EASA issues more accessible license for General Aviation pilots

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published a Decision on the 1st April to accompany the recently published regulation on new and more accessible instrument ratings (IRs) focused on General Aviation (GA) pilots. This is part of the Agency’s on-going work to simplify and improve GA regulations. This decision is expected to provide more flexibility in obtaining such ratings, thereby allowing more pilots to safely operate in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), for example in low visibility.

With this regulation and the Decision (AMC/GM) the European Commission and the Agency introduce three new pathways towards obtaining a rating with the privilege to fly in IMC: the competency-based instrument rating (CB-IR), the En-route Instrument Rating (EIR) for private and commercial aeroplane pilots, and the cloud flying rating for sailplane pilots.

The regulations and the AMC/GM material are the result of extensive consultations with experts from national authorities, flight crew organisations, training schools, and the GA community.

EASA is on the road towards simpler, lighter, better rules for General Aviation.

Click here to access the regulation and here to access the ED Decision.