AdamFrisch wrote:
All that should be needed is insurance approved type training.
As achimha wrote, it’s too rare. They would probably be happy with any type rating course that satisfies relevant NAA (they and EASA are supposed to understand this) and maybe some time under supervision. AFAIK in the EU insurance companies don’t lean much on training.
AdamFrisch wrote:
I mean, how would you even do with an oddball type where there are no facilities that can train you?
You wouldn’t. While it should be possible it would be major PITA unless you’re lucky and there happens to be an ATO with approved course for the type and variant (as established by the report mentioned in the next paragraph) and available instructor and examiner willing to train you. I’m not sure whether you can get a TR outside of an ATO but I wouldn’t think so (that doesn’t sound like EASA to me 
).
Normally, EASA would send a team to evaluate a type or variant of a type to determine what you have to learn, what experience you need, what can be credited etc. AFAIK this is officially mandatory (IIRC for all SETs, METs and jets). They would also evaluate factory training. They would then create a report that would be used as a guideline – by ATOs when preparing courses and NAAs when approving them.
Things might clear up in the future as we are still in a transition phase of sorts.
So, in that case, please explain how they can fly the Dornier Do-24 with registration of G-CIDO. There’s only one of those. Or the Extra 500. Only about 3 of those. Obviously, they must have some sort of exception or other means to train for rare types.
The Extra 500 has a full blown type rating. For the rare aircraft, there are exceptions but the CAAs decide what the training is, not a private insurance company.
The Extra 500 has a type rating and several approved TRTOs. The class rating thing is a very strange specialty of the TBM. I never understood why they went that way and why it was approved.
@AdamFrisch Such exceptions probably predate EASA FCL and some even JAA, I would imagine. Either the rating itself or at least experience in type. As for Extra 500, it’s certified and if they wanted to sell it, they had to have instructor(s) and examiner(s). Those might still be around. Also, I think I noticed somebody still trying to sell those.
Traditionally, you would need cooperation of your NAA. They would do what EASA would do – review the training, etc. I’m not sure how this works now, if I understand it correctly then EASA would have to do it (if you want it on EASA licence). And you have to be prepared for them to say that they won’t let you fly it. That can happen even in the USA and even there finding examiners for rare types can be challenging.
Exceptions are possible. But that doesn’t mean they are easy to achieve. I wrote in previous post that I don’t think you can get a TR outside of an ATO – well, one exception I remember are test pilots involved in test program. And there are procedures for introduction of a new type or variant. A lot of things are possible if you have enough money and time. Just try getting an aerobatic rating in a helicopter. Personally I find it onerous enough to get differences training for pressurization in a SEP.
achimha wrote:
The class rating thing is a very strange specialty of the TBM.
It’s not. Complex machines (METs and jets) have type ratings. The rest are class ratings (1). The exception I know of was PA-46 which was done by JAA. EASA then as part of what (IIRC) they call “catch-up process” changed that. (PS: I would guess that JAA did that because of pressurization which is now a variant of a SEP.) Other than complex aircraft can also have type ratings IIRC but that’s the exception, not the rule.
(1) It’s quite confusing but as I understand it, once you have one SET rating, you can get another one just by differences training (that assumes someone is actually offering such training). So it’s essentially the same as with MEPs where you do class rating (MEP) on an initial type and then do differences training for other types. (PS2: I’m not sure whether the rules for who can do the differences training are the same.)
The way class ratings were introduced for SETs was a blatant abuse of the regulations, since the classes are in many cases actually types.
This has now been relaxed so that to move between these “Classes” only requires differences training as intended, but there is still paperwork with the authority.
Which is different from MEP, where differences training is also required, but only entered into the logbook.
Peter thank you for your link to a TBM850 flight – what prompted it?
Nice clear write up.
I posted it just for the pilot qualifications stuff which I put some time into to get right, with Socata input etc.
You start with the HPA… I think I missed the chance of grabbing mine via the FAA ATP exam route.
