On Air, Issue 4

The Agency has put in place the ‘New Approach towards General Aviation’ as part of the strategy to change fundamentally the way the GA sector is regulated in Europe. The new approach to General Aviation is about creating a more proportionate framework, focusing on safety culture, safety promotion and common sense! We are already delivering the first results of the process as it is also described in the GA Roadmap Report 2014.

During the EASA Safety Conference on GA in Rome I heard very interesting views and proposals on how to make GA more accessible and more enjoyable. I expressed the six commitments of the Agency to the rest of the GA community.

Success does not depend only on EASA actions or decisions, but also on coordinated actions, decisions and support by all other members in the GA community. The era of passive criticism has come to an end; this is the time of active participation and positive contribution for change. We are at the start of the process to change the regulatory environment for GA and the mind-set of regulator, as well as the rest of the General Aviation community.

We are working towards simplifying the regulatory framework for GA, enabling its revival and ultimately its growth.

Patrick Ky

EASA Executive Director

Mr Grant V. Shapps is a prominent politician in the UK as Tory Party Chairman, MP and Minister, but more importantly for EASA, he is an advocate for General Aviation and for cutting ‘red tape’. Mr Shapps opened the EASA Safety Conference in Rome and also participated in the keynote discussion, urging regulators to make General Aviation more accessible, enabling its growth in Europe. Following the Conference, we had a short interview with the Minister on his views about General Aviation and the role of the Agency.

Mr Shapps, what were your impressions about the conference?

With the highest attendance ever seen at an EASA Conference, there can be no doubt that this year’s edition was a huge success. There is a clearly a drive across the whole of Europe to improve the way that we regulate General Aviation, and unlock its potential for jobs and growth. The speakers that I saw were all excellent, and brought a raft of fresh ideas to the debate about how to ensure that we have a vibrant GA sector in Europe. In particular, there was a welcome focus on the role of “airmanship” in aviation safety, with the accompanying suggestion that regulatory oversight would be better focussed on improving pilots’ skills rather than asking them to memorize and comply with more rules.

During the conference you highlighted the need to make sure that regulation of General Aviation is as light-touch as possible. How can this be best achieved?

The UK deregulatory example, where reducing the burden of red tape has resulted in savings for business of around £850 million per year, shows that by cutting back on unnecessary rulemaking, we can boost both jobs and economic growth. At the Conference, there was a definite sense that this is something that attendees wanted to see replicated in General Aviation. There is doubtless a need to re-examine all of the rules that we have in place to see whether they are producing a measurable safety benefit. In many cases, there is little evidence to show that particular rules or regulations result in any tangible increase in safety. It is my firm belief that we have the right people in place to deliver these changes from the top, including EASA’s Patrick Ky and the UK CAA’s Andrew Haines (although I admit I could be accused of bias in this latter case!), however representatives from the sector itself must also unite behind this drive. Time and again I have seen GA pilots unwilling to accept the significant changes the sector needs for fear of a hypothetical safety risk. We must take the line that if there is no evidence supporting a rule, then it should go.

What do you believe is the role of the Agency in the process to get there?

EASA have the most significant role to play in this work. There is a feeling that the approach to regulation so far has been to apply the same standards to GA as have been used in commercial aviation in the past, leading to a reliance on rules over an understanding of the dangers. As Andrew Haines pointed out, written exams do not lead to better airmanship. EASA must take steps to delegate some of the responsibility for improving airmanship to those closest to the pilots – either to the sector itself or to national aviation authorities. Similarly the Agency must continue to move away from a regulatory regime developed for commercial air transport to one that is proportionate and effective for promoting General Aviation. If something has been proven to be successful elsewhere (for example a piece of equipment or regulatory approach), EASA must not delay implementation in Europe to run tests that have already been undertaken elsewhere. 

The General Aviation sector across Europe needs substantial change and needs it now. Patrick Ky has been instrumental in kick-starting this work, for which I am hugely grateful, but now EASA must do all it can to speed up implementation of its new approach to General Aviation and deliver on the commitments it made at the Conference. Our citizens are impatient for us to get on with delivering the changes we have promised, and only by making these can we unlock GA’s full potential for jobs and growth.

The greater focus on General Aviation has boosted the profile of GA activities, becoming a priority for both, the European Commission and EASA. The Agency has started work towards creating a simpler, lighter and better regulatory environment for General Aviation in Europe: the GA Road Map initiative. The aim is to create a regulatory framework which best reflects the realities of General Aviation, such as the diverse type of operations, the involvement of individuals rather than organisations and the regional rather than international character. The latest update on this work has been presented and discussed in Rome at EASA Annual Safety Conference on 14-15 October 2014. The next update will be given during the AERO 2015 exhibition in April 2015. Here you have an overview of the background and activities already made in this area.

The ‘New Approach to GA’ provides an outline of the measures required to move faster towards a more sustainable development of GA in Europe.  It describes the way to support GA while ensuring an appropriate level of protection and allowing for the regional and international context of the GA industry.

Key elements identified are:
• Change the way the ‘EASA system’ operates.
• Simplification of the applicable regulations to GA.
• Review current principles applicable to GA.

The paper also recognises that changes to European policy need to be based on close monitoring of the sector and use of GA expertise and full stakeholder consultation, in order to arrive at the most appropriate and supportive policy solution.

As part of its call for development of an integrated framework, the Agency has set-up collaborative working groups composed by representatives from National Aviation authorities, the industry, GA users and professionals that propose targeted actions, taking into account the unique characteristics of the sector. Aided by positive policy developments, it has enabled stakeholders and regulators to produce a jointly accepted road map for necessary change.

The Agency firmly believes that the GA Road Map initiative provides an appropriate framework for policy improvement for the GA Sector. It requires not only a change of methods, rules and ways of working, but more importantly a change of mind-set in the way regulators, as well as the rest of the GA community manage safety. Change cannot be achieved by any single organisation or person but requires cooperation and joint effort from all parties involved: the European Commission, EASA, all members of the GA community, national authorities, associations, clubs and individuals: Together working towards simpler, lighter better rules for General Aviation.

AND….
1. Towards a more proportional approach to GA
2. Towards using knowledge and experience from external parties to EASA
3. Towards a better organisational approach
4. Towards proportionate GA aircraft airworthiness requirements
5. Towards simpler licences for GA aircraft mechanics
6. Towards reducing 'red tape' for aircraft maintenance
7. Towards helping reduce maintenance and operating costs
8. Towards a regulatory approach reflecting the unique characteristics of GA
9. Towards a flexible approach to pilot training
10. Towards… more changes!

These and other changes as well as the project structure are available under www.easa.europa.eu/ga

The graph shows the rate of fatalities per 1,000 aircraft in the GA fleet. It shows that per 1,000 aircraft, the estimated rate of fatalities is much higher in Europe than in the US. Fleet size was chosen for the rate calculation, because currently there is no reliable pan-European data available on flight hours or number of flights.

Source: EASA Safety Analysis and Research section 2014

The Agency has proposed a more pragmatic and proportionate approach for pilot training, together with an extension of the deadline for the enter-into force date of the applicable requirements. Among the improvements are ‘lighter’ means of compliance (called AMC’s) and the possibility to obtain basic pilot licenses (like private pilot or light aircraft) outside of approved training organisations (for example from aero-clubs). Also, the deadline of April 2015, is currently reviewed towards extending it into the future. A phased approach for compliance by training organisations for professional pilots is also foreseen. These changes come as EASA took into consideration the concerns expressed by regulated parties and they are the result of close cooperation between the European Commission, national aviation authorities and other stakeholders.

One of the Agency’s core values is to strive to satisfy our stakeholders' expectations without compromising our responsibilities for safety and environmental protection, by inspiring confidence, in particular to the general public, while ensuring that we act in an effective and efficient way.

Within this context, we have decided to conduct stakeholder satisfaction surveys on a regular basis in order to continuously improve our processes. We would therefore like to encourage you to provide us with your feedback by filling in the following questionnaire: http://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/Rule2014

The survey will be kept open till 14 November. To complete the survey will take you no longer than 10 minutes.

Thank you for your time.

30 September 2014: Airbus A350-900 is EASA certified

10 October 2014: EASA Committee votes for more time before applying the new training organisation rules

26 November 2014: 1st Workshop on the Approval and Oversight of Fatigue Risk Management (FRM)

26-27 November 2014: EASA Aerodrome Conference on the Implementation of Commission Regulation No 139/2014