Sir - I was disappointed to read in Bob Crowe's letter "Getting round UK night-rules" (Flight International, 9-15 July) that he believes that he received a curt "…wait until the JARs are in place" reply from the Civil Aviation Authority, when his operators asked to operate under Joint Aviation Requirements (JARs) supervision. From my enquiries, I believe that he received a considerable amount of time from what is a busy department, and was dealt with courteously.
That said, the situation with the operation of single-engined aeroplanes at night, or in instrument meteorlogical conditions (IMC), for public transport, is really quite simple.
The adopted version of Joint Aviation Requirements Operations (JAR-OPS) Part 1 does not allow such public transport operations by these aircraft, nor are they allowed under UK law.
It is recognised that the fatal-accident rate of the Cessna Caravan is better than that of some groups of light-twins, and that is why the European Joint Aviation Authorities is discussing proposals which will enable operation of single-engined aircraft at night or in IMC for public transport in Europe. These proposals are only at the development stage, however, and require further work to achieve an acceptable level of safety.
Capt J G Mimpriss
Head Flight Operations Department
UK Civil Aviation Authority
Gatwick Airport
Sussex
UK
Source: Flight International
