Kieran Daly/LONDON
THE UK CIVIL AVIATION Authority is about to invite comments on a proposed "instrument weather rating [IWR]" to replace its current - and unique - instrument-meteorological- conditions (IMC) rating.
An Air Accidents Investigation Board recommendation (92-32) following the 1992 crash into a mountain in poor weather of a Piper PA-28 prompted the move. The Piper had been flown by a low time, IMC-rated pilot.
The IMC rating was introduced originally in an attempt to widen the weather conditions in which private pilot's licence (PPL) holders could safely operate, without the pilots being required to complete a full PPL instrument rating (IR). This has a low take-up.
Colin Beckwith, of the CAA Safety Regulation Group working group which is considering the issue, says: "We came to the conclusion fairly quickly that the IMC rating was not very satisfactory. We didn't like the content, testing, or revalidation at only every 25 months."
The proposed IWR will still have substantial privileges, but will impose a markedly tougher syllabus and tighter revalidation terms. It is also intended as a "building block" towards the full IR, in a similar way to the UK military's amber/white/green/ master green IR progression.
The proposed IWR experience requirements will include at least 30h since the date of application for a PPL. Of this total, 10h must be pilot in command and 5h cross-country, while the current 4h of PPL instrument flying must be completed.
The syllabus must be completed within 18 months with at least 20h of the flight training within the final 12 months. The minimum syllabus flight time is also 20h, which can be counted towards the full IR, with a maximum of 6h being conducted in a simulator. There will also be a ground examination.
The rating will be valid for 12 months and then it will require revalidation. It will permit instrument-flight-rules operation in most UK airspace - apart from class A controlled airspace - with a minimum decision height of 500ft (150m) for precision approaches and 600ft for non-precision approaches. Both these heights are to be raised by 100ft when pilots have not flown "actual" IMC in the last 28 days.
Source: Flight International
