The CAA advises pilots holding ‘third country’ PPL who are yet to convert their licenses to meet European regulations of the steps they must take in order to continue to fly in the UK after 8 April 2017, following a decision by the Department for Transport. Third country licences are those issued by non-European countries
• FAA licence holders based in the UK need to self-declare that they comply with European requirements
• Other third country licence holders are required to validate their licence and begin conversion process to an EASA licence
• Pilots overseas who are yet to comply with these requirements can fly to the UK under a general exemption until Saturday 15 April
A pilot with a third country PPL who flies for more than 28 days per calendar year in the UK needs to comply with the terms of Europe’s Part-FCL, Annex III. This will require the pilot to validate or convert their licence to an equivalent issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Upon completion of the relevant form, pilots can obtain a validation for up to 24 months, which will allow them to continue flying while they arrange for conversion to an EASA PPL.
Under the terms of a pending bilateral agreement between the United States and the UK, holders of a licence issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will be able to continue flying using their FAA licences provided that they meet certain requirements.
The UK has put an exemption in place allowing the continued use of FAA PPLs until the bilateral has been finalised. In order to continue flying, holders of FAA licences must complete form SRG2140 and submit it to the CAA prior to their next flight.
However, affected pilots who are out of the UK this weekend (8/9 April 2017) do not need to take any action ahead of the 8 April 2017 implementation date. Under a general exemption implemented by the CAA, pilots will be allowed to complete these requirements on their return home, providing they have returned by Saturday 15 April 2017.
All other third country licence holders should aim to validate their licences at the earliest opportunity and complete form SRG 2141 or SRG 2139 prior to their next flight.
More information is available in an Information Notice
