Welcome

Worth mentioning that Part-DTO is applicable also for LAPL and PPL Helicopters, including single-engine type ratings with a seating capacity up to 5 seats.

This will make our helicopter colleagues' live easier too!
Best, Michel

Noting the excellent reference to the EHEST leaflet on Weather Threat Management, I wish using this opportunity to welcome helicopter colleagues to the EASA GA Community!

https://www.easa.europa.eu/document-library/general-publications/ehest-…

See also https://www.easa.europa.eu/easa-and-you/safety-management/safety-promot…

and

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7453300.

Best wishes,
Michel, ESPN-R Coordinator, former EHEST Secretary

Just to follow up - and thank you for your reply - I just learned that LSZG (that's where this happened) has limited IFR slots to one movement per hour (any flight plans I, Y, Z). This has no safety background but is apparently used by ATC as political pressure.

I would like to remind EASA of this (European Parliament resolution of 3 February 2009 on an Agenda for Sustainable Future in General and Business Aviation (2008/2134(INI)):

"Airport and airspace capacity

9. [The European Parliament ,] Points out that it becomes increasingly difficult for general and business aviation to get access not only to major airports but also to regional airports as growing demand from commercial air transport is placing a strain on the availability of slots and parking stands;"

This is exactly such a case, where a GA airport, resp. its ATC, is working against its customers.

I must admit that is is only very recently that I discovered this 40 hours prerequisite in the FCL. I have tried to idenbtified where this is coming from, and it seems that the recommendation was coming from an "group of experts" during the rulemaking process. I share your concerns as I personnalyy do not understand the added value of the requirement. I will do my best effort to obtain a review of this requirement as soon as feasible.

Dear aerovfr,

Thank you for your comment.

A) Current rules
When Part-FCL was drafted, it was not foreseen to allow having the TMG rating in two different licences (aeroplane - sailplane). Actually, it does not matter whether the TMG rating is linked to a LAPL(A)/PPL(A) or to a LAPL(S)/SPL as the privileges are the same (apart from combining recency on the aeroplane side).
For that reason, there are no crediting provisions for the TMG rating explicitly, in case where someone holds both an aeroplane and sailplane licence.

B) GA roadmap (better rules)
With start of the GA Roadmap and meetings with the European Gliding Union, the sailplane and ballooning bits of the FCL and AirOps regulations were considered not to be ready-to-go and Member States have been given the possibility not to apply FCL and Ops for gliding and ballooning.

C) Balloon and Sailplane regulations (GA Roadmap actions)
Individual regulations for ballooning and gliding are about to be established, which will comprise of FCL and Ops rules tailored to the respective activity.
Current status of the project:
- Balloon Ops: already adopted by the EU Commission and published:
https://www.easa.europa.eu/document-library/general-publications/balloo…

- Sailplane Ops submitted to the EU Commission for adoption:
EASA Opinion: https://www.easa.europa.eu/document-library/opinions/opinion-072017

- Balloon FCL and Sailplane FCL, new rules have been developed and consulted with the stakeholders by means of workshops in June 2018. The EASA Opinion will be submitted to the EU Commission by the end of 2018.

The new FCL rules for sailplanes (SFCL) contain provision for full credit of an aeroplane licence with TMG class rating towards TMG privileges within a sailplane licence. The opposite way, sailplane TMG credited towards aeroplane TMG is under discussion, as well. Additionally, a discussion is ongoing whether a FI(A) is allowed to train TMG for sailplane pilots and whether a FI(S) is allowed to train aeroplane pilots on TMG.

Summary: Your concern has been addressed already; crediting provisions will come into place if agreed by the EU Commission and the Member States.

Jannes

Thanks for this thread. I absolutely share this thought. The instrument rating made me a better pilot. Anyone should have access to this rating. Having it only in ATOs would be an obstacle (as it is today with the E-IR, CB-IR). The FAA demonstrates that the success of pilot training is mostly in the hands of the individual instructor, be it in a flight school environment, in a club or just 1:1 training. Hopefully this suggestion comes to fruition. In the end, we need many many more IR pilots in Europe. One part is highly improved safety, the other part is making flying attractive again - and the IR helps reducing the workload on flights through complicated European airspace, making the GA airplane a means of transportation again.