AOPA Latest news
View our latest and past news items.
- Details
- Published:
 |
University of Birmingham - Student Pilots Wanted |
- Details
- Published:
 |
sGAR Home Office Notification: Temporary acceptance of expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs |
The majority of UK biometric residence permits (BRPs) and biometric residence cards (BRCs) will expire on 31st December 2024, and passengers who currently hold BRP/Cs will be travelling on eVisas.
Carriers and operators will receive a ‘0A – Valid Permission to Travel Found’ message when the Home Office is able to automatically confirm a valid digital permission (whether an eVisa or an ETA) for the passenger. Carriers and operators should rely on this message as satisfactory evidence that a passenger has a valid UK immigration permission, and no further visa checks are necessary to establish the passenger’s permission to travel.
However, we are keen to ensure that travel is not disrupted for passengers with eVisas. Therefore, we announced that, as a transitional measure, biometric residence permits (BRPs) and EU Settlement Scheme biometric residence cards (EUSS BRCs) which expire on or after 31st December 2024 can also be accepted as evidence of permission to travel to the UK provisionally until 31st March 2025. This will be kept under review. Other expired immigration products are not acceptable proof of permission to travel.
In the first instance, carriers and operators should rely on the ‘0A – Valid Permission to Travel Found’ as satisfactory evidence that a passenger has a valid UK eVisa or ETA. Where a ‘0A – Valid Permission to Travel Found’ message is not received, the passenger may still have a valid immigration status and carriers and operators will need to perform alternative checks to satisfy themselves that the individual has a permission to travel to the UK.
- If a passenger holds a valid visa or other physical document evidencing a permission to travel, these can still be used to evidence their permission to travel, when boarding UK-bound services.
- If the passenger has a newly issued passport, they may not have linked it to their UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) account. The passenger may be able to self-resolve and update their new passport details in their UKVI account using the Update my Details service if they have a biometric passport.
- If a passenger has no physical document evidencing a permission to travel, they can use the online View and Prove immigration status service, by issuing a Share Code to the carrier or operator who can then check their permission via the online ’Check someone's immigration status'
- If the passenger has a biometric residence permit (BRP) or EU Settlement Scheme biometric residence card (EUSS BRC) which expires on or after 31st December 2024 this can also be accepted as evidence of permission to travel to the UK provisionally until 31st March 2025. This will be kept under review.
- Carriers and operators can contact the 24/7 UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub on +44 300 369 0610 or +44 204 619 6020.
Please see a FAQ document within the Knowledge Hub folder here, which provides answers to questions about the temporary acceptance of expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs as evidence of permission to travel to the UK. Example BRP/C documents can be found within the sGAR Information pack on slide 63.
- Details
- Published:
 |
London CTRs’ SVFR Weather Minima Review |
To maintain high standards of flight safety within the London and London City Control Zones (the London CTRs), the CAA intends to change the weather minima applicable to Special Visual Flight Rules operations.
Our proposal is to introduce a required cloudbase limit and to increase the minimum visibility allowed. We are conducting stakeholder engagement, from 5 December 2024 to 12 February 2025, to seek your feedback on this proposal.
The engagement document, Revision of Special Visual Flight Rules (SVFR) Weather Minima Criteria for Operations Within the London & London City CTRs details the rationale behind our proposal, and includes links to online Citizen Space consultation to provide your views, comments and feedback.
- Details
- Published:
 |
UK Civil Aviation Authority approves Manchester Low-Level Route airspace change |
The MLLR will be replaced by the North West Transit Corridor, and reclassified as Class G airspace Restricted Area, to be known as EGR323 North West Transit Corridor, with specific restrictions starting 20 February 2025.
The new North West Transit Corridor will continue to provide crucial north-south routing for aircraft, enabling them to navigate efficiently between Manchester and Liverpool Airports’ adjoining Class D airspaces.
The changes, which aim to reduce the risk of mid-air collisions and improve airspace management, will take effect from 20 February 2025. This coincides with the expiration of the current exemption in this airspace, Official Record Series 4 (ORS4) No.1596.
The amendment includes:
- Reclassifying the current Class D MLLR airspace to Class G uncontrolled airspace.
- Implementing a Restricted Area within the reclassified airspace that will limit the speed and weight of the aircraft, as well as having visibility and QNH setting restrictions.
- A maximum altitude within the Class G airspace of 1500ft – 200ft higher than the previous MLLR permitted.
- Creating Class G airspace 0.65 nautical miles wider to the east than today’s MLLR boundary.
The regulator’s decision to reclassify this portion of airspace follows input from the general aviation community, air navigation service providers, and local airports as part of its function to review airspace classification.
- Details
- Published:
| |
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:
| |
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:
 |
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:
| |
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:
| |
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:
| |
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:
| |
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.