It's been an expensive few months for me but it really boiled down to two items; a new battery and a new SEP rating. The battery issue was pretty easy to resolve and certainly not as costly as the new piece of paper.
How did I manage to lose the SEP. Paperwork, pure and simple. I had 12 hours logged in the last 12 months of the SEP validity period and I also had completed and hour with an instructor - what I didn't do was submit those details to the IAA by the date of expiry on my SEP rating.
That oversight on my part required a flight test to get my rating back. The cost: €430 plus 50 minutes of aircraft rental. That's money that should have been spent flying my Luscombe, keeping my skills sharp which would do a lot more for aviation safety. Now don't get me wrong, the rules are rules, so I don't expect an exemption. However, the rule is pointlessly punitive. If I hadn't met the currency and instructional requirements I could see some merit in an examination of my skills but I had met those requirements . What I hadn't done was complied with a bureaucratic procedure.
A €430 flight test is an excessive penalty for not posting a form to Aviation House.
