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Mandatory / minimal IFR equipment for Europe

383 Posts

07-May-21 11:33

For many years now, for EASA aircraft, the competence for the regulation on mandatory aircraft equipment is delegated to EASA. With very limited exceptions only. These exceptions don’t cater for the single member states to say “and this is MY additional set of rules for mandatory aircraft equipment across my whole country”.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

07-May-21 11:39

The equipment for IFR in EASA aircraft is well listed in NCO, it works just fine when you are flying private IFR, you will decide what is legal equipment and national NAA has zero say on it

The friction comes in if the aircraft is non-EASA or used in “IFR training”: IR initial or revalidation or renewal, PPL basic instrument flying, ATO aircraft….if some IRE or NAA guy says they want it with a LORAN and 4 radios of 8.33khz spacing, trust me you will need a LORAN and 4 radios with 8.33khz spacing

Last Edited by Ibra at 07 May 11:43

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

07-May-21 11:41

boscomantico wrote:

For many years now, for EASA aircraft, the competence for the regulation on mandatory aircraft equipment is delegated to EASA

This was true for avionics from somewhat 2016 until 2018. Then the respective regulation died, as I wrote and linked in my earlier post here. The new regulation does not cover instrumentation any longer.

In case of my plane, for example, it is D-reg, it is certified for IFR flights according to German law and there is a checkbox for this on any annual review. My CAMO holds to the opinion, that German regulations are applicable at the moment.

When I go through actual accident reports, they still look whether a DME is installed when the accident was in Germany.

These may all only be indications. I don’t have evidence. I don’t know the exact laws. But it seems to be far more difficult than just saying: It’s all EASA and finito. (Why do we still have BZF and AZF then?)

Germany

07-May-21 11:44

Ibra wrote:

The equipment for IFR in EASA aircraft is well listed in NCO

Show me where! I can’t find the actual valid version of part NCO, where IFR instrumentation is included.

It is NCO.IDE.A.125. But there only exists a draft version of 2020:
Annex VII draft from EASA homepage

Last Edited by UdoR at 07 May 11:45

Germany

07-May-21 11:46

@Niner_Mike, I think last time we had these discussions, my perception was:
Mandatory:
1×8.33 VHF radio (there is a Eurocontrol response paper to a question if two a mandatory and the answer was no)
GPS
VOR
Mode-S

Strongly recommended:
DME
ILS
Second radio (ot at least a portable one with a connector for your headset)
Nav DB updates for GPS
Golze ADL for weather
Some traffic solution – ideally, TAS, like Garmin GTS-xxx or Avydine TAS-xxx or Lynx L3 NGT-9000+; could be the likes of Pilot Aware.

Some aifields also require ADF

For long-distance flying guys like @Peter strongly recommend fuel totaliser, otherwise you need to keep much more reserve.

Last Edited by arj1 at 07 May 11:47

EGTR

07-May-21 11:48

If you operate a Piper Cherokee, no matter the registration, you are obliged to follow Part-NCO. Any national regulation regarding flight operations is “nice” but not mandatory.

ESSZ, Sweden

07-May-21 12:03

I thought that part NCO just basically says you should have the equipment necessary for the flight being undertaken.
Eg If you are going to be using en route NDB’S and doing an NDB approach at destination, which comes with an NDB missed approach procedure, then all you need is an ADF.
On top of this, there is of course the pilot’s qualifications and if the particular aircraft is certified/approved for IFR flight. Or the equipment required to make it suitable.
Eg. A DA 40 has three minimum equipment lists. The first is for VFR. For NVFR you need that equipment plus For IFR you need the equipment for the NVFR plus some things like a second radio, heated pitot etc.