Safety News

Distress and Diversion Telephone Details 27th March 2008

Following the relocation of the London Distress and Diversion cell to Swanwick, the previously published telephone number is no longer valid, although it is expected that an answering machine will give details of the new number.  The new telephone number to pass information such as an overdue aircraft to the Distress and Diversion cell is now 01489 612406. The service available on the VHF emergency frequency 121.5MHz remains unchanged. (The D&D Cell has requested that pilots let them know if they have landed out and had to leave the glider in the field overnight or if, for any reason, they believe that the landout has caused or is likely to cause alarm. In these events, please call  the D&D Cell, letting them know the location and confirming that there are no casualties.

SGU FLARM Report 29th December 2007

The Scottish Gliding Union has published a report of its trial of FLARM, which took place between February and October of this year. As many BGA members will be interested in the findings from the Portmoak trial, the report has been made available here. The BGA's position is to support efforts that will develop potential users' understanding of all the operational implications of FLARM use.

ELT/PLB Guidance 12th November 2007

Guidance about the use of Emergency Locator Transmitters and Personal Locator Beacons is now available on the BGA web site. The guidance material is offered to assist glider pilots in making their own decision about the use of locator beacons and emergency locator
transmitters that are available in the general aviation market.

Safe Winch Launching 25th April 2007

The BGA Safety Initiative team has produced an updated version of the Safe Winch Launching leaflet.  This incorporates minor, but important revisions to the advice previously published and we urge all pilots to read this latest edition.  Copies have been sent to all clubs and an electronic version is available here. If any pilot is unsure about any of the advice, please seek further guidance from an instructor. Additional information for instructors is also available as is a set of guidance notes.

Rigging & DI 8th June 2006

The BGA has recently received several incident reports which relate to very worrying instances of mis-rigging.  Very fortunately, none of these resulted in injury or damage (hence the term incident), but the consequences could so easily have been tragic.  Question – what is an incident?  Answer – an accident waiting to happen!  Please take the greatest care and concentrate 100% when rigging and DI’ing your glider – your life and those of your syndicate partners depends on it.  More details are here.

K-13 Impact Test 9th March 2006

Tony Segal's report on his K-13 impact tests with nosewheels and skids can be found here. The full report can be found in the August-September 2005 issue of Sailplane & Gliding.

Regional Safety Officer - Allocation of Clubs 8th March 2006

The BGA has appointed a team of volunteer Regional Safety Officers (RSO's) whose function is to assist clubs in their regions. The role of the RSO is to help clubs with safety policies and issues; review club safety check lists; and to conduct club visits to assist in identifying areas and practices which might be improved. They will also advise, if requested, on how to complete accident reports after the initial notification, and can help to decide upon any club actions which may be needed following analysis of incidents and accidents. For initial contact with your RSO, please go via the BGA office who will forward your enquiry, unless the RSO has already given you their contact details to enable you to approach them directly. A full list showing how clubs have been allocated amongst the RSOs is available here.

Safety Officer Seminar 3rd March 2006

A training seminar for club safety officers will be held at Burn GC, near Selby, at 10am on Sunday 19 March. All club safety officers are welcome, but should pre-register with Chris Nicholas. The purpose of the seminar is to help Safety Officers to be more effective and to learn from the experience of others. There is no charge for attendance.

Accident Forms 13th February 2006

The accident forms have been updated and there are now two versions. One is for printing and filling out manually, and the other can be filled out in Microsoft Word and emailed. Download the new forms from the Safety Forms page.

BGA Flight Safety Presentations 2006 9th January 2006  

Although February and March are fully booked, there are still opportunities for BGA clubs to book the BGA Flight Safety Presentation during April. The bookings are made on a first come, first served basis. Any club that is interested in hosting one of these excellent presentations during April should contact the BGA Office Manager at debbie@gliding.co.uk or call 0116 2531051.

Safe Winch Launching 3rd November 2005 (updated 7th November)

The BGA's Safety Initiative Team has produced a leaflet which summarises the main lessons learned from their study into winch launch accidents. If we all follow the advice in the leaflet and accompanying letter, and winch launch in accordance with the BGA's recommended practices, in time there should be a dramatic reduction in the number of winch launch accidents. Bulk copies of the leaflet will be distributed to clubs and can be downloaded now together with the accompanying letter. If you are unsure about any of the advice, please seek further guidance from an instructor.

Distress & Diversion Cell Request 22nd July 2005 (tel no updated 27 March 2008)

The D&D Cell has requested that we ask all pilots to let them know if they have landed out and had to leave the glider in the field overnight or if, for any reason, they believe that the landout has caused or is likely to cause alarm. In these events, you should call the D&D Cell on 01489 612406, letting them know the location and confirming that there are no casualties. The request follows an incident where a glider was left on a hillside in Wales recently to allow the owner to organize a particularly tricky retrieve. As a result, a helicopter was scrambled in poor weather to check for survivors at a reported glider 'crash site'

Overstrength Parachute Tell Tales 12th May 2005

We have been informed of a problem that has been discovered with parachutes repacked at Filton. It is possible that some parachutes may have an over-strength tell-tale thread securing the ripcord end-pin. The result is that the chute ripcord may require a much stronger pull (>30lbs force) to deploy instead of the normal 3-5lbs-force. To determine if your parachute is affected, open the ripcord cover flap to expose the tell-tale thread. The over-strength thread is WHITE rather than the usual RED. As a short-term measure, the tell-tale thread may be removed, but please be aware of the need to be especially careful to avoid accidental pulling of the rip-cord. Also, all chutes should be checked before use to ensure that the ripcord end-pin is properly seated. If required, the tell-tale thread will be replaced on request.

Accident Summaries Available Online 18th June 2004

We have collaborated with the AAIB to make in-depth summaries of BGA accident investigations available on the web. Summaries will be proivded for accidents rated as write-off/substantial airframe damage or fatal/serious injury plus some selected minor accidents and incidents considered to be of significant safety value to the gliding community. These summaries provide insights that we can all learn from. You can access this information via the Department for Transport web site - click here for link.

Low Height Spins 4th June 2004

The BGA Instructors Committee has recently agreed that all pilots and instructors should be reminded of the need to take note of a number of factors when considering the height at which spinning should be initiated. Some gliders have particular characteristics that can sometimes cause a delayed recovery and/or a significant height loss in the recovery phase. The potential, significant height loss should be carefully taken into consideration when deciding when it is safe to initiate a spin. The glider type flight manual is a vital source of information. The recommendation in the BGA Instructors Manual, page 19-3, to initiate a 'brief' spin at 800 feet during pilot training will be removed by appropriate amendment action in due course. You are urged to bring this note the attention of your club pilot and instructor colleagues. Where required, CFI's can seek advice from Simon Adlard, the BGA National Coach on 07773 017270.

Change in Alcohol Regulations. 12th May 2004

Even the most moderate drinker should be aware that the new Railways & Transport Safety Act makes it an offence for pilots, including glider pilots, to fly while over the prescribed limit for alcohol. The new regulations could also be interpreted as being applicable, in the event of an accident, to anybody involved in flying operations - winch driver, wing tip holder, etc. The limit is (breath) 9µg/100ml or (blood) 20mg/100ml. Note that this is a quarter of the equivalent drink/drive limits and is, effectively, a zero tolerance limit. A law has existed for many years that pilots may not fly whilst impaired through drink or drugs. This change to the law quantifies alcohol limits and provides a statutory testing regime. The full text of the act is available at http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2000/20001562.htm . A CAA Flight Operations Department Communication, which explains things in a less legal form, can be read at http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/FOD200328.pdf . The BGA recommends that pilots and those involved in gliding acquaint themselves with this documentation.

Winch Launching 1st November 2003

This document concerning winch launch safety was circulated at the chairman's conference on 1st November. You can read it by clicking here.

NewsLetters

Gliding Safety is the official safety communication of the BGA. It is a bi-monthly insert with Sailplane & Gliding and is sponsored by Cox Aviation Insurance, TL Clowes Insurance and Hill Aviation Insurance Services in order to reduce accidents and injuries in the sport. Grapevine is the safety bulletin of the RAFGSA. The aim of these newsletters is not to apportion blame, but to help prevent accidents.