General Aviation. Pilots or no pilots

Training for professional pilots – two views.

The Department for Transport has issued a strong recommendation that private pilots should not undertake any sport or leisure flying, in line with the requirement to stay at home without reasonable excuse.

General Aviation (GA) flying for the purposes of work, where it is not reasonably possible to work or provide those services at home, is permitted.  

Flying training organisations providing training for professional pilots may continue to do so, and students undertaking such activity may continue to attend for these purposes. Social distancing measures should be in place and observed at all times.

Engine health and maintenance check flights and flights to maintain currency only, that would otherwise lapse during the planned lockdown period, should only be conducted where there is an urgent requirement to do so, and alternative options are not available.

Such flights, where conducted, must be kept to the minimum duration possible and should land at the same airfield from which they departed.

The pilot’s union, BALPA, has issued a warning to everyone who is thinking about embarking on a pilot training course – think again. BALPA has taken this extraordinary step to help avoid students paying upwards of £100,000 for training only to find there are no jobs available at the end.

There is different guidance for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-general-aviation/coronavirus-covid-19-general-aviation

Index/Home page
 

OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum