Col Hey is a former Australian FAI Certificates officer.
Introduction
The Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) is situated in Paris, and is
the sole international body in control of airsports and aeronautic and
astronautic records. It has a General Section of the Sporting Code to which is
added a specialised section depending on which air sport you're involved with.
For example Section 1 covers balloons and airships, 7 covers hang-gliders,
8 covers spacecraft.
Section 3 is for gliding, Class D for gliders and DM for motorgliders.
As you'd expect, GFA is the body to look after FAI matters as far as gliding
is concerned, and this is divided between 3 people who handle
Australian Claims,
Overseas Claims and
Records.
GFA is allowed, with approval, to set other standards or awards of
proficiency, and so we have the A,B and C Certificates (also the distance
awards of 600, 700, 750, 800 & 900 kms).
Most other gliding countries have some sort of basic award to prove you've
reached a level of proficiency before allowinroficiency before allowing you to "go over the fence".
They also have a licence to fly a glider, while we have a Gliding Certificate.
The nearest you'll get to a licence, at the time of writing this (May '94), is
the A,B,C Certificate. It's issued to laid down and recognised standards, and
it's in your interests to get the various parts of it as you reach those
standards. It's much better than a note in your logbook from an Instructor to
say that you can do so and so, which could have been earned by variable
standards.
Silver Badge
Gold Badge
Diamond Badge
Official Observer
BASIC FAI GLIDING CERTIFICATE
"A" Certificate - 5 solo flights,
- completed the pre-solo syllabus from the Instructor's Handbook
- test on basic theory, flight rules, etc
- signed the GFA medical declaration.
"B" Certificate - 15 solo flights, including one of 30 mins.
- completed post-solo syllabus,
- test on theory, flight rules etc.
"C" Certificate - 20 solo or mutual flights,
including 2 of at least one hour,
- test on theory, procedures etc,
- received a "passenger awareness" briefing,
- check on outlandings,
check on outlandings,
- entry and recovery from fully developed spins.
All of this has to be certified by an Instructor, and each award achieved has
a "reward", e.g., with the "B" you can fly mutually with someone with at least
the same endorsement, if your Club or CFI says so.
SILVER BADGE.
This requires:
- an endurance flight of at least 5 hours,
- a distance flight of at least 50km in a straight line,
- a gain of height of at least 1000m (3280').
1. You can't include the tow time. You can't get a tow to more than 1000m
(3280').
You don't need a barograph if you stay local, but this could change in the
future.
2. The 50k's must be in a straight line. The rules state -"Any leg of more
than 50km of
a longer predeclared course may qualify subject to ..on height loss...".
If you can declare an out and return task, or a small triangle, you can
help get around
the height loss restrictions.
If your total distance is less than 100k, your maximum height loss can be
only 1% of the distance. (i.e. if you fly only 50k then your maximum
release height can be no
more than 500m, or 1640'). If the distance is over 100k, the maximum
height loss
can be 1000m (3280').
So if you feel sure you can fly A to B and back to A, and each way is
over 50k,
declare it as an out and return. The same applies if you can n. The same applies if you can do a small
triangle.
You need to take a barograph, and photo's (see later).
3. For the height gain you must have a barograph.
You can't use the tug's altimeter, nor that of another glider.
Tow pilots can only certify the point of release (geographical location)
and nothing to do with the height.
To clear up a few misconceptions - there is some who say that you can do only
two legs of a badge flight at the one time. There is nothing in the
Sporting Code about this. It probably came from some Clubs trying to get more
flying out of you. I'm told that earlier on, you had to fly the necessary
distance to another airfield/paddock and land there.
Nothing in the Code about that either, but some declarations still only put
down the distance one way even though the pilot has flown there and back.
There's nothing in the Code about you having to submit your claim within
6 months, but it is a local requirement that you do so. It's so that you won't
lose the supporting evidence for your flight (barogram, negatives) while
you're waiting to finish the claim.
There is no such thing as a Silver C, or a Gold C.
The Sporting Code refers to them only as a Silver Badge or a Gold Badge.
They are International - if you told a glider pilot from Germany or Spain or
the US that you had a Silver Badge, they'd know exactly what you were talking
about, assuming that you spoke the same language.
Once you hav language.
Once you have one, that's it, there's no annual renewal.
And when you have your Silver Badge, you've done 1/3 of your
GOLD BADGE.
This requires:
1. - an endurance flight of 5 hours,
2. - a free distance flight of at least 300km,
3. - a gain of height of at least 3000m (9843').
1. You've already done it when you did the Silver.
2. A "Free Distance Flight" from the Sporting Code is "A flight measured for
distance from a departure point via not more than three previously declared
turn points, to a landing place not necessarily specified before take-off.
The TP's must be at least 10km apart, and they may be claimed once, in any
sequence, or not at all". You need a barograph, and photo's.
3. You need a barograph.
DIAMOND BADGE.
This requires:
1 - A free distance flight of at least 500km,
2 - A goal flight of at least 300km,
3 - A gain of height of at least 5000m
1. See the definition of a free distance flight under Gold badge.
2. Must be flown as either an out and return or a triangle, and the turn
points must be in the designated sequence to your declared goal, usually
where you started from.
3. You need the barograph.
The Sporting Code states that "A flight may count towards any Badge or Diamond
for which it fulfils the conditions". Just as the endurance flight for ". Just as the endurance flight for the
Silver satisfies that requirement for the Gold Badge, if you can do the 300km
around a triangle (or an out and return) in the designated sequence, then you
will have both Gold Distance and Diamond Goal.
If you can do it around a 500km distance you'll have Diamond Distance as well.
Again, to clear up some misconceptions - some still believe that triangle
flights must be flown so that no one leg is greater than a certain percentage
of the whole distance. Not so. The percentage business refers to record
flights only (and the Barron-Hilton Cup flights).
Some confusion occurs at times - on the phone "Gold" can sound like "Goal",
and a Diamond Endorsement is the stamp in your Gliding Certificate.
If you want a Diamond in your Badge (Silver or Gold) that's extra.
THE BAROGRAPH.
It must be in calibration for height gains. That means it must have been
calibrated at an Instrument shop from a year before to a month after the
flight. For Gold and Diamond height gains your claim must have a Certificate
of Gain of Height from such a shop, or you can send me the calibration chart
and the barogram from your flight and I'll read it. I do reserve the right to
send it to a shop if the gain is marginal.
I don't want the barogram from your Silver height gain unless the gain is less
than 3700', but again I reserve the right to call for it if your claim is
marginal.
The Barograph doesn't need to be within the c need to be within the calibration times for the distance
and endurance flights.
THE CAMERA.
It must be fixed in the glider, and all photo's, except for those of the
landing area, must be taken from that position. Hand held cameras are out,
as is the declaration board screwed to the side of the hangar (unless you can
manoeuvre your glider around to it).
THE OFFICIAL OBSERVER.
is in control of the flight. There are barographs to seal and mark, cameras to
check (not necessary to seal them if you are the one putting the camera in and
taking it out), film to be developed, the declaration board or sheet correctly
made out. The negatives must show the correct turn points, and if necessary,
in the correct order, and the "random mark" on the canopy that you carefully
put on before taking the declaration board photo's must show .
Outlandings might have to be witnessed.
A couple of years ago, all Official Observer Authorities were cancelled.
A lot of O/O's were working on Sporting Codes that were 10 or 15 years out of
date. The opportunity was taken when the new, more user friendly Sporting Code
was published to start again. To date there are only 400 Official Observers
in the Sport in Australia.
It's not difficult to become one, an application form signed by your CFI and
$10.
For this you get a copy of the Sporting Code and a test paper which at least
makes you read the Code so you canyou read the Code so you can answer the questions, and you get 5 marks
if you get your name right. You never know when an O/O will be needed, so be
in it.
If you'd just like a copy of the Code to read, send $5.
Whilst any flight can count towards any award for which it meets the
requirements, e.g., Gold and Diamond Goal awards on the one flight, only one
Distance award can be claimed on any one flight. If you fly a distance of
768km, you can claim only one
of the 600, 700 or 750 awards, not all three.
Note also that these are GFA proficiency type awards, not FAI awards, although
normal FAI rules apply.
WHAT TO SEND.
The claim form, the Gliding Certificate, barograms, and the negatives ONLY for
the flight. I don't want the whole roll, and I don't need developed prints.
I wouldn't know North Rockhampton from Pingelly, that's the responsibility of
the O/O to check, but I do need the few negatives from the flight to be sure
that a camera has been used, amongst other things. And send money.
It is no longer compulsory to send photos when you make the initial
application for your Gliding Certificate, but if you do send them, it is
mandatory that you are smiling.
Gliding is supposed to be fun!
Contact the current FAI Certificates Officer, for:
FAI Gliding Certificate Claims
FAI Proficms
FAI Proficiency Certificates and Badges
Official Observers Applications
Copies of the Sporting Code
OR the Foreign Claims Officer or the GFA Records Officer
to claim that Australian or World Record.
