LICENSING
two years. As noted earlier there are currently no Covid related alleviations for LAPL holders in terms of the experience requirements.
The requirements quoted above are for aeroplanes — for helicopters the key period is one year and the experience requirements slightly different. Remember that LAPLs do not have ‘ratings’ as such and there is no requirement for the examiner or instructor to sign the licence document after a proficiency check, they should only do so in your logbook. Leaving EASA has disadvantaged LAPL holders; originally, they would have been EASA licences and valid throughout the EU, but since the UK is no longer part of EASA they are not recognised as such. They remain valid for flight in the UK but since they do not have ICAO status they are not automatically recognised outside of the UK.
ANO AND PART-FCL LICENCES This is one area that sometimes causes confusion. As you may recall from when the UK was still in the European Union and part of EASA, there were licences issued under the EASA Part-FCL regulation and those issued under the UK Air Navigation Order (ANO), the latter often referred to as ‘national’ licences. For example, the National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL) is issued under the ANO rather than Part-FCL. Despite having left the European Union, the legal situation is still similar since there is now an equivalent version of Part-FCL in UK law. Now you might recall that under EASA, you needed a Part-FCL licence to fly an EASA aircraft. Most modern factory-built aircraft were with the scope of EASA regulation, while vintage, amateur build and microlight aircraft were generally non-EASA. Under UK law the distinction
between EASA and non-EASA is now known as ‘Part-21’ and ‘non-Part-21’. At the moment you still need a Part-FCL licence to fly a Part-21 aircraft, although at the time of writing there is an exemption that allows national licence holders to fly up to 12 hours in a Part-21 aircraft. This is to facilitate competence and currency on aircraft that fall within either the SEP (SSEA in the case of an NPPL(A) holder) or TMG/SLMG class ratings. For full details of the exemption look for ORS4 1471 at
caa.co.uk/ors4 As part of the post-Brexit Red Tape Challenge, the CAA and Department for Transport are looking at a more permanent change to legislation that would allow national licence holders to fly Part-21 aircraft that fall within the class ratings held on their licence. The majority of private pilots in the UK have a Part-FCL licence and are therefore not affected by this, however there are probably still a few NPPL holders who would welcome the ability to fly Part-21 aircraft such as the Cessna 172 again.
MEDICALS For those with a Class 2 or LAPL medical the validity periods will be printed on the certificate. Since late 2019 it has been possible to ‘downgrade’ from a Class 2 medical to a Light Aircraft Pilot’s (LAPL) medical standard without obtaining an actual LAPL licence document. So, if you are a PPL holder and for some reason no longer able to hold a full Class 2, you may be able to get a LAPL medical instead, which is a less onerous medical standard. For those over 50 the LAPL medical is also valid for 24 months rather than the 12 months it would be for the Class 2. For PPL holders flying with a LAPL medical your rating validity arrangements
do not change, but you are restricted to the privileges of the LAPL — this is VFR only, single engine, MTOW of not more than 2000 kgs and not more than four people onboard. Since the UK is no longer in EASA, LAPL medicals issued by the UK are not recognised for flight in Europe, so are limited to UK airspace. They are, though, valid on both Part-21 and non- Part-21 aircraft.
Another option is to declare your medical fitness by using the CAA’s online medical declaration process. This has probably been popular during Covid because it avoids having to visit a medical practitioner. The main requirement is to meet the Ordinary Driving Licence standard for driving a car, however there are some terms and conditions over and above that to make a CAA medical declaration, so read the guidance notes carefully to make sure you would qualify for making one.
Pilot medical declarations are also restricted to UK airspace since they do not meet the ICAO requirement for a medical certificate. A recent change in January now allows medical declarations to be used with both national and Part-FCL licences and a Part-FCL licence holder can now fly a Part-21 aircraft on a medical declaration, although a medical certificate is still required for the initial issue of a Part-FCL licence.
As noted earlier though, a national licence holder cannot yet fly a Part-21 aircraft (other than in accordance with the exemption, ORS4 1471), regardless of medical held. You can make a medical declaration regardless of the type of licence held, but you will always be restricted to either the privileges of the licence or the scope of the medical declaration privileges, whichever are more limiting.
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