After more than 25 years of campaigning and technical work, Commercial Air Transport (CAT) in single-engine aircraft, specifically Single Engine Turbine (SET) types looks set to become a reality in Europe, probably early in 2017.
Although commercial SET operations at night and in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) are long-established in many parts of the world, such operations have been almost unknown in Europe with the exception of a few special cases in France and Scandanavia – believed to number less than 12 aircraft in total. Many supporters of so-called ‘SET-IMC’ operations say that conservatism and resistance to change amongst national aviation authorities have been responsible for holding back commercial SET-IMC operations in Europe. In the meantime, in the USA over 700 SET aircraft are engaged in commercial operations. The largest fleet of SET aircraft is operated by the parcel courier FEDEX, who have over 250 Cessna Caravan aircraft, used predominantly for night freight movement.
After more than 25 years of campaigning and technical work, Commercial Air Transport (CAT) in single-engine aircraft, specifically Single Engine Turbine (SET) types looks set to become a reality in Europe, probably early in 2017.
The work on SET IMC operation in Europe kicked off with a study by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) in 1991. In the early 2000s ICAO issued a set of guidelines for SET IMC flight, which was later picked up by EASA which formed a rule-making group to look at the issue in 2012. In 2014 EASA issued a Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) creating rules for SET IMC operations and the following year EASA issued an ‘opinion’ recommending that commercial SET-IMC operations should be permitted in Europe. The opinion noted that ‘CAT SET-IMC’ operations are already allowed by most of the major regulators outside Europe (Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has already has adopted rules allowing such operations [for over] 10 years. The opinion also noted the role CAT SET-IMC can play in “...opening of low-density routes with the most appropriate aeroplanes and, therefore, reducing the possibility of movement of the population living in remote areas.”
An EASA committee has now voted to accept this recommendation and CAT SET-IMC is expected to become a reality in Europe early next year. It is expected that night and ‘ad-hoc’ freight operations will be a major sector for SET operations, as well as scheduled services to small, remote communities. Other specialist applications may include air ambulance and sight-seeing flights. Popular SET aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12 are well suited to ‘short sector’ flights of up to around 250 miles, and considerably cheaper to operate than multi-engine turbo-prop or jet aircraft. SET aircraft are also capable of operating from shorter and less-prepared runways than jet aircraft and some observers see the new SET-IMC rules as throwing a lifeline to General Aviation (GA) airfields by creating a potentially significant new source of revenue.
It is understood that the UK CAA, together with the aviation authorities in Germany and the Netherlands, were amongst those traditionally opposed to SET-IMC, but who have been persuaded in particular by the record of reliability demonstrated in service, and the advanced technology found on most SET aircraft, some of which is mandated under the new EASA regulation.
