Exame oral da FAA para licença aeronáutica nos EUA

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Convocatória da Assembleia Geral Ordinária

Nos termos do artigo 6 dos Estatutos, convoco a Assembleia Geral Ordinária da AOPA Portugal - Associação de Operadores e Proprietários de Aeronaves, para reunir pelas 12 horas do dia 27 de Fevereiro de 2013 na sala da biblioteca da sede da APPLA, à Rua Tomé de Jesus, nº8 em Lisboa, com a seguinte Ordem de Trabalhos:

1. Apreciação do Relatório e Contas da Direcção relativos ao exercício de 2012 e do Parecer do Conselho Fiscal e sua votação.

2. Eleições para os Orgãos da Associação.

3. Aprovação do Orçamento para 2013.

4. Outros assuntos.

Se à hora prescrita não estiverem presentes na maioria dos membros da Associação, a assembleia reúne 30 minutos depois com os sócios presentes, no mesmo local e com a mesma ordem de trabalhos.

A Comissão a que se refere o artigo 6º dos estatutos, e a quem são apresentadas as cadidaturas às eleições é compasta pelos associados Manual Salta (presidente), Luís Laureano Santos e Artur Caracol.

Lisboa, 27 de Janeiro de 2013

O Presidente da Direcção

José Robin de Andrade

Novas Regras Comuns do Ar

Em 26 de Setembro deste ano a Comissão Europeia aprovou as novas Regras 
Comuns do Ar que a partir de 4 de Dezembro de 2012 vigorarão em toda  a 
União Europeia, embora os Estados possam optar pela sua não aplicação 
durante 2 anos no máximo. Pode consultar on line as novas Regras Comuns 
do Ar.

Situação preocupante da Aviação Geral em Portugal

Em carta dirigida ao presidente do INAC , a Direcção da Aopa Portugal manifesta a sua crescente preocupação face ao avolumar de problemas que afectam a aviação geral no nosso País e que têm determinado uma redução considerável na actividade aeronáutica e o encerramento ou paralisação de vários aeroclubes.

Acidente trágico em Tires

Durante a noite do dia 26 de Junho ocorreu um trágico acidente com um Cessna 152 (CSAUR) da Escola de Aviação Leávia causando a morte dos seus dois tripulantes, um instrutor e um aluno. 

Expressamos as nossas sentidas condolencias aos familiares dos dois pilotos mortos no acidente, e em especial ao nosso associado Pedro Leal, pai do jovem falecido.

Luz no fundo do tunel da EASA!

Pela sua imporitância e actualidade, transcrevemos aqui a noticia que surge no ultimo boletim mensal da IAOPA, dando conta do que se pensa virá a ser uma atitude mais razoável e inteligente da EASA para com a Aviação Geral, na linha da que é adoptada pela FAA norte-americana.

Esperamos que o nosso INAC seja sensivel à mesma ordem de preocupações, e deixe de tratar a Aviação Geral como uma mini-aviação comercial, aplicando de uma forma cega e burocrática os regulamentos EASA, desprezando as especificidades da Aviação não comercial e contribuindo por essa via para fazer desaparecer no nosso País o que resta da Aviação Geral Portuguesa!

Muitos são hoje aliás os aviões portugueses que passam para o registo alemão, que vem dando prova de maior flexibilidade e conhecimento técnico no tratamento da especificidade da Aviação Geral. 

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Light at the end of the EASA tunnel

The French-led working group that aims to create a new world of light-touch regulation for European general aviation has produced a set of guiding principles for EASA which will be considered by the Agency's Board of Management next week. Although the full details are confidential, the basic tenets are that there should be no regulation without a specific safety aim, and every new regulation should be tested with a full risk analysis and a cost-benefit study before it is imposed. The group wants EASA to move completely away from the 'top-down' concept of creating regulations for Commercial Air Transport then imposing them on GA, sometimes in a slightly watered-down form. It wants EASA to adopt the ICAO stance, which specifically states that authorities do not owe the same duty of care to GA participants as they do to paying customers of the airlines and uninvolved third parties.

The group is much more than a think-tank, and includes representatives of EASA and the European Commission, who have indicated that they go along with the consensus view. It was set up at the behest of EASA's Board of Management following a presentation to the Board by IAOPA Senior Vice President Martin Robinson, who sits of the group together with AOPA Germany's Managing Director Dr Michael Erb.

The general view is that Annex 6, part 1, of ICAO's Chicago Convention covers general aviation regulation sufficiently well, and if EASA wishes to go beyond it, then it has to be addressing a demonstrated safety problem and its response should be proportionate to the risk and the cost. European states are signatories to the Convention whereas Europe as an entity is not, and the EC does not consider EASA to be bound by its provisions. The states, however, have relied on ICAO for guidance since the Second World War, and it has not been found wanting.

There is a real chance that this revolutionary approach will be officially adopted, and GA could enjoy a more prosperous future freed of the burden of excess bureaucracy and unnecessary cost inherent in over-regulation. A new Transport Commissioner takes over at the EC in 2014, and the 'new broom' could provide the perfect opportunity for a fundamental change of philosophy. The working group has made specific suggestions on guaranteed grandfather rights, and clarity in rulemaking. EASA's regulations are written by lawyers – the Agency carries no liability insurance – and it's sometimes necessary for a pilot to read hundreds of pages of legalese, correctly cross-referencing other documents and interpreting inconsistencies, before he knows what he's allowed to do. Ambiguity, opacity and inconsistency are dangerous to aviation.

Martin Robinson says: "We must congratulate the French CAA, the DGAC, for their support and their work on this issue. The DGAC has a requirement in France to ensure there is always a market place for aviation, and they are rightly proud of their aviation history.

"The wind of change is blowing through Cologne, and the changes are fundamental and positive. As far as GA is concerned, the first instinct of EASA should be to do nothing. The risks of GA to uninvolved third parties are so minuscule as to be largely irrelevant. These facts should guide EASA's thinking."

The question now is how the new philosophy can be applied to EASA regulations that have already been imposed. EASA's Aviation Training Organisation rules are a case in point. A flight training organisation which is not owned by its members is deemed to be a commercial operation, subject to all of EASA's requirements for CAT. Trial lessons are deemed to be commercial operations, which means flying clubs will have to dedicate an aircraft, with an AOC, a detailed ops manual, and a commercial pilot to fly it, if they want to do trial lessons. The horse has bolted on this one, and according to EASA it cannot be changed without changing the wording of the Basic Regulation, the EC bible which governs what EASA does. Obviously it will be easy to get around this particular problem – just call it a 'first lesson' instead of a trial lesson – but other EASA regulations will not be so simple to finesse, and GA will have to rely on a certain amount of goodwill from national authorities in their interpretations.

While the working group was originally only scheduled to meet twice, provision has been made for it to meet again in the light of the response of the Board of Management next week. More details in the next IAOPA-Europe enews.