Following the success of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge, an independent General Aviation Challenge Panel was established by Ministers in November 2013. Its remit included providing a detailed assessment of the CAA’s own programme for regulatory reform, consideration of how the CAA could be more transparent in its regulatory oversight and how the it might deliver culture change within the organisation, and identifying ways of reducing regulatory burdens which emerge from the EU including avoiding unnecessary “gold‐plating” of EU requirements.

As well as looking at specific deregulatory measures, the Panel was also asked to identify ideas or projects which might support growth of the sector and in turn provide economic benefits for the UK.
Tasked with producing an interim report by the end of January 2014, a 73 page document was published on January 30th and contains much about the Government’s enthusiasm for a healthy GA sector, freed up from unnecessary and debilitating regulation, plus 53 individual recommendations from the panel where change could have a significantly beneficial impact on GA.

These recommendations are wide reaching, covering everything from Safety Management to Airspace and Planning Protection to Growing the GA sector. Typical Recommendations are:

 

Recommendation 19: where EU regulation requires certification or approval that is not supported by a favourable cost benefit, the CAA should apply the lightest possible touch to such processes to minimise compliance burden, and where appropriate, lobby for changes to the EU regulation.

 

Recommendation 29: the CAA should review the classification of lower airways and some Terminal Manoeuvring Areas (TMAs) as class A airspace, with a view to the use of class C or class D airspace in its place.

 

And

 

Recommendation 46: the CAA should, once again, pursue the case with the Commission and EASA for a medical declaration to be used instead of a medical assessment for GA pilots, with limitations consistent with the principles of risk‐based safety and informed consent, using the evidence base it has from UK NPPL and glider operations.

 

The  full Interim Report can be found here.

 

A final report is due at the end of April 2014.