Postby Fairy Flycatcher » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:39 pm
Part 61 is Private Pilot Licensing. It does not deal with any microlight, hang glider, gyroplane, baloon, glider pilots licence. These are covered in the Recreational Pilots Licensing. The proposed part 62
Part 62, Recreational Pilots Licensing, is being held up by the acceptance of the technical standards. Apparantly Aero Club submitted technical standards other than those written and accepted by the industry (mostly MISASA), and those will then cause some additional hold-ups. The other issue in Part 62 is that CAA are apposed to commercial work with NTCA as proposed and accepted in Part 96, and they are especially unhappy about Part 96 Authorization, which would be something similar to a VFR comm for NTCA.
Part 61 has been published for a long time, but could not really come into effect because of delays on Part 62. All the software at CAA has been geared for Part 61 for the last 3 years though, and this has caused many hick-ups and upsets, as the old ANR's (the current licensing law) does not always fit into the administrative procedure (based on Part 61 and 62)
Part 61 will allow some credit from 3-axis microlight flying towards PPL, hence the reference. You will also be alowed to fly 3-axis microlights as endorsed in your logbook under your PPL (I think- still being debated but makes sense) No credit from trikes though, and none from gliders, both of which you will need a RPL to fly.
I can only imagine that CAA have found a way of making Part 61 work wihtout Part 62, or that Part 62 are finally being written in (with Aero Club once again keeping us in the dark?)