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UK PPL (Private Pilots licence) Flying at Agen. Anyone gone this route?


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BobDee

Well the introduction of the JARs was meant to sort all these national differences but guess what? Anyhow what's causing the problem?- I can't help you directly since I don't do Private flying but I have some colleagues that do fly light aircraft in France and I could ask around.  Failing that you might want to try the appropriate section of the pprune website.  

 

Stefan(09)

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...And I looked at pprune and see that you had already been there....and the answer you got there pretty much summed it up the crazy situation regarding JARs....Seeing as my colleagues and I are on Class Ones ( done in the UK)  I doubt we can help you either but I will ask just in case someone has found a resident AME.  Otherwise all I can suggest is taking BA or Easy up to LGW and getting your Class 2 done in the UK, perhaps at the Belgrano itself ( aka the CAA HQ ) - not really the answer you want - sorry. 

PS: Could you get a Class One through a local AME?

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Thanks Stefan,

I have written back to the CAA asking their "advice". As you say, back to Gatwick is probably the answer. I have an old fashioned idea that it is the CAA that should be sorting this out. What is the point of JAR if in practice its unworkable? Will post results here and PPrune as appropriate. I will also enquire at the local club. This must have happened a million times before. Re the Class 1, I would have thought CAA would have suggested that if appropriate. In Kent , many AME's seem not to offer Class 1, I know not why!

BobDee

 

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Hi BobDee

I knew one of the medics who was involved in introducing JAR medicals into the UK and in his opinion it was full of holes. Most of the JAR member nations had filed national differences of some sort e.g. timing of hearing tests etc - sounds a bit like the way the EU in general works.

I think doing Class One medicals would involve the AME having to have more 'kit', so perhaps for cost reasons they don't bother.  There used to be very highly recommended  AME based at LGW  (in the tower itself) - I think he retired a couple of years back but if you want any recommendations for a friendly Doc I'll ask our LGW  boys and girls.

 

Good Luck

Stefan  

  

 

 

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Had quite a useful chat with Medical folk at CAA LGW. They now say that a Class I medical is acceptable but could not tell me where the nearest (to Agen) examiner is. They say that France does have UK recognised Class 1 examiners and that is their suggested route, providing the examiner passes all the results direct to the CAA as clearly no "on line" facilities exist. They also say that Spain does have Class 2 medical examiners but again could not tell me where. I think the best bet is to visit local Flying Clubs in France and Spain and see what other folk do. There must be probably several hundred ex pat PPL's who have trodden this path, hence the purpose of the original posting.

Stefan, do you know what a class 1 med costs? I suspect you do!

Regs

BobD

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Well the reason the CAA  can afford that shiney building at LGW is their fees - Class One renewal with them is around STG250...Given that I suspect going the French route might be better, I can't believe French PPlers are paying that sort of sum every year.

Anyhow I've been given details for a couple of AMEs at/near LGW, either:

Dr Peter Chapman ( Horley) Tel: 0845 070 0733

or

   http://www.amsgatwick.com/

I haven't used either so I cannot vouch for them personally. 

Good luck, keep the shiney side up!

"Stefan" (09)

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  • 11 months later...

A late update to this thread. Have now joined the Club at La Garenne (LFBA). There was an initial problem getting my license accepted. I had to go to Spain to get a Class 2 that the CAA would accept, and the folk at SIA Paris told the club that UK JAR PPL(A) with a Spanish licence wasnt on. I came back home and called CAA medical section in UK and they gave me the name if head chap in Paris. I called him and explained situation. A few days later the club had an Email from SIA saying all was now OK.

Had my first flight last week. Just have to get my 12 hours in now before my UK license expires.

The bottom line is the French Class 2 is not JAR and not acceptable to the UK and other JAR states. You can change your license to a French one for a cost of around 250 Euro, but you would have a problem if you wanted to return to UK and hire a plane. (Thats if the local club knew the rules!). I have heard that there is an AME at Toulouse that will do class 2 JAR within the Airbus group, (You dont have to be an employee). Havnt checked this out. Next year maybe.

BobD  

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I can't see that obtaining a French license would not allow you to fly in the UK. I have a PPL(A) with both light aircraft and microlights on it. I was told by the DGAC that I could not fly a French registered aircraft on a UK license so have just done a GFT and am awaiting the French license in the post,  but I still have my UK license, it was not an exchange. The difference may be that I only want the French ULM part rather than the group A.

On the French license there are no minimum hours to fly for a ULM and it lasts for life. I have now got the French registration through for the aircraft at a cost of 20 euros, a bit different to the hundred plus pounds that the CAA want for a registration.

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Hi Bob et al,

Twas the CAA medical group that told me a French Medical wasnt OK in the UK.

Much confusion re the whole issue, but getting a Spanish or German or belge or Lithuania medical is acceptable to the UK CAA. If the UK accept the medical then France must and they will allow you to fly F reg craft. I have this in writing. 

If you want to email me , I will give you more details.

That was the outcome of the interchange between me and the CAA and the top man in Paris. If you look at PPRUNE (private flying), you will find the whole sorry tale.

Regs

BobD

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Did not mean to divert the tread from the original medical theme there Bob, sorry about that.

I was in the situation that I could use the NPPL medical declaration with my PPL(A) as I only wanted to fly microlights. The problem is that there is no medical required in France for the microlight bit and the CAA  and NPPL system requires that your GP countersigns it. No French GP would do that as the system is different here. I had to jump through hoops to get a UK doctor to countersign, but that is now done and I am waiting for the French license in the post so will not need a medical again and will forget my UK PPL and fly on the French one.

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