Annual Safety Review 2024 for General Aviation - Coping with Weather

[@Hunator]

There are too many GA pilots, which are VFR only. In my view, this is due to two reasons: 1) IR rating is not helpful for most GA pilots as most GA airports are VFR only. There are no common guidelines in the EU for small uncontrolled GA airports to follow to allow Instrument Approaches and Departures. Even getting AFIS service is simply out of reach for small GA / aeroclub airports due to the certifications and connected costs. So, where there are almost no airports where you can use IR, pilots are not motivated to undergo the costly training. Suppose there is no support from EASA/CAA/ATC with guidance/rules for certification/construction of procedures, etc. In that case, there will be no motivation for small GA airstrips/airports to invest in those, and without EASA guidance/request, the CAAs/NAAs would be either too scared to allow it or not motivated for this extra work. Look at FAA - they have RNP/RNAV approaches to non-towered airports just with UNICOM, and it works reasonably well. 2) Theory exams for IR/BIR/EIR and the cost of doing the rating with very little to gain (when not going to the airlines). Limited airports, aircraft that are costly to maintain, and costs for ATC services (approach and landing charges, navigation charges). Make easy guidelines for CAAs/NAAs on how to allow IFR at uncontrolled airports, to pilots on how to operate IFR in uncontrolled airspace, and motivate CAAs/NAAs to do the certification and design of the IFR procedures for GA airports/pilots to follow. Then, there will be more IFR-rated pilots and fewer VFR-into-IMC incidents/accidents.

[@IvarFFF]

I think this is a bit backwards, the common sense solution is better training, provide a coherent EASA wide at the least standard weather briefing format for all countries at the minimum i within EU. with an easy and accessible weather briefing . Perhaps start in the right end of the problem and don´t suggest "ducktaping" your way out of it.

[@together4safety301]

It's a tough one, in GA there is a fine balance between enough rules and too many. So it's not so easy to regulate a solution like that and how would you check every pilot used such a common approach. Ultimately it's a multifaceted solution. Training, ongoing learning and education along with useful easy tools to get the information. The other challenge is that in many accidents the weather looks fine until it suddenly isn't. Hopefully a collaborative approach can improve things.