Quick question: do you need a DME and a second 8.33 kHz radio for IFR certification of an EASA F-reg?
Can someone point me to the regs?
Thanks.
Niner_Mike wrote:
Quick question: do you need a DME and a second 8.33 kHz radio for IFR certification of an EASA F-reg?
Can someone point me to the regs?
Under the EASA regime, there is no such thing as IFR certification. To fly IFR, the aircraft must be approved for IFR in its type certificate and carry the necessary equipment which is listed in part-NCO.
You don’t need to carry a DME unless you actually plan to use one, see NCO.IDE.A.195. You also don’t need a second 8.33 radio. See this letter from EASA to Eurocontrol:
Airborne_Again wrote:
To fly IFR, the aircraft must be approved for IFR in its type certificate and carry the necessary equipment which is listed in part-NCO.
How about having done a transponder and altimeter check in the last 2 years (instead of every 5 years for VFR) as prescribed in the french rules for airworthiness? Can I ignore that if my club doesn’t want to invest money into this check?
Not sure that you don’t need DME, for example UK AIP 1.5 section 5 I understand as a requirement to carry it in controlled airspace.
France AIP, section 2.something:
To fly in upper airspace and in some specified lower airspace sections, all aircraft shall be equipped with a distance measuring equipment (DME) or with a device giving a longitudinal precision at least equivalent.
Rwy20 wrote:
How about having done a transponder and altimeter check in the last 2 years (instead of every 5 years for VFR) as prescribed in the french rules for airworthiness? Can I ignore that if my club doesn’t want to invest money into this check?
That I don’t know. If anyone knows where such rules are found among the EASA regulations, please tell!
arj1 wrote:
Not sure that you don’t need DME, for example UK AIP 1.5 section 5 I understand as a requirement to carry it in controlled airspace.France AIP, section 2.something:
To fly in upper airspace and in some specified lower airspace sections, all aircraft shall be equipped with a distance measuring equipment (DME) or with a device giving a longitudinal precision at least equivalent.
My understanding is that individual EASA countries can’t decide this for themselves. The requirements must be in some EU regulation. E.g. the requirement for 8.33 radios in some airspace is based on EU regulations, as are e.g. PBN and mode S transponder requirements.
Also remember that the AIP is not itself law, it is information. Any requirements found in the AIP are void if not based on actual regulations. Unfortunately some AIPs still have requirements based on old national rules which have been superseded by EU rules, or which are based on EU rules for CAT and thus don’t apply to private flights. (Requirements for 2 radios for IFR is one such case.)
As an example Sweden used to require VOR and ADF for all IFR flights. This requirement was removed since there is no basis for it in EU regulations.
The problem is that the practice “on the ground” in certain countries differs… and if in your country the national CAA is closely involved in every aspect of the aeroclub scene, and generally support the Club President, the only way out of it is to own the plane yourself and keep away from their clutches. Or be N-reg.
Rwy20 wrote:
How about having done a transponder and altimeter check in the last 2 years (instead of every 5 years for VFR) as prescribed in the french rules for airworthiness?
Not to mention the bi-annual radio equipment check and four-yearly bench testing of equipment certified before 1980 for IFR. I still don’t know if this stuff holds water or has been superseded by EASA regs.
@rwy20
The 24 calendar months altimeter and transponder check is not required under EASA. However, there is an EASA SIB recommending doing it: https://ad.easa.europa.eu/ad/2011-15R2
The other weird requirements mentioned in this thread by individual countries only apply if you fly a Annex I (non-EASA) airplane. Same goes for all the AIP entries that haven’t been updated to make this distinction clear.
ArcticChiller wrote:
The 24 calendar months altimeter and transponder check is not required under EASA. However, there is an EASA SIB recommending doing it: https://ad.easa.europa.eu/ad/2011-15R2
This reminds me of the ambiguity of the terms “operational check” and “functional check” used in the Minimum Inspection Programme in part-M. The MIP states that the transponder should undergo a “operational check” every 100 hrs. The same terms are used in the new part-M Light. The questions is what this means — the terms are never defined. I’ve asked bookworm who was involved in drafting part-ML and he replied basically that it is better not to ask for precise definitions. But in light of this EASA SIB an “operational check” can’t amount to more than operating the transponder in flight and confirming with ATC that it returns the expected data. A “functional check” would then reasonably mean bench testing or equivalent. (The MIP states that the pitot-static system should have a “functional check” every 100 hrs.)
