Significant progress continues to be made to make regulation of the UK’s General Aviation (GA) sector more proportionate and evidence-based, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said today.

In the sixth regular update to confirm its work in the area the CAA said that in the last 60 days it had:

1. Helped balloon and glider pilots meet the need for aircraft radios to work on 8.33Khz spacing from 1 January 2018 by allowing certain 8.33Khz hand held transceiver radios to be used in balloons and gliders
2. Issued an exemption to the requirement for balloon pilots to hold a Radio Telephony Operator’s Licence
3. Presented CABRO Aviation (a registered training facility based at Aberdeen Airport) and Helipaddy (a helicopter pilot development, skills and training organsiation in west London) with Pilot Recognition for Operational Upskilling and Development (PROUD) endorsements under the CAA’s new good training provider scheme. The PROUD initiative aims to improve the general skill level of private pilots, particularly recently qualified PPLs and NPPLs.
4. Launched the final consultation for the review of the UK Air Navigation Order on 24th September 2015. This  closes on 4th November 2015.
5. Started analysis of the responses received from the experimental category consultation which has now closed. The initiative is planned to be launched at a Royal Aeronautical Society event on 16th November 2015.
6. Introduced a new alternative EASA PPL(H) and LAPL(H) theoretical knowledge syllabus that is more suitable for today’s flying environment. It has been devised in conjunction with some of GA’s leading instructors and training experts and is available to use now. It includes aircraft flying with a National Permit to Fly.
7. Issued an exemption (in advance of the 2016 revision of the ANO) to allow joint-owners of non-EASA aircraft, who wish to pay for flying training in their aircraft, to use airworthiness requirements for a private flight. This includes aircraft flying with a national Permit to Fly.

All of the changes support the CAA’s new top level principles for GA regulation:

1. Only regulate directly when necessary and do so proportionately
2. Deregulate where we can
3. Delegate where appropriate
4. Do not gold-plate (and on unnecessary regulation), and quickly and efficiently remove gold-plating that already exists
5. Help create a vibrant and dynamic GA sector in the UK.