HL Deb 14 March 1968 vol 290 cc356-7
LORD TREFGARNE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will now authorise the chief flying instructors of approved commercial pilot schools to carry out complete general flying tests on those students proceeding to the commercial pilots licence with instrument rating.]

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, the Board's licensing arrangements are designed to ensure that a pilot is competent to exercise the privileges of his licence. This is important at all times, but particularly so at the time of the initial issue of the licence; it is therefore essential that the Board of Trade, in discharging its responsibilities, should retain direct control over the flight tests. There is no intention of authorising chief flying instructors of the approved commercial pilot schools to carry out complete general flying tests, but a rationalising of test procedures over the past year has eased the previous problem of delays in testing.

LORD TREFGARNE

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that reply. Would he not agree that chief flying instructors are already authorised to carry out part of the general flying test?—and this, I understand, is on an experimental basis. Is the noble Lord aware, also, that it is the view of the flight test examiners themselves, and of course of flying instructors, that this change ought to take place?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, the answer to the second part of the question is that I am not aware of this, and certainly the Board of Trade, who are responsible for it, and who include the flight examiners, are not aware of this. They take a contrary view. So far as the first part of the question is concerned, I think the noble Lord is under some misapprehension. It is not that C.F.I.'s have been approved to carry out certain tests. They have been appointed to carry out a complete course of training.

LORD TREFGARNE

My Lords, can the noble Lord explain how it is that the navigation section of the general flying as conducted on approved students is, in fact, carried out by chief flying instructors? Is the position that this test is waived in the case of approved students?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I do not wish to go into the technicalities of this matter, but if a student is taking both the day flying course and an instrument course at the same time, since the rationalisation of which I have spoken, if he can satisfactorily pass the instrument rating test, then it is held, if the C.F.I. have approved his complete training, that he is competent to fly in the day and night flying sections.