Sixty years ago, with the outcome of the World War II still nearly 12 months in the future, 52 nations met in Chicago to agree on a format for the worldwide development of civil aviation in the post-war environment. As codicils to the Chicago Convention of Dec. 7, 1944, which formalized the existence of ICAO, each operational remit area was amplified by means of a numbered Annex. Annex Number One detailed personnel licensing standards for all those involved in flight operations, including flight crewmembers, maintenance technicians, air traffic controllers and flight dispatchers. ICAO has undertaken a major review (the first in 30 years) that includes an amendment in the proposal stage that will lead to a major change in the recruitment and training of flight-deck crew. The proposal, for a multi-crew pilot license (MPL), is the subject of intense argument and is creating divisions among providers of airline flight crew training.
In January, Ron Elder of the British CAA presented the outline proposals to the ICAO Air Navigation Commission. The Commission accepted the proposals in principle, clearing the way for the final format to be formally presented to ICAO for acceptance in early 2006.
More In Regulations and Government
