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Radiotelephony - PIC has no LPC but "safety" pilot in right seat has

The question is in the title, but let me be clearer:

  • PPL, flying VFR, PIC doesn't have a (let's say English) LPC and his friend in the right seat has one. Is it legal for the pilot in the right seat to handle the communications ?

I always assumed it was the case but I have been challenged and I could not find a piece of legislation to back me up.

I don't know the answer in UK airspace but it must be legit in a more general sense because e.g. to fly VFR in Russia you supposedly need a Russian interpreter on board. I have also recently read something similar about Israel.

It's an interesting question because in a single pilot airplane, there can be only one PIC.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Good question... What if my girlfriend does the RT course and passes the exam. Is she allowed to handle the communications from the right hand seat?

Another precedent, for the UK:

The ex military Gazelle helicopters came in two versions: the Permit one (which went for as little as £80k) and the full CofA one (the same aircraft but with loads of paperwork generated, which went for about £250k).

The first one was not allowed to carry passengers, and the common workaround was for any passengers to wear a flying suit and pretend to be the radio operator. Ideally he/she would get a radio qualification as well. I vaguely recall reading somewhere this rule was changed recently and you can now carry passengers...

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

What if my girlfriend does the RT course and passes the exam. Is she allowed to handle the communications from the right hand seat?

Of course she is, that's what the RT license is for. Under German regulations, single pilot IFR requires either a 2nd person to do the radio telephony or a 2 axis autopilot.

However, the language proficiency is an ICAO license requirement, not a radio telephony license thing. I believe that you cannot enter any airspace as PIC where you do not meet the LPC requirements.

Of course she is, that's what the RT license is for.

Is there a separate RT license in Germany? Here the RT is a rating on one's pilot license. So if my girlfriend does the RT course, she has no pilot license to make the RT rating valid...

I doubt that the certificate you get after passing the RT exam has any legal rights?

The position of a radio telephony operator in an aircraft is a quite common one so there must be some form of certificate in Holland to show the privilege.

In Germany it's a separate certificate which comes in two forms: restricted (BZF) and unrestricted (AZF). The former is for VFR and exists in a variant with German/English and only German and the latter is for IFR and English only.

Is LPC a "licence proficiency check" (i.e. the thing that allows you to keep your SEP rating valid via a checkout every 24 months), or is it a language check of some kind? I don't know the answer either but my guess would be that for VFR in a SEP plane, then there can be only one PIC and must be suitable qualified or authorised to fly that aircraft in whatever country is allowed under the license.

Under German regulations, single pilot IFR requires either a 2nd person to do the radio telephony or a 2 axis autopilot.

You learn something everyday on here! Presumably this will not continue to be the case under EASA?

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

LPC might not be the correct word. I was referring to LP (Language Proficiency ) as defined here : OACI

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