Updates to seventh edition
Margin for error in altitude
The wake vortex from a heavy airliner, perhaps at low speed and high angle of attack, descends behind it and may give problems to gliders a considerable distance below its flight path. The CAA warns that the wake of a very large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 may cause difficulties as much as 1,000 feet below it.
Clarification of a question
Question 5 on page 14 should read: You have decided to fly cross-country using QFE. The airfield is at 618 feet and the sub-scale reads 995mb. What would your altimeter read at the base of FL55?
Airspace - Infringing
The following is a direct quote from the CAA: “If you know you are infringing airspace, call on 121.5Mhz. The quicker you admit the problem, the quicker it can be resolved. Once controllers know where you are going, they can plan other traffic around you. The majority of airspace infringers are not prosecuted. If you realise that you have infringed and then alert ATC, you are reducing the risk of prosecution. However if you hide your infringement and act irresponsibly you are increasing the chance that the CAA will take action.”
Code of practice near airspace
On some days it is possible to fly above Class D zones such as Lyneham and Brize Norton. You should nevertheless call them out of courtesy. Although you will appear on their radar, it does not give them your height. If you do not call, they will assume that you are in their zone, and divert other traffic five miles away from you. The BGA recommends that glider pilots intending to stay outside controlled airspace but operating within 1nm or 2km horizontally from controlled airspace, or flying over controlled airspace should endeavour to contact the appropriate Air Traffic Control (ATC) unit to explain their intention. After making contact, the following information should be passed to the controller: glider position, height, intention (eg ‘staying clear of the zone’) and any service request (or ‘no service required’)
Airspace classifications I simplified the CAA's table of separations for each class of airspace.
Annual inspection and maintenance
Part M of EASA’s regulations describes the rules for the continuing airworthiness and maintenance of aircraft. This covers all aircraft, with the exception of some experimental aircraft and some ancient types, known as Annex 2 gliders. Apart from these exceptions, all aircraft types are issued with a non-expiring EASA Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA). This is validated annually with an Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC). Part M states that the ARC (which cannot be replaced cheaply) should be carried in the glider. A photocopy might be useful here. Part M states that the ARC (which cannot be replaced cheaply) should be carried in the glider. A photocopy might be useful here.
You can perform your own maintenance on your glider, but only as described in the Glider Maintenance Schedule (GMS) and in BGA’s Airworthiness Maintenance Procedure booklet. There is the list of tasks (known as ‘Pilot Owner Maintenance’) that qualified pilots (Bronze Badge qualified) are authorised to carry out under Part M. Pilot owner maintenance has to be signed for in the glider logbook by the pilot owner. Maintenance outside the scope of ‘Pilot Owner Maintenance’ has to be signed for by an inspector. If you wish carry out the work yourself (after determining it is within your capability), you must discuss it with your BGA inspector before starting the work, so that an appropriate level of supervision can be maintained.
Insurance
The mandatory third party insurance requirements are ultimately defined by the European Commission in Special Drawing Rights and so these are subject to fluctuating exchange rate against sterling. Single seat gliders with a maximum take-off weight between 500kg and 999kg need, at the time of writing, £1.75m of third party cover. Two-seaters need £2million of cover.
The wake vortex from a heavy airliner, perhaps at low speed and high angle of attack, descends behind it and may give problems to gliders a considerable distance below its flight path. The CAA warns that the wake of a very large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 may cause difficulties as much as 1,000 feet below it.
Clarification of a question
Question 5 on page 14 should read: You have decided to fly cross-country using QFE. The airfield is at 618 feet and the sub-scale reads 995mb. What would your altimeter read at the base of FL55?
Airspace - Infringing
The following is a direct quote from the CAA: “If you know you are infringing airspace, call on 121.5Mhz. The quicker you admit the problem, the quicker it can be resolved. Once controllers know where you are going, they can plan other traffic around you. The majority of airspace infringers are not prosecuted. If you realise that you have infringed and then alert ATC, you are reducing the risk of prosecution. However if you hide your infringement and act irresponsibly you are increasing the chance that the CAA will take action.”
Code of practice near airspace
On some days it is possible to fly above Class D zones such as Lyneham and Brize Norton. You should nevertheless call them out of courtesy. Although you will appear on their radar, it does not give them your height. If you do not call, they will assume that you are in their zone, and divert other traffic five miles away from you. The BGA recommends that glider pilots intending to stay outside controlled airspace but operating within 1nm or 2km horizontally from controlled airspace, or flying over controlled airspace should endeavour to contact the appropriate Air Traffic Control (ATC) unit to explain their intention. After making contact, the following information should be passed to the controller: glider position, height, intention (eg ‘staying clear of the zone’) and any service request (or ‘no service required’)
Airspace classifications I simplified the CAA's table of separations for each class of airspace.
Annual inspection and maintenance
Part M of EASA’s regulations describes the rules for the continuing airworthiness and maintenance of aircraft. This covers all aircraft, with the exception of some experimental aircraft and some ancient types, known as Annex 2 gliders. Apart from these exceptions, all aircraft types are issued with a non-expiring EASA Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA). This is validated annually with an Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC). Part M states that the ARC (which cannot be replaced cheaply) should be carried in the glider. A photocopy might be useful here. Part M states that the ARC (which cannot be replaced cheaply) should be carried in the glider. A photocopy might be useful here.
You can perform your own maintenance on your glider, but only as described in the Glider Maintenance Schedule (GMS) and in BGA’s Airworthiness Maintenance Procedure booklet. There is the list of tasks (known as ‘Pilot Owner Maintenance’) that qualified pilots (Bronze Badge qualified) are authorised to carry out under Part M. Pilot owner maintenance has to be signed for in the glider logbook by the pilot owner. Maintenance outside the scope of ‘Pilot Owner Maintenance’ has to be signed for by an inspector. If you wish carry out the work yourself (after determining it is within your capability), you must discuss it with your BGA inspector before starting the work, so that an appropriate level of supervision can be maintained.
Insurance
The mandatory third party insurance requirements are ultimately defined by the European Commission in Special Drawing Rights and so these are subject to fluctuating exchange rate against sterling. Single seat gliders with a maximum take-off weight between 500kg and 999kg need, at the time of writing, £1.75m of third party cover. Two-seaters need £2million of cover.
