Transatlantic harmonisation of flightcrew licensing (FCL) rules could take a step forward when Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities council meets on 19-20 October. The committee is expected to modify the requirement for professional pilot training establishments to have their main place of business in Europe - a rule which has infuriated the USA.
The proposed amendment would give individual JAA member states the discretion to license foreign training schools to train aircrew for European commercial pilot licences, but would require that the foreign schools offer total "equivalence", the JAA says.
For US schools, the most onerous JAR FCL "equivalence" requirement is that instructors must have full air transport pilot licences with an instructor's rating. At present, the major US schools training for US Federal Aviation Administration professional licences report that they have an instructor supply crisis. They say they are losing even the relatively inexperienced instructors permitted under the FAA rules to the regional airlines.
Source: Flight International
