Sir - I have followed the controversy over the European Joint Aviation Authorities' (JAA) proposed flight-time limitations (FTLs). The proposals are almost an exact copy of those which existed in 1964. The JAA must answer the questions:
how can it justify introducing 30-year-old FTLs?
What medical evidence is there to justify relaxing current FTLs in the UK and Germany?
If such evidence exists , what is the source?
I would suggest that the JAA did not consult the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine nor the German Institute of Aerospace Medicine, because the head of the latter organisation is a signatory to the NASA report on FTLs, which concludes that the JAA proposals "...exceed safe limits". I suggest that, if it does not revise its proposals, then the International Federation of Airline Pilots should consider taking the JAA to the European Court.
D R MACDONALD
Stoke Mandeville, Bucks, UK
Source: Flight International