I’m not sure how big the touring scene in UK really is. I don’t know many flying further than L2K.
I think you have to split touring into renting and owning categories. I’d agree that 99% (or maybe 90% actually) of renters based in the SouthEast UK wouldnt go further than L2K. But owners, also assuming being in SouthEast UK, the percentage in my opinion going further than L2K would be about 70%. Perhaps it is the same in Europe using comparable distances. Im trialling logbook.aero and going through the arduos task of transferring my logbook into Excel format, but its a shame that you cany use such sites to make anonymised searches based of FROM and TO, > a certain distance in NM + flight rules = IFR (I know that latter point depends on how you log it), but you get my drift.
DGAC made it easier to get an IR (French IR). Did they experience a run to get the rating? Are there any numbers how many trained and got the rating? How many will renew it?
I don’t know the exact figures, but at the beginning, the FBO providing the theoretical courses had wait lists. there are not so many students now. As I said, difficult to say whether this is because the people who were interested already are engaged in the process of getting their IR, or they now just wait for the EASA one to avoid any conversion problem later.
In France too, very few clubs have IFR capable aircraft. And for those who do, it’s mainly “nice wheather IFR”. meaning no deiced aircraft, scarce glasscockpits, no weather radar… I think that to get the IR rating and then stay proficient, you have to own your aircraft or it will be difficult to fly regularly enough to be able to really use it.
Does anybody have any news on the French IR?
Has it died after the CB IR came in, or has it died after all candidates were exhausted (so to speak)?
Good question. It exists. There are ATOs that offer training towards that rating. I do not know anyone that has it.
I think that the main advantage that the FNIR offers to french pilots over the EASA CB-IR is that it does not require FCL.055 English LP. Of course the drawback is that it will theoretically not be valid beyond 2019.
That also means it can’t be used outside France – correct?
When France announced it, it was a bullish move and it was widely assumed that when EASA finally gets around to doing its IR, France will grandfather everybody who has the French IR into the EASA one and stick a finger up to EASA. But maybe not… the way the disgraceful DGAC has handled the FI Rating (for people already halfway in the FI course when the CPL theory came in) suggests that they bend over nowadays.
What is significant about 2019?
Isn’t 2019 the date beyond which the national ratings will no longer be valid? I have not seen that in an official text (regulation), but that’s my understanding from other forums.
The FNIR is valid only within France and no ELP required.
I searched for references regarding a possible conversion to EASA IR yesterday but could not find anything.
What I think is that in the best case scenario they will be grandfathered to the EASA IR provided they meet the requirements, and particularly the ELP. I do not know what EASA’s take on this would be. I cannot imagine the requirements for the FNIR are very different from the EASA IR for PPL.
Worst case holders of the FNIR will have to convert from a “third country” IR as per the provisions in chapter aA of regulation 245/2014.
The last national french IR has probably been delivered by now. Since April 2014 it has not been possible to enrol in a FNIR course, so CB-IR is the only alternative in France now.
When France announced it, it was a bullish move
Maybe, but I doubt we would have gotten the CBIR without it. It was high time someone stood up to the EASA “doctorate” version of the IR.
I doubt we would have gotten the CBIR without it
I am sure that is right.
But a lot of things converged e.g. the near-disintegration of the EU (the Greek debt crisis, etc) and this weakened the EU, and EASA had to behave much more humbly. Among other things, the top man at EASA (whose industry background is certification!) got pushed somewhat sideways.
Having met some of these people in c. 2008 I am 100% sure that if the EU had not been forced on its knees, we would not have the IR(R) at all now.
Provided I interpreted the contents correctly, I just found a document by the French DGAC explicitly stating that the holder of a French National IR can have the “French only” restriction lifted by passing the EN LP test. Those who do not will still have a valid IR, provided that they pass the annual proficiency test, but limited to France or other airspace where French can be used for LT.
[ local copy ]
