CAA Reports That 96% Of Those Commenting Agreed With Proposed Changes

The equivalent of the 3rd Class Medical in the U.K. will soon no longer be required for private pilots. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced that medical requirements for some private pilots are to change in line with its top level principles for GA regulation. These changes do not apply to pilots with commercial licences or those displaying at airshows who will still need to be approved as fit to fly by a specialist aviation medical examiner.

The move will lead to both cost and time savings for pilots and, in most cases, remove the need for General Practitioner (GP) or Authorized Medical Examiner involvement in the process. The change follows a public consultation, in which 96 percent of those responding agreed with the proposal.

Once the change takes place later this year the medical requirement for UK private pilot licence and national private pilot licence holders will be to meet the same standard as that required to hold a DVLA Group 1 Ordinary Driving Licence (ODL). Existing medical options (for example a UK declaration with GP counter signature) will remain available. The same options will also be available for private balloon pilots.

To take advantage of the change, pilots will need to complete a form on the CAA website to declare that they meet the DVLA medical standard. Pilots under 70 will need to do this once while pilots over 70 must confirm their declaration every three years.

The changes are subject to the enactment of the proposed Air Navigation Order 2016 (ANO) which is planned to come into effect in late summer 2016. The proposed ANO legislation will contain these changes and other significant amendments for GA.

Currently pilots with a NPPL licence are required to comply with DVLA group 1 or 2 standards and have their self-declaration of fitness countersigned by their GP. Holders of a UK PPL currently need an EU class 2 medical or the NPPL medical requirements if they only use the privileges of an NPPL licence.

The change is supported by a study of the risks associated with GA flying, together with a review of the causes of light aircraft accidents and the likelihood of these being triggered by a pilot being medically incapacitated. The risk to third parties has been considered and the regulatory approach taken by the US FAA, which mirrors the UK proposal, was also reviewed.

THe announcement is in line with the CAA's top level principles for GA regulation:

• Only regulate directly when necessary and do so proportionately
• Deregulate where we can
• Delegate where appropriate
• Do not gold-plate, and quickly and efficiently remove gold-plating that already exists
• Help create a vibrant and dynamic GA sector in the UK.

(Source: U.K. CAA news release)

FMI: www.caa.co.uk/cap1397, www.caa.co.uk/ga.?