Examination of Witnesses (Questions 460-464)
MR KEITH
MANS, PROFESSOR
CALLUM THOMAS,
MR DAVID
STARKIE AND
DR GRAHAM
BRAITHWAITE
25 JANUARY 2006
Q460 Chairman: Do you think new pilots
have got to go abroad to get adequate practice because of the
climate and things like that?
Dr Braithwaite: It is certainly
an option but whether they get adequate practice of the sort of
weather they might fly in is a different matter altogether. I
would certainly agree with Mr Mans' comment earlier on that GA
is a part of the industry that we need to nurture. The supply
of pilots is drying up not just in the UK but across Europe and
beyond that. Without a ready supply of pilots the growth of the
aviation industry will start to struggle.
Q461 Chairman: What about this 2%
of private pilots in the UK who hold instrument ratings as compared
to 50% in the United States?
Dr Braithwaite: I do not think
the answer to that solely lies with the CAA.
Q462 Chairman: But is it correct?
Dr Braithwaite: I do not know.
Q463 Chairman: You do not know?
Dr Braithwaite: No.
Q464 Chairman: So you do not have
any view about the effect that would have on safety?
Dr Braithwaite: It is a different
flying environment. There are some reasons why holding ratings
would be rather more useful and we should encourage more people
to do so. There are other factors such as people holding those
qualifications may already have been snapped up in the airline
industry, so I do not think there is a simple answer to that.
Chairman: Gentlemen, you have been very
helpful, thank you very much indeed.
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