[richard rymill]

Hi
Having completed the Skills test following extensive re training after 18 years not flying P1. I posted everything to Gatwick. I read that the normal turnaround is 2 weeks but they are busy! ok but it is now 3 1/2 weeks since everything went in Recorded delivery. No response, not taken payment from my Debit card yet, anybody can tell me how long I should wait? and what I can do to check progress? Their website specifically says they will not take enquirers from not ATO Leads.
Help, I am in Limbo.
Richardr

[Dave W]

Unfortunately they are so busy that it is reportedly taking quite a bit longer than that at the moment.

Have a look at this thread: How long to wait for licence issue - when is it time to complain?

[WelshRichy]

I sent my forms off to the CAA via recorded delivery (also an SEP renewal). On 31st May they confirmed via phone they received my forms on 15th May and were currently processing applications received on 29/30th April. Therefore probably another 2-3 week wait for mine.

[richard rymill]

Thanks welsh richy, sound similar to me. No option but to sit it out it seems. Very frustrating that this is the best we can do.
As a business process improvement consultant, this sort of situation really irks me! Are we not the customers? As a nation we cando better than put up with this surely?

[richard rymill]

Thanks to Dave W for pointing me to other link.
Makes depressing reading. Looks like no flying this summer the despite huge effort and expense.
Surely our gov services have to wake up and smell the coffee otherwise our country will end up bottom of any rankings. We should be massively embarrassed by this level of service from a Gov body.
Is it time for a petition?
Grant Schapps where are you ?

[johnm]

Would that this issue was confined to pilot licensing, but it pervades many areas. I'm dealing with Town Planning (an oxymoron these days) at the moment and it's just as bad. It was highways last week. Then there's HMRC and DSS...…., the Home Office...….

Of course it's all the fault of the EU and will miraculously improve the day after Brexit

[WelshRichy]

There might be light at the end of the tunnel.

I called them to very politely enquire as to what application dates they were processing yesterday and I could have been blown over with a feather when they said mine was being evaluated as I spoke to them! Looks like they have caught up a little. They also took my payment yesterday (last stage in their process) so likely I'll have my licence with me early next week.

Happy days! Just need to find a group now...

Hope your licence is also on its way.

[cockney steve]

^^^^^^^^^ They're probably reading the thread and you shamed them into shuffling yours to the top of the pile......I believe the wonks call it "damage- limitation "

[WelshRichy]

I like it! Maybe that’s what it takes... lol

[Paul_Sengupta]

Of course it's all the fault of the EU

Funny thing, in this case, it actually *is*, or rather the EASA wing of the EU. It's all to do with UK to EASA PPL, NPPL to LAPL, etc, published deadlines for conversion.

[johnm]

Some of us took our JAA or CAA PPLs and obtained EASA PPLs years ago

[Paul_Sengupta]

Excellent.

Have you ever dealt with any project or coursework deadlines?

[Irv Lee]

Some of us took our JAA or CAA PPLs and obtained EASA PPLs years ago

Some of us had to convert early... for example, when the UK PPL became LAPL privileges only a few years back and you had an I/R or instructor rating and flew easa aircraft.... or if your 5 year JAA PPL expired between 2012 and 2017.....
Surely the problem is that someone somewhere high up made a decision not to invest in the licensing department, knowing that the 'cost' of that to themselves would merely be a huge increase in complaints coming in... which really is no cost at all and demos (to themselves) how management can make hard decisions on costs if needed.... which in this case is an easy decision if you think it through. So I imagine there will be an agenda item in a very high up meeting every month where a graph is shown showing increase in wait time for 'customers', and a graph showing huge increase in complaints, and the answer is usually 'ok, all going to plan, next item'. What may have happened at one meeting recently is external pressure had made them split the "wait time" graphs into commercial and private, and the only concern is if the commercial wait time goes up now. If it goes down, and the wait time for private pilots and the number of complaints go up, then: 'great, as amended plan, next item'

[Paul_Sengupta]

Looks like no flying this summer

Just a comment on this - why?

If you had an 18 year old licence, it may have been a UK licence or a JAA licence. If you had a UK licence, the test would have revalidated this licence and you can fly on that, at least until April next year for EASA aeroplanes - unlimited for Annex II aeroplanes.

If you had a JAA licence then surely an instructor could sign you off to fly solo (see the other thread on this!) until the licence is renewed/converted to an EASA one?

[mistral1]

Just to add to this - if you were thinking of speeding things up a bit by using the counter service (as in the one that used to be free but now costs £100.00) the first available date is currently 4th of July.
The current processing time is apparently 13 working days!!!
Same day service has been totally withdrawn
I think the headline was "UK pilots applying for a licence or rating will soon benefit from a new streamlined process
Finding it hard to see the advantages