Lorraine Mondial Air Ballons [LMAB] – UK Pilots with Sub-ICAO Medicals
If you are off to Metz and don’t hold a Class 2 medical then please read this and act immediately. It isn’t bad news but needs swift action.
The French DGAC held a meeting last week to consider the matter of UK balloon pilots with sub-ICAO medicals. They decided that, since the matter had been formally brought to their attention (not from UK CAA, I hasten to add), they would consider giving a DGAC licence validation to every UK licensed pilot (including co-pilots) who will participate at LMAB this year. This would mean that all pilots covered by the validation would be legally able to fly at LMAB in so far as holding a valid sub-ICAO medical is concerned.
The DGAC have advised that they have already drafted a bespoke validation and it is now ready for issuing. This will list all of the UK pilots (whose medical is sub-ICAO) in a single schedule. This way, there will just be a single validation issued and a single charge (circa EUR 80) covering all affected pilots.
In order that I can lodge this application with DGAC no later than end of business hours on Tuesday 11 July, I need all UK pilots with any medical certificate other than an EU Class 2 (or higher), who have entered the LMAB 2017 event as a pilot or co-pilot, to submit the following information immediately:
Pilot initials and surname
CAA licence number [this is six digits and a single letter and is normally the middle part of any licence, e.g. 345678E]
Type of valid medical certificate or declaration
Date medical issued (or declared)
Date medical expires
The BBAC Webmaster has kindly set up a bespoke Google forms page for this purpose: https://goo.gl/forms/z3jqRZKUsuXCyT5p2. Please only use this link to provide this information.
Do not e-mail your information to any e-mail address, nor ask any additional questions at this time. Every UK licenced balloon pilot holding a UK PPL(B) or a UK CPL(B) Restricted and who does not hold an EU Class 2 medical certificate (and is entered for LMAB) needs to submit their information. The potential validation will only apply to LMAB (for the moment) and no other overseas event.
Please submit the information requested immediately. The DGAC feel that they must issue this licence validation not later than Wednesday 12 July and the schedule will not be subsequently amendable. The issuing of this validation will give certainty to all sub-ICAO UK pilots that are attending LMAB, and the charging of a single fee is, I think, very generous of DGAC.
Ian Chadwick. LMAB UK Ambassador