rumours posted on a UK site which said that some French inspectors had a briefing pack prepared with specimen FAA license pictures and with the words INSTRUMENT PILOT circled, etc.
I am not sure why that would be at all surprising. A trained ramp inspector would typically have specimen licences and CoAs etc to ensure that they can quickly confirm if documents are genuine. If they are looking to confirm whether a pilot has instrument privileges then they should know what that looks like.
I cannot see anybody checking the avionics certification level – that’s going too far and needs a huge amount of expertise.
Agreed, but for N-reg you just have to ask to see the LoA. That cannot be obtained without the aircraft being appropriately equipped.
but for N-reg you just have to ask to see the LoA. That cannot be obtained without the aircraft being appropriately equipped.
Anybody can print off a photoshopped LoA – same with noise certificates.
The key to enforcement would be a database which can be checked by Eurocontrol (or by ATC) against declared equipment. I can’t see this happening anytime soon.
when I was crossing Venezuelan airspace back in 2012 at some point I remember quite some to-and-fro between ATC and an aircraft with regards to the serial number of their PRNAV certification letter.
That is really interesting because in 2008 I went to a pompous and arrogant presentation by a Eurocontrol official (at Tatoi, Athens) who said he was going to Venezuela to show them how to run their airspace! He slinked out of the room like a cat after Phil Boyer (US AOPA) took the stand, before he might have had to face uncomfortable questions 
So there is probably some Brussels-trained poor sod in Venezuela, the only one in the whole universe, who thinks this is the most important job there is!
DME and IFR in EASA airspace
I am aware of the rule that in EASA airspace one is supposed to carry a DME to legally fly IFR.
Now I just got an email from a reputable shop in the UK that says if I file an IFR plan and it gets accepted by Eurocontrol with no DME specified in the equipment list, then the flight will be legal.
It is that thing about a lot of N reg Cirrus flying in Europe with all the latest GPS gear but no DME …
My own Cirrus – it will be delivered soon – comes with an Avidyne R9 but there is no DME installed – yet. It has flown in Europe for several years without. So I’m thinking about what to do or what to get.
All the ILS in Germany have “DME required” printed on the AIP approach plate and the DME seems to be located at the field and the distance value seems to read 0 at the runway. But …
Has Jeppesen done something special to make GPS substitution of DME safe and possible despite not being really legal? I don’t have their charts available at the moment.
Now I just got an email from a reputable shop in the UK that says if I file an IFR plan and it gets accepted by Eurocontrol with no DME specified in the equipment list, then the flight will be legal.
Sounds like a very dubious advice, Eurocontrol is neither a lawmaking nor a prosecution body and AFAIK they don’t have equipment checks for DME in place.
Now I just got an email from a reputable shop in the UK that says if I file an IFR plan and it gets accepted by Eurocontrol with no DME specified in the equipment list, then the flight will be legal.
That’s simply wrong.
Incidentally I would be extremely wary of somebody saying a certain UK shop is “reputable”. Search this for “installer performance” and yes that was a #1 “reputable” shop 
I suspect I know which shop you are referring to……..
Has Jeppesen done something special to make GPS substitution of DME safe and possible despite not being really legal?
I don’t think so.
No. If DME is required by the relevant regulator or for a specific approach, you must have it. The rule is widely ignored and seemingly nor enforced but it remains the law.
What Eurocontrol accept is irrelevant. If I managed to get a flight accepted at FL290 without having RVSM ticked, that does not allow me to just pop up and fly there either.
Thank you all for clarifying what was my impression as well.
Now I will have to do some research about what DME works well with the Avidyne R9 and then find a truly reputable installer. :-)
Hi Stephan
when I bought my G2 in June 2013 the first thing i wanted to install was a remote DME with the indicator where normally the ignition switch is. It is done the way that the switch moves up a couple of inches. Avionik Straubiung has some cheaper used parts but it would have been € 10.000 incl. VAT, documentation and installation.
I then decided to invest THAT money into Avidyne’s offer called “Panel Makeover”, meaning: complete overhaul of both PFD and MFD, including latest HW and SW upgrades, a larger CF card for maps, glass screens instead of plastic, new bezels and knobs and a 2 year warranty – and all for $ 12.990 plus $ 500 installation.
Guess what I did ….
If you select GPS 2 on the PFD and enter the DME or ILS then you have a perfect DME indication. And while it is not the same, it works just as well. Yes, I know it is not completely legal, but usually I fly GPS/RNAV approaches, and an occasional ILS. If I flew much more than i do (now about 100-150 h) then I’d think about it …
PS: There is no better installer than Avionik Straubing. You don’t have to look any further.
German law requires all aircraft (independent from their registration) that operate in German airspace under IFR to carry a DME. A lot of (N-reg) aircraft violate that law and to my knowledge, there has not been any prosecution in the last years but still, the law is crystal clear. And there is no permitted DME substitution by GPS in any European country.
Yes, I know it is not completely legal
It’s outright illegal, nothing gray about it. It has nothing to do with flying approaches that require a DME, German law requires you to carry a DME when operating inside the airspace. France only requires it for procedures. I wouldn’t boast myself about such illegal behavior publicly if I were you…
And while it is not the same, it works just aswell.
We’ve had that discussion before, you completely miss the point that a DME can have an offset in its indication which a GPS distance to DME will not give you. This advice is nonsense and dangerous.
If you select GPS 2 on the PFD and enter the DME or ILS then you have a perfect DME indication.
How does that work?
A GPS distance is not DME distance unless the GPS is working with a waypoint representing DME=0.
