French National Instrument rating

[Nigel Hitchman]

someone sent me an AOPA news email which contained information about this as copied below.
Quite amazing really that the French will now have a proper IR, with a sensible theory exam, rather than have to do all the mountain of groundschool and exams that are now required- basically the ATPL groundschool exams- which are also mostly irrelevant for commercial flying, but just a hoop to jump through and keeps some EASA people in a job (just like the old CAA exams too)
Seems you can easily convert an FAA IR to the French one. Now why cant the CAA do the same, or even better EASA do the same, although it would probably be the most sensible if everyone just adopted the FAA IR (but we couldnt possibly do that, not invented here!!)

Credit seems to be mostly due to the head of the DGAC, who is a private pilot. I wonder if the head of the CAA knows what a small aircraft look like (now someone will probably shoot me down in flames and say they also have a PPL!)

good news anyway

QUOTE:
French private instrument rating officially announced

France’s ICAO-compliant Private Pilot Instrument Rating, first revealed in the May enews of IAOPA Europe, has been formally announced at the Paris Air Show by AOPA France, the Direction générale de l’Aviation civile (DGAC) and the French Aero Clubs Federation (FFA). The new IR, for which only a single written examination on pertinent topics is required, means that French pilots can obtain the benefits and protection of an IR without going through the nonsensical theoretical knowledge requirements which have hitherto made European IRs unobtainable for 98 percent of private pilots. Holders of FAA IRs will be able to convert them to French IRs easily and cheaply. While the new IR will be valid only in France, IAOPA is pressing for bilateral agreements on recognition from other European countries. If enough countries recognise and adopt a French-style IR it may be possible to head off EASA’s plans on instrument flying, which are unlikely to improve on the current situation. IAOPA Senior Vice President Martin Robinson has written to the UK Civil Aviation Authority with details of the new rating.
The French IR was outlined to IAOPA by Emmanuel Davidson of AOPA France at the Regional Meeting of IAOPA Europe in Friedrichshafen in April. The credit, he said, was mostly due to M Patrick Gandil, Director General of the DGAC, a private pilot who had been unable to take time out to study for the JAA IR exams. M Gandil travelled to the USA in May to look at the FAA IR and flew with Bruce Landsberg, head of the AOPA Foundation.
The practical flying training for the French IR exceeds the requirements of ICAO; the major change is in the theoretical knowledge requirements. M Davidson says: “The written exams for private pilots is centered on the subjects that are pertinent to the conduct of IFR flights in single or twin engine pistons up to FL195. There will be no questions about the hydraulic systems of airliners or the calculation of Mach numbers, only subjects relevant to what pilots needs to know.”
In France, fewer than three percent of private pilots hold an Instrument Rating – in the UK, the figure is around one percent. A joint study by AOPA and FFA showed that more than 3,000 French pilots would like to train for an IR(A) in the next 18 months if they could be trained in a manner resembling the one used by the FAA.
AOPA France identified the three reasons for the low uptake of European IRs as:
*JAR-FCL rules assume that only commercial pilots could be interested in an Instrument Rating, and the IR was made part of the professional training. It takes an average of one year of study to be able to take the written exams, with most students electing to take ATP writtens instead of IR exams, as they are easier.
*The student must enroll in a professional flight training school to study for the written exam and the flight training
*The total cost of an IR exceeds €20,000.
“This means that an Instrument Rating is nearly impossible to get for a pilot that has a job and a family,” M Davidson says.
The new IR will allow the pilot to fly on instruments to the same minimums as JAA IR holders. It allows French PPL holders to fly IFR on French registered airplanes in French airspace, and there is provision for FAA IR holders to validate their US IR on their French license – if they have 100 hours on instruments (including sim time) they simply need to fly a ‘skills test’ at an approved FTO.
The theoretical knowledge exam calls for the student to answer 150 questions on air law, radio comms, IFR-related human factors, instrumentation and radio navigation, flight planning, flight following, and meteorology. While an accredited FTO must be in charge of the training, pilots can do the flying in their own aircraft, or in an aero club plane, which further drives down costs.

The first French candidates for the new rating should be taking their written and practical exams as early as September. The way is open for other European countries to accept the French rating, given that it is ICAO-compliant, by making an agreement with France under which French rated pilots could fly into other countries. M Davidson says: “If enough European countries accept the French rating, EASA could decide to adopt a system that is already functional and has been proven as a functioning alternative to its own plans.
“AOPA France wishes to recognise the enormous help of M Patrick Gandil, M Maxime Coffin, head of the mission for General Aviation at the DGAC, M Jean-Yves Pieri of the French DGAC, Françoise Horiot, Président of Gipag, the union of French aviation professionals and FTOs, and Jean-Michel Ozoux, President of the French Federation of Aero Clubs.”

[Steve Brown]

Well - the French and Germans certainly know how to let train contracts to home manufacturing companies, their multiple airfields don't seem to get turned into housing estates but are hives of aviation activity filled with genial and friendly people and now it seems they even know how to create a French private IR in EASA la-la-land (sorry about the stutter)

You have to hand it to them, don't you!

[Bob Tavener]

Perhaps that is why they were so against the IMC continuing. Well done DGAC.

[bertdeleporte]

sounds France became Noddy's Land



The subject is under discussion for more than five years, it looks something sensible has been agreed.

Regarding the historic heritage of the 350 public airfields, French Government sold for the symbolic Euro to local entities (counties, cities, administrative bodies...) who had to keep the land as airfields for a certain time, depending the airfields.
Unfortunately, some of the entities show very little interest in aviation. The "plans" for end of engagement period are most of the time oriented towards industral, comercial or residential estate sell.
The story looks often the same: restrictive use for some reason, then discussion with local clubs about the very seldom traffic, then expropriation of the clubs. In May, 3 of them were definitively closed, Thionville (very convenient stop for Alsace trips, coming from North), Arbois, in French Jura, Romilly sur Seine, south East of Paris.

On balance is now Toussus le Noble, a very popular Parisian airfield.

Who's next is the main question in French pilot community.

I enquire for the IR and keep you posted.

Bertrand

[Steve Brown]

Gosh Bertrand - now you've depressed me again with the story on French airfields closing.

[bertdeleporte]

Sorry Steve,

this was not my purpose. I just wanted to point out that airfield network is endangered now the French Gov stepped back from being the owner of the land on all French airfields. The UK airfield network (I believe the first in the world when you look number of aifield vs surface of country) looks more stable than ours.

So, don't get depressed by my message, ther will be more and more pressure from FFA and RSA now the Parisans are aware of the problem and directly stuck .

I hope anyhow the trend will stop one day.

Cheers

Bertrand