[Irv Lee]

It's started - in the past week, 6 people woken up to the madness of the NPPL-SSEA bridge to LAPL(A) ending after April 7th for SSEAs issued after that date and asking me for help.... I hope there is some serious work going on behind the scenes to make sure this bridge is extended, preferably become permanent. The bridge is currently covering EASA's backside on some really anti-GA attitudes inside EASA - I am constantly being told by a small number of people how EASA has changed to be GA friendly since 2012, well here's a way to demonstrate it!

[Paul_Sengupta]

May I also suggest they extend (permanently!) the use of UK licences for EASA aircraft in UK airspace? Or any other state in a G reg aircraft.

[Irv Lee]

ah, you must have missed the massive social media frenzy about a meeting where the EASA president ask his secretary of licensing .... "why do all these people want to come to us with their 4hith0le licences?".

[francoisvl]

Irv - if this bridge is removed, do you have a view on the most efficient route from an NPPL (Microlight) to an LAPL (A) or to an EASA PPL? Will holding an NPPL (M) have any impact on the amount of training required to move forward, or will flying experience count at all for either?

I'm one of the people who woke up to the bridge running out some time ago but work travel combined with poor weather means I've not made it across said bridge although I did make a start a couple of months ago... and now I'm having to find other options. I'm about to travel away again for 5 weeks, so really no realistic chance of NPPL (M) to SSEA to LAPL (A) at this time.

I hope the bridge will be extended, but public pronouncements seem to indicate that this will not be the case.

Cheers in advance for your experience with these issues.

[Irv Lee]

well, unless they are going to surprise us, their answer to anyone who hasn't got an ssea issued before April 8th this year will be 'go and do a full lapl ab-initio course' - and that will be whether the pilot has 1000 hours in microlights or later has a 1000 hours in SSEA (but issued after the April date) or even 1000 hours using a foreign ICAO SEP (but recently expired). They have been saying 'go do a full 45 hours PPL course' to pilots with 100s of hours on ICAO licences with a recently expired SEP rating for nearly 5.5 years now.
As LAPL(A) is non-ICAO and therefore anything to do with is at the whim of EASA, so clearly not having any means of bridging anything* to a LAPL(A) must be based on anti-(hobby)-GA sentiment, it's not as if they are worried about ICAO compliance.
(*I suspect the only way to get a LAPL(A) without an ab initio course or starting with a current PPL(SEP) is from a foreign current SEP rating with 100 hours minimum on it, there may be some really weird and complicated route devised by a madman via SLMG, LAPL(S) with motor glider, and then maybe that can convert to LAPL(A) with TMG, and then LAPL(A) with SEP, but I haven't looked at the motor glider side.) I really don't understand why lots of things should not be converted to a LAPL(A) directly and remain so, it being the non-ICAO leisure licence.
What is galling is of course that they have bent over backwards to let an FAA PPL fly a G reg EASA aircraft in UK airspace until April 2019 with a bit of simple form filling, but UK national licence holders have to stop this April! Perhaps we need one of those political solutions, whereby it is decided for licence conversion purposes only, April 7th 2018 doesn't finish at 23:59 but legally goes on for many years.

[B1engineer]

So frustrating, on dual navs for nppl m solo navs a couple of hours away. But will not complete for months due airfield runway bogged down. I was going to do ssea then lapl. I guess I'll stay on 3 axis micros then.

[JAFO]

I have an NPPL with a long lapsed SSEA rating and had planned to renew it before the deadline and then convert it to a LAPL.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a cardiac event in December and so won't now be recovered until after the deadline.

I'm determined, almost as part of my recovery, to get a licence of some description back when I'm fully fit again, but I'm having trouble working out how the heck to do that.

[Irv Lee]

you can cut across before getting the Micro rating (then do that later) subject to various conditions, see 2.1.2.2 in http://www.nationalprivatepilotslicence ... V%2011.pdf - but of course, if you go to a different club with a tarmac runway, spend money, but then if they see sense before 23:59 on 7.4.2018, you are not going to be happy.

[low&slow]

JAFO,

You got your NPPL(A) with SSEA before the deadline so it can be converted anytime. My reading of CAP 804 is that an NPPL(A) with an expired SSEA rating can be converted to an LAPL(A) but you would need to do an LAPL(A) proficiency check before using the licence.

[JAFO]

Thanks L&S

I'll look at how to do that.

[Irv Lee]

probably don't need to worry yet @JAFO as you already have one, and you would need your lapl medical before applying. As long as you had an SSEA, you should be ok when you are ready, hope that you recover quickly. You should look at test content, if ssea renew is significantly different and less than a LAPL test, you could choose to renew the SSEA and then convert

[JAFO]

Thanks Irv - so I could renew my SSEA (flying an EASA aircraft after 8th April) and then get the LAPL medical and convert or convert and then sort out the medical and renew the rating?

I've watched a wonderful DVD called the rust remover by someone whose name escapes me, so I should be okay with either .

[Irv Lee]

You would need the medical to convert so the bit before your "or" is correct, the bit after the "or" would be medical, convert, test but it may cost you more, it depends how they deal with the expired rating bit if that is possible. And... Until they actually put "skill test or proficiency check" in last 2 years into the lapl validity rules, unless you have the required historic hours when you restart, in both cases you have to pretend you think it already is, like anyone who gets a lapl off an ab initio course does now.
Ps thanks about the dvd - try a masterclass!

[ChrisF]

Hi - looking for advice on renewal after a gap in flying.

I've had a NPPL with SSEA and SLMG on it but due to a gap in flying both ratings were not renewed in time. I have a current LAPL Medical and have just renewed my SLMG by a test with an examiner - what do I need to do to renew my SSEA as I want to sort both before the April deadline and apply for a LAPL(A) with both SEP/SSEA and SLMG/TMG or whatever the current EASA terms are for the ratings. any advice with refereces would be appreciated.

[Irv Lee]

Same test in ssea, and then photocopying of ratings/medical etc (certified by examiner or head of training), and form (srg1104) to apply for lapl(a) with Sep and tmg privileges. Assumes examiner signed off English Proficiency.