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Published: 19 November 2024

Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan Consultation - Last chance to save Nottingham Aerodrome?

Broxtowe Borough, Gedling Borough, Nottingham City and Rushcliffe Borough Councils are preparing the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan, which will set out policies to secure sustainable growth up to 2041.

In accordance Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, representations are invited on the proposed submission draft of the Strategic Plan, on whether it is legally compliant and meets the tests of ‘soundness’ as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Policy 31: Strategic Allocation East of Gamston / North of Tollerton (Rushcliffe) includes the loss of Nottingham (Tollerton) Aerodrome to development if adopted.

Policy 31 Development Area

If you use Nottingham Aerodrome this is your, probably last, chance to make a case to save it from this development plan

The consultation period closes at 17:00 on Monday 16th December 2024. 

Details

Published: 18 November 2024

2025/26 CAA Schemes of Charges consultation

Our consultation on proposed changes to our statutory charges for FY2025/26 has now been published. This consultation is an opportunity for us to gather feedback from stakeholders and ensure that our proposals align with the needs and priorities of those we regulate. Stakeholder input is invaluable in helping us refine our approach and make informed decisions that benefit all parties involved.

We welcome feedback from all stakeholders and ask that this is provided using our online submission form .

This consultation will close on 6 January 2025, with our response and final changes to the Schemes of Charges due for publication mid-March 2025, ahead of coming into force on 1 April 2025.

Details

Published: 29 October 2024

Submit a GAR - GA ETA Engagement Event Handout

Further to the online event held on 23 October 2024 the Home Office Border Force have published the handout below.

They are currently working on an updated sGAR Information Pack which will be distributed in due course and contain all the relevant information regarding Universal Permission to Travel, ETA, eVisa’s and Carrier Support.

Details

Published: 03 October 2024

Aircraft Maintenance ("N" Registered Aircraft): New FAA interpretation could devastate GA

This is relevant to "N" Registered Aircraft owners/operators who undertake aircraft maintenance on their aircraft.

AOPA US are reporting that on September 3, FAA attorneys released a legal interpretation of 14 CFR §43.3(d), effectively changing the FAA’s view of the standard maintenance supervision model that has been in place for the past 60 years. Without industry intervention to have the FAA reconsider its new view, the A&P experience-based training and owner-assisted maintenance models cannot survive.

Although the regulations allow for uncertificated people to perform supervised maintenance, it is vitally important to point out that only the holder of a mechanic or repairman certificate may approve the work and return the aircraft or component to service. This is the catch-all that ensures safety in our industry. Only the supervising mechanic can make the logbook entry, and it is that individual’s certificate and liability on the line. Therefore, it is in the supervising mechanic’s interest to inspect the work and verify that everything was done properly and is truly airworthy before attesting to it in writing.

The Moss interpretation

FAA regulations under 14 CFR are the rules that those who operate under FAA jurisdiction must follow, or risk facing violation or prosecution. However, in cases where a particular regulation may be ambiguous, a request for interpretation may be made to the FAA chief counsel. The response, in the form of a letter or memo, becomes the agency’s legal position that FAA staff will follow. This means that enforcement actions against individuals and businesses will be based on both the text in applicable regulations, and any relevant legal opinions or interpretations made by FAA attorneys.

The Moss interpretation began on July 8, 2022, when Jonathan Moss, manager of the Little Rock Flight Standards District Office, requested an interpretation of 14 CFR §43.3(d), essentially asking if a supervisor must be physically present at the site of the maintenance, or if he may supervise remotely, through Zoom, FaceTime, live feed TV, photographs, downloadable video, or other electronic means.

It took over two years for the FAA to respond with an interpretation, and as is often the risk with asking for an interpretation, the response went much further than a yes/no answer to the question being asked. Included in the three-page Moss interpretation were two essential elements.

The first addressed the concept of remote, video supervision:

The Office of the Chief Counsel finds that the phrase “in person” explicitly requires physical presence. Virtual presence, through a live video feed or other technological means, cannot replace the physical presence of a supervising mechanic.

The second addressed the concept of supervision itself:

The phrase “readily available, in person, for consultation” contemplates a physical, hands-on approach to supervision. The certificated mechanic must be available, not just to answer questions, but to notice mistakes and take over if necessary.

The problem with the Moss interpretation

There are two issues with the Moss interpretation:

The first issue is concerning, but not necessarily devastating. The FAA Office of the Chief Counsel found that virtual technologies cannot be used in lieu of in-person supervision. This is surprising in a world where medicine—even surgery—is sometimes performed using remote technologies and, it should be pointed out, much of the FAA’s own supervisory work with the industry is done remotely.

The second part of the interpretation is what could have devastating repercussions for general aviation. "The certificated mechanic must be available, not just to answer questions, but to notice mistakes and take over if necessary,” as the new FAA interpretation states, completely discounts the concept of supervisor discretion and, in fact, does not acknowledge the text in 14 CFR §43.3(d) that specifically says “to the extent necessary to ensure that it is being done properly.”

As soon as the Moss Interpretation was published, it became “the official view of the FAA” that will be enforced.

AOPA USA is putting AOPA’s resources into action.

Details

Published: 01 October 2024

Universal Permission to Travel Systems

This information is pertinent to Pilots who are carrying non-British passport holders on flights to/from the UK and are completing an online General Aviation Report (GAR).

From September 2024, some visa national passengers will hold digital-only eVisas. These passengers will no longer have physical immigration documents for you to check.

If a ‘Valid Permission to Travel Found’ response is received via the Submit a General Aviation Report (sGAR) web service, please note that pilots, operators and agents are not required to make further checks for a visa or other immigration document. You will not be subject to any carriers’ liability in relation to that passenger’s permission to travel.

If a ‘Authority to Carry Granted’ response is received, for visa national passengers you should conduct a manual check by:

• checking for a valid, physical visa or other immigration document

and/or

• using a Sharecode, which passengers with digital immigration products can request from their UKVI (UK Visa and Immigration) account.

Please refer to the following link for more details about using Sharecode to check a digital-only product: https://www.gov.uk/check-immigration-status.

In all cases, you should continue to check that the passport or travel document held by the passenger is valid, genuine and in the possession of the rightful holder.

In addition, the Home Office are consolidating multiple contact points within the Home Office to a single point of contact: the new UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub.

This will be a 24/7 support function to answer all carrier queries related to a passenger’s permission to travel to the UK; security related queries, or technical support for submitting data to the Home Office. The Carrier Support Hub will go live on the 30th September 2024 at 10:00am (UTC).

You can contact the hub on the following telephone number: +44 300 369 0610 after the go-live date.

Details

Published: 27 September 2024

Use of Unleaded Aviation Gasoline in Spark Ignition Engines originally designed for Leaded Fuels

The CAA are reminding the GA community that two CS-STAN (Standard Change) are already available which enable suitable aircraft to utilise unleaded aviation gasoline.

CS-SC202c and CS-SC203c can be used in conjunction with approvals from both airframe and engine manufacturers to utilise certain unleaded fuels and update manuals and placards as required.

AOPA have created a database of airframe and engine data to help owners to understand if their aircraft could be eligible (note this is for guidance only).

The CAA will be publishing a webpage with further guidance on General Aviation fuels in the coming weeks to help the community navigate the differences between similar fuels.

Details

Published: 13 September 2024

General Aviation Licensing Review: Phase 2 consultation responses published

The CAA have published their consultation response documents for the General Aviation Licensing Review Phase 2 consultation. A summary of the responses received, the decisions made, and next steps can be found in the relevant consultation response document and on the consultation page:

aeroplanes including microlights and consultation page

balloons and airships  and consultation page 

sailplanes and consultation page 

helicopters  and consultation page 

gyroplanes  and consultation page

Details

Published: 28 August 2024

SD-2024/001: Active Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Piston Engine Aircraft Operations

The CAA have published Safety Directive SD-2024/001 which requires a functioning active CO detector capable of alerting via aural and/or visual warnings to be present in affected piston engine aircraft when operating with passengers on board who do not hold a recognised pilot qualification.

This SD is applicable to all piston engine aircraft, but excludes:

a) Single-seat aircraft;

b) Aircraft with an open cockpit/cabin;

c) Aircraft performing aerobatic manoeuvres (see paragraph 7(a) of the OD), unless as part of a Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC) operation (see paragraph 7(b) of the OD);

d) Aircraft with piston engines located above/behind the cabin (e.g. helicopters, gyroplanes) unless cabin heat is also provided via an exhaust heat exchanger or a combustion heater; or

e) Aircraft with only wing-mounted piston engines.

Installing or carrying an active CO detector on board does not require CAA approval. Active CO detectors can be permanently installed in UK Part 21 and UK non-Part 21 aircraft as a ‘standard change’ under the provisions of CS-STAN  (Standard Change CS-SC107a) without any CAA involvement. Portable CO detectors can also be carried on board without any airworthiness approval. Regardless of which active CO detector is selected, pilots should ensure the device is functional, audible (and visible if equipped with a digital screen) and securely positioned in the aircraft before each flight.

Details

Published: 14 August 2024

Carbon Monoxide in Piston Engine Aircraft

In February 2024 the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched a 4-week public consultation on carbon monoxide (CO) in piston engine aircraft, seeking stakeholder views on the barriers facing pilots in obtaining an active CO detector, the role that maintenance plays in combatting CO, the importance of protecting passengers from CO, and whether active CO detectors ought to be mandatory for some operations.

The CAA has now published the Comment Response Document for this consultation, which includes a summary of the responses received, the decisions made, as well as the next steps being taken.

The CAA will be issuing a Safety Directive requiring an active CO detector to be present in specified piston engine aircraft when operating with passengers on board who do not possess a recognised pilot qualification. The directive will be published later this month and will come into effect from 1 January 2025.

These are the three decisions that the CAA have made:

CAA Decision 1

The CAA will introduce a requirement to have a functioning active carbon monoxide detector, capable of alerting via aural and/or visual means, in specified piston engine aircraft when operating with passengers on board who do not possess a recognised pilot
qualification. The comments provided in this consultation will be taken into account when developing the requirement.

CAA Decision 2

The CAA will not, at this time, introduce mandatory CO concentration checks in piston engine aircraft maintenance programmes beyond what is already specified by aircraft manufacturers and UK Reg (EU) No.1321/2014 Annex Vb (Part-ML), Minimum Inspection Programme (MIP).

CAA Decision 3

The CAA will publish additional guidance on topics including: selecting an appropriate active CO detector, where and how to securely position devices in aircraft, how to respond to alerts, as well as guidance on exposure levels and thresholds for alarms.

Details

Published: 01 July 2024

Radiotelephony Manual (CAP 413) Edition 24 - Effective from 28 March 2024

Radiotelephony Manual (CAP 413) Edition 24 is now published. This future edition incorporates editorial changes and all Supplementary Instructions to December 2023. It is effective 28 March 2024.

Radiotelephony Manual (CAP 413) provides pilots, Air Traffic Services and ground personnel with a compendium of clear, standardised phraseology and guidance, for radiotelephony (RTF) communication in UK airspace.

NOTE:

CAP 413 Edition 24 was found to contain errors and has been withdrawn by the CAA. CAP 413 Edition 23 Corr is current at the date of this item.