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Now legal to fly EASA aircraft in IMC with only a medical self-declaration (in UK only)

I liked the positive Part-NCO thread on EuroGA. Here’s another positive regulatory outcome (sorry, UK only for now).

The UK CAA has replaced the medical declaration for NPPL with a self-declaration that you directly submit to the CAA and doesn’t require any visit to a medical practitioner/AME. The big news is this applies not just to NPPL licences, but also UK PPL, EASA LAPL and EASA PPL. Even more, this isn’t limited to VFR but includes night and IMC (now IR(R)) privileges. You can even instruct. But all this only in UK airspace, so no trips to Le Touquet for lunch.

This 2 page article by Jon Cooke, Head of the LAA Pilot Coaching Scheme, posted on the NPPL website is well written, concise and definitely worth a read.

The only downside is that this “loophole” will expire for EASA aircraft in April 2018, after which EASA licences will be mandatory to fly them. Permit/Annex II should be OK.
[Unless something changes]

One up for the UK CAA. I think they’ve even beaten the FAA to it (who have just been given a year by Congress to implement a similar scheme).
Any chance of another EASA CAA adopting a similar approach? Or agreeing to recognise this form of qualification in their airspace?

FlyerDavidUK, PPL & IR Instructor
EGBJ, United Kingdom

It is certainly great to see that the UK CAA are willing to implement this. I really hope that this will echo on into the EASA headquarters. But I guess that there is a very strong agenda from the medical departments to protect their grounds on this. At least that is what we are seeing in Sweden.
Does anyone have statistics on casualties due to incapacitation in flight in Europe?

ESSZ, Sweden

I have added “in UK only” to the subject header.

This is a very good move. Previously, UK pilots who could not a Class 2 used to just move to the NPPL, but you can’t do the IMC Rating (IR(R)) on that.

And I think the NPPL is itself valid on G-reg only (can’t actually remember although this has come up before); this is less relevant since very few pilots will be running a non G-reg and flying within the UK only.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Excellent move.

I can’t think of anyone who has never had “any surgery or medical treatment”, so I’m not inclined to join this CAA/LAA group hug until we see the relevant guidance material.

Andrew Haines recently confirmed in writing that the central assurance of his response to the GA Red Tape Challenge (that pilots have ownership of their personal risks) can’t be taken at face value, so let’s hope that this isn’t just more of the same posturing.

Glenswinton, SW Scotland, United Kingdom

@Jacko – I assume you are referring to this text

I have only read that link fast but my reading is that this is similar to the FAA “self grounding conditions list” here

i.e. if you have e.g. surgery you are (under the new UK rules being discussed) self-grounded until recovered or OK’d by an AME. So having had your appendix out in 1966 (like I had) would not be relevant.

The concept of publishing a “self grounding” list is a key philosophical difference between EASA and FAA. In the EASA world, basically all of Part-MED is a self grounding list i.e. if at any time you get anything which would prevent you getting a renewal medical right there and then, you are required to self ground. In the FAA world, you are required to self ground only if you tick one of the self grounding list items. If this was not the FAA’s intention, they would not have published that list And that is why EASA does not publish such a list… they want to “catch out” everybody they can, as a default position, and present them to an AME.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Yes @Peter, that’s the way I perceive it – with the FAA, one has a clearer idea of what is not acceptable.

There are other differences, for instance Prednisolone, a corticosteroid commonly prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of myalgia. The FAA allows up to 20 mg/day, whereas UK CAA allows none, or (secretly) up to 7.5 mg with AME approval. They can’t both be right.

I do hope that I’m wrong, but I’m not quite ready to trust this new cuddly GA-friendly EASA/CAA double act.

Glenswinton, SW Scotland, United Kingdom

Is it clear that Night and IMC are permitted on self-declaration?
(Google kept changing that to self-deception)
I’ve never been on medication other than short-term antibiotics, and only surgery was tonsil operation in 1947

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom
8 Posts
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