The Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) is likely to be the first European regulatory body to approve commercial flights of single-engined turboprop aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR).
The approval, expected later this year, follows the efforts of Pilatus to persuade European authorities to alter the existing rules after it became "exasperated" with the slow pace of progress by the Joint Aviation Authorities.
Zurich-based fractional operator Lions Air, which operates Pilatus PC-12s, is to submit a proposal for an air operator's certificate (AOC) for charter operations within Switzerland only, which is expected to be granted by the FOCA. Lions Air, which operates aircraft for its hourly block owners under private operation regulations, will spearhead a plan by Pilatus to get approval country by country in the JAA area. Each national aviation authority can define and apply national rules where no JAA rules exist.
The JAA has been studying the certification of commercial IFR operation of single-engined aircraft for six years but has yet to publish its notice of proposed amendment to the regulations because several member states are opposed to any change. Pilatus, which formed the Single Engine Turbine Association with Cessna and EADS Socata to advise the JAA on the safety of new generation single-engined aircraft, says it will complain to the pan-European body, saying that it has "failed in its obligation to assess the safety of all aircraft".
John Senior, Pilatus vice-president of engineering, says that Europe is now out of step with other major aviation authorities, including those in Australia, Canada and the USA, which have all approved IFR operations.
Pilatus has 10 letters of intent from operators stating their desire to use the PC-12 for charter operations once certificated. Pilatus is likely to use one of five German operators next to launch similar requests for AOCs in Germany.
Source: Flight International
