit on their bum while somebody’s 5 digit asset rots away.
As for an AME, you can get your medical extended to November or so. I’ve just got all my UK papers extended (not the medical because I got fresh FAA and CAA medicals done in early April, at some considerable risk IMHO, but for the FAA one I had no option and luckily my BFR is good till May 2021).
It’s not the CAA, it’s Ronaldsway. I can fly as much as I like – well, until I’ve got no fuel left. In fact the CAA has already sent us (me and the glider club) a letter telling us that it is a “reasonable excuse to travel” to go to Andreas, which we can wave at any police officer who stops us. The landowner is also happy for us to do so too. What I can’t do is land at Ronaldsway which is totally closed to GA. (They’ve started relaxing travel restrictions now – you no longer need reasonable excuse to be out – you can go out as much as you want and wherever you want, you just need to observe social distancing).
The main problem is that the PtF runs out at the end of May, and unless I can get my inspector over (if the borders are closed, then no) I’m SOL, and it’s already been announced by the LAA that there will be no extensions to permits as the (UK) CAA doesn’t see there’s a safety case for it.
At most I’ll get to fly perhaps once more before the permit runs out, then I’m stuffed until the borders reopen. Even if Ronaldsway reopens to GA in the next week or two, I’ve got till the end of May and that’s it.
Can’t another pilot transfer some avgas to you, enough to fly to the mainland and meet up with an LAA inspector, and refuel?
Can’t Ronaldsway allow you access to the pump to fill up some jerrycans?
Surely there must be a way to get some fuel if you need it. The border issue may be another one but I would have thought something should be possible if you speak to someone reasonable.
I’d just heard from a friend that they managed to get their turboprop to annual in another country as long as they just dropped it off, stayed on the ramp and got away asap.
It sounds pretty terrible to be knocked out for a year plus.
The fuel is owned by Avfuel, and I asked them a while back – and they’ll only supply me (outside of an aircraft fuel tank) if I’m licensed to store fuel.
We can’t fly to the UK because the borders are closed, and are likely to remain so for the forseeable future. Unfortunately getting a PtF renewed isn’t viewed as “emergency travel”.
This might be the time for a new engine manufacturer to break out into the mainstream. I’m sure many of us would pay a little extra for something that isn’t quite so fussy about how it is stored (i.e. cam under the oil).
