Strange CAA correspondence re: PPL renewal

[Frederik Ramm]

Dear uk.rec.aviation,

maybe you can help me interpret a recent letter from the CAA.

I have a proper CAA-issued JAR PPL(A), but my country of residence is
Germany. My license is coming up for renewal in a few months, and the
CAA just sent me a letter that goes:

"... Your JAR PPL(A) license will expire on <date>. At this stage you have
the option if you have not already done so, to convert to a JAR license, in
which case you will be required to meet the requirements as per our LASORS
document ..."

They further quote a license renewal fee of 70 UK pounds, or a JAR
conversion fee of 176 UK pounds, and they add a renewal (not conversion)
form.

Can anybody shed a light on why I would want to "convert" my JAR PPL(A) into
a "JAR license"? Could it be that they refer to the option of transferring
my CAA-managed JAR license to Germany so that I'd then be outside of CAA
responsibility, or have all of you who live in the UK received similar
letters?

Cheers,
Frederik

[Ross Younger]

Post by Frederik Ramm
"... Your JAR PPL(A) license will expire on <date>. At this stage you have
the option if you have not already done so, to convert to a JAR license .."
Can anybody shed a light on why I would want to "convert" my JAR PPL(A) into
a "JAR license"?

I think the conversion refers to CAA pre-JAR licenses. I'm pretty
sure that I got the same dodgy mail-merge when mine came up a couple of
years ago.


Ross

[brian whatcott]

Speaking as a person who held an FAA PPL on the basis of a CAA PPL for
thirty plus years, which worked well until march 31st, I can detect a
couple or three pertinent factors:

1) The US decided that paper FAA pilot certificates were insecure which
I imagine means easy to forge, so they decided they would upgrade to
plastic credit card like certificates which are harder to forge.
For standard certificates, this is just a form and a $2 payment.
For non standard certificates involving foreign pilots, or like glider
pilots with certain endorsements, there was a validation process through
CAA and sometimes a verbal language or proficiency check etc etc.

2) The CAA introduced new requirements on their licences which involved
more coordination for JAR via ICAO etc which called for payment for service.

3) Expecting air safety bureaucracies to work swiftly is unrealistic

Clear as mud?

Brian W

Post by Frederik Ramm
Dear uk.rec.aviation,
maybe you can help me interpret a recent letter from the CAA.
I have a proper CAA-issued JAR PPL(A), but my country of residence is
Germany. My license is coming up for renewal in a few months, and the
"... Your JAR PPL(A) license will expire on <date>. At this stage you have
the option if you have not already done so, to convert to a JAR license, in
which case you will be required to meet the requirements as per our LASORS
document ..."
They further quote a license renewal fee of 70 UK pounds, or a JAR
conversion fee of 176 UK pounds, and they add a renewal (not conversion)
form.
Can anybody shed a light on why I would want to "convert" my JAR PPL(A) into
a "JAR license"? Could it be that they refer to the option of transferring
my CAA-managed JAR license to Germany so that I'd then be outside of CAA
responsibility, or have all of you who live in the UK received similar
letters?
Cheers,
Frederik