These will take place late next summer at Deenethorpe Aerodrome in the English Midlands.
However, there is still absolutely no regulation in place which allows non UK microlight pilots to enter the UK. At least, there is a total regulatory void.
AFAIK, the BMAA is aware of the problem and is trying to resolve it with the CAA, but without success so far. There is no formal exemption or documentation in place to grant permission to foreign-licensed ULM pilots, and there isn’t even a procedure in place to allow such pilot to gain such permission from the CAA.
In this particular case, I assume that a month ro so before the event, there will be some sort of CAA exemption to formally allow this. But in the meantime, planning is impossible.
Also, if that permission were made for the event only, it would still leave the problem unsolved for ULM pilots that want to visit the UK on other occasions.
I understand that many foreign ULM pilots still fly to the UK regularly, either blissfully unaware of the restricitions of their ULM license, or fully aware but ignoring them.
Do you mean a PPL is mandatory to enter the UK with a UL, in addition to the temporary permit for foreign ULs ?
The European Micorolight Federation guide does not describe the PPL as mandatory for entering UK.
No law prohibiting → it is legal. That is how most civilised countries work.
It’s like the old debate about the Lancair Evolution where we found that some of the countries it was crossing (FL250+, IFR) had no evident regs about it.
Well, one could possibly argue like that, particularly BECAUSE there is absolutely no formal exemption or documentation in place to grant permission to foreign ULM pilots and there isn’t even a procedure in place to allow such prospective pilot to gain such permission from the CAA.
And the CAA application process for foreign registered aircraft– exemption to fly without a certificate of airworthiness and/or registration…
https://applications.caa.co.uk/CAAPortal/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=AEA
does not even query the applicant about his pilots license.
Hence one could desume that whatever the pilots license it is on whose basis the applicant flies his ULM in his home country, it is ok also for the country giving permission.
But pilots aren’t lawyers. They want to have certainty, and they know that their national ULM licenses are NOT automatically recognized by other countries.
Also, the BMAA seems to think the same, at least that there is a regulatory void and that there ought to be a formal exemption or documentation in place to grant permission to such pilots. They are looking for a “resolution” to this problem, especially with the above mentioned event approaching.
It’s not the first time I’ve heard of such a thing. An acquaintance unloaded his unique N-registered Experimental Exhibition category aerobatic plane from overseas shipment and flew it in the 2011 World Aerobatic Championship, sited in Italy. No questions were asked of him or any of the other competitors with similar modified planes and national airworthiness status. I think the ability of the local CAA to process the required special permits in the required time was zero, so they just ignored the issue instead.
The process to get permission to fly a foreign registered ULM in the UK (while silly, cumbersome and costly) exists, boscomantico provided the link.
ICAO rules are crystal clear that if it comes to saying who can fly an aircraft, the country of registration makes the rules. That normally means a licence issued or recognised by the country where the aircraft is registered. It gives the right to any country overflown to impose additional requirements – but the UK has, to my knowledge, not made such a requirement.
The rights of international travel apply only to ICAO certified aircraft. By issuing a permit to a non-ICAO aircraft (in this case ULM) the aircraft can now enter the UK.
It is still an aircraft, it does not turn into a completely different thing. In the absence of a requirement / condition on that permit, I would happily fly on the licence issued by the country of registration, or any other licence the country of registration says I can use.
People who worry about if that is valid probably also worry what happens if they fly at 3000ft below an airspace with a base at FL045 and QNH below 960.
By issuing a permit to a non-ICAO aircraft (in this case ULM) the aircraft can now enter the UK.
I think the UK would need to issue a special permit to each competing non-ICAO compliant aircraft and its non-ICAO compliant pilot (both or in combination), given that the pilot and aircraft are individually licensed. Obviously that would resolve the issue for the UK but I don’t think a permit for the plane would cover the pilot.
The State of registration may also have limitations and requirements for overseas operations. For example see Item 3 here for an FAA E-LSA aircraft and Limitations here for an FAA Sport Pilot (FAA publishes their regulations fairly clearly, as usual) To cover both FAA regulations the aircraft registration number and pilots certificate number would need to be noted in the foreign permission.
Insurance coverage might be the biggest practical consideration, as usual.
If a country does not have a law banning ULs, they can fly there freely.
Most countries do have such laws (also annex 1 etc, annex 1 no IFR, etc) but probably some do not.
This is not related to ICAO because ULs are sub-ICAO, and anyway ICAO is about implied permissions, not restrictions (implied or not).
If a country does not have a law banning ULs, they can fly there freely.
…while complying with whatever explicit limitations and requirements to do so from their State of registration that may also apply 
Yes but AFAIK very few (zero?) ULs are limited to the country of reg. I’ve never seen a “permit” with geo limitations.
ULs and Annex 1 tend to be limited to VFR only, but that is a different thing.
