Page Reflecting on 2013 'change is continuous', but when the rate of change is as frenetic as It seems just a few minutes ago that the many BGA committees were putting their 2012 reports together for the 2013 AGM. We're collectively indebted to these many volunteers who serve us so well - often giving up copious volumes of their time and invariably with great modesty. We honour many at the AGM, but remain grateful to so many more. Thank you all for your efforts in what was another currently across all our operational sectors, it's essential our voice is heard clearly, coherently and in the right places. We may not be successful in obtaining the regulatory outcomes that are as minimal as we would like, or feel appropriate, but overall it could be considerably worse. It rather depends on whether your glass is half full, or half empty. challenging year for gliding in the UK, during which we continued to Even if your glass is half empty, the EASA cloud flying rating should see significant change in our operating environment - regulatory, be a good thing for us and we're already receiving positive feedback financial and meteorologically. from some recipients of the new EASA glider licence that French gliding clubs are beginning to accept them without further paper- Changes brought on, and planned, by EASA are now part of our work. The French opted out of the EASA licensing regulation Part- normal lexicon, but we've witnessed a substantial restructuring FCL until 2015 when they will be obliged to accept our European within our own CAA this year, after the merger of the Safety Regula- licences. However, our own EASA dynamo David Roberts (another tion Group (SRG) and CAA Directorate of Airspace Policy (DAP) to previous BGA chairman) continues to walk the corridors at EASA form the Safety and Airspace Regulation Group (SARG), under the and we hope that continued good relations with the French regula- leadership of Mark Swan. tor will ease the bureaucratic burden for visiting British glider pilots. As our immediate regulator, our relationship with the CAA is fundamental to our operation. We are fortunate that the CAA has kept its doors open to us and our GA brothers throughout the EASA-led changes we continue to enjoy. At all levels, we are witnessing an increasing momentum for a lighter touch to GA regulation. Indeed, the CAA has appointed a GA unit to provide policy and technical liaison and, hopefully, continue to allow responsible bodies like ourselves to deliver much of the inevitably increased regulatory burden in an appropriate, professional and value for money fashion. Another fundamental of our operation continues to be our approach to risk management, now underpinned by a formal SMS - Safety Management System - with BGA CEO Pete Stratten as accountable manager. We all want to mitigate gliding risks and this system is intended to capture data, provide correlation, and output objective information, so that appropriate changes can be made and resources applied. With so many 14 year olds taking up the solo challenge, it's never been so important. This momentum continues with the Government-led Red Tape On the subject of youngsters, our congratulations go to 15-year old Challenge which has invited GA to input on ways to reduce unnec- Robbie Rizk who was awarded the first ever FAI Breitling Youngster essary red tape. The BGA, led by our CEO Pete Stratten, is closely Award, having finished 9th in the 2013 World Advanced Gliding linked in with the GA Alliance (GAA) to deliver our input directly into Aerobatic Championships. the Government. The links across the GA community are vital, allowing us to cover the many areas of consultation. Juniors are an increasing focus for the BGA. It's one of our few growth areas, with junior numbers increasing for the last two years. It's good to see the Royal Aero Club (RAeC), under my predecessor There are a plethora of junior grants and scholarships available Patrick Naegeli, increasingly active and supportive, since it repre- from fine organisations like GAPAN, the RAeC Trust, the Air sents the whole of the UK light aviation sector. It's often pretty dry League (check out the London Gliding Club for the coverage of their stuff, but it's only by working together that we, almost totally volun- Air League /Boeing day - flying inner city youngsters around) and teers, can challenge the professional policy and regulation makers our 'own' Philip Wills Memorial Fund. We thank PWMF chair Dick with their seemingly unlimited funds. It may be corny to state Dixon who has stepped down and to Stephen Lynn for taking over Page 2 as chair. The team have sorted some governance issues, brought So, it’s been another year of activity on and off the airfield. In the things up to date and are now making grants available to younger sky, we continue to challenge outrageous airspace grabs, like those pilots with a superb new scheme. from Farnborough and Southend which are seeking similar sky Many clubs too, have cadet schemes and ever more innovative ways of attracting and retaining the next generation. Nene Valley Gliding Club in particular demonstrated a creative approach, teaming up with the local mayor to offer scholarships. Who's going to approach Boris in London? volumes for their operations as Gatwick. Whilst we challenge, the worm is turning. This year we're teaming up with the GA Alliance to commence our own ACP - Airspace Change Proposal - to (attempt to) pull some unused airspace back to class G for us all to use again. There will always be challenges, but we've been most fortunate that And so from the young to the vintage: 'Vintage Revival' will be our superb quality volunteers have stepped up to the plate to lead and theme for the 2014 conference in March. Last summer saw the start deliver our message to protect British gliding. If you can help, of the Gliding Heritage Centre at Lasham, with the opening of the please let us know. Chris Wills Memorial Hangar. We wish this new 'old' venture the very best. Whilst we're at Lasham, I'm pleased to note that Lasham Safe landings. are leading a bid for the 2017 European Gliding Championships for the flapped classes. We hope to hear the outcome of the bid later Peter this year. Peter Harvey Chairman, BGA Page 3 After an extended period of poor weather, some long spells of good administration process and clubs are encouraged to go the extra soaring conditions throughout 2013 were very welcome. And we mile if their members need it. made the most of it. Achievements, launches and hours flown are all up on the previous period. Those opportunities had a positive impact on overall membership numbers too. Under EASA rules, the Light Aircraft Pilot Licence medical certificate replaces the tried and tested self-declaration with GP endorsement and presents a significant change to many. Myths abound. Although the long-term drop in overall membership numbers has The reality is that GPs do not need to receive training or pre-register flattened out, 2013 was a year when it became clear that there is with the CAA; that although initial issue requires a medical assess- widespread acceptance that growing participation at our clubs must ment very similar to the NPPL medical HGV driver standard, subse- always be a high priority issue that we cannot afford to ignore. quent LAPL medical certificates can be issued based on medical Understanding how we can achieve and sustain an increase in records; and that the medical periodicity for older pilots is two years participation is a significant challenge that will undoubtedly continue rather than the one year under current BGA or CAA Class 2 medical to require engagement and innovation at every level. If you want to requirements. GP practices are commercially aware and in some contribute, please drop me a line. cases overloaded. So although the fee varies, the result can be that an initial LAPL medical costs the same as a medical examination by The Junior Gliding strategy has continued to facilitate effective an Aero Medical Examiner. There is lots of well-informed guidance support to young pilots throughout 2013 and we are very grateful for on the BGA website. We are fortunate in having Dr Frank Voeten on the generous support of a number of organisations, including the Air board as a LAPL medical advisor. League, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Royal Aero Club, GAPAN, the Caroline Trust and the Philip Wills Memorial Fund. The BGA, that is our clubs, people and processes, is constantly Gliding has also been used by a number of people who are facing evolving. It has to – society doesn’t stand still. Keeping up with their own particular challenges, including inner-city disadvantaged youth. Their supporters have identified that gliding provides a fantastic personal development tool, and we’re grateful to Boeing and Aerobility for their involvement. I’d like to single out Andy technology and expectations is just one of many associated challenges. During 2013, we’ve been working on marketing priorities and in particular our web presence. The result is that in late 2013 the BGA Executive Committee approved the plan developed under Perkins, BGA Vice-Chairman, for his leadership and drive across the leadership of Sharon Kerby to redevelop the BGA website. By the whole area of participation development. During 2013, the Executive Committee agreed to ‘bridge’ the various un-coordinated BGA groups involved with membership-related work. They are now linked-up within a ‘Participation Group’ led by Andy. We believe that the time this is published, we will be talking in detail to suppliers. We anticipate that in due course clubs will want to link into this new ‘web family’ from their own sites. Use of eServices, which has been trialled successfully in one format by CFIs for a few years now, will this will be helpful in supporting our participation growth aspirations. be an increasingly utilised service. So there is quite a lot of good news. However, the dead hand of The latter part of 2013 brought us the Government’s General regulation is never far away. As previously reported, the Part M Aviation Red Tape Challenge. Although this was initially perceived airworthiness changes are now part of our routine operations. EASA as yet another Government sound bite, the active involvement of pilot licensing, medical and training requirements will apply from 8th Grant Shapps MP, statements by HM Government, and commit- April 2015. The BGA-facilitated conversion from BGA gliding ment by the CAA CEO all indicate that the CAA is heading towards certificates into EASA pilot licences is underway and is expected to a new, risk-based and proportionate approach to regulating general ramp up throughout 2014, resulting in a storm of paperwork next aviation. Senior management at the CAA understand that general autumn. There is no doubt that most pilots abhor bureaucracy. It aviation that is responsible and capable of organising itself and would be a tragedy to lose members because of form filling difficul- managing risk to an appropriate level does not require CAA ties. The BGA will continue to help people through the conversion intervention. Page 4 The BGA’s recently adopted Safety Management System is a good As reported in detail elsewhere, the financial position of the Asso- example of how an organisation can document how it manages its ciation remains sound. The BGA remains financially cautious, own risks without imposing unnecessary burdens. With EASA continues to ensure that it fully understands and regularly reviews requirements established as law, we cannot anticipate returning to the costs of its services, and is acutely aware of the need to con- the perfectly sensible and very successful self-regulated environ- tinue to provide value. CAA charges are a real threat to gliding and ment that worked so well for us for many years. So, our aim is to achieve minimum regulatory requirements, maximum delegated will continue to be challenged by the BGA both in formal consultation and where other opportunities arise. The CAA’s willingness to authority and minimum involvement by the CAA. This work will delegate authority should present opportunities. If the CAA can step continue over the coming years as the CAA refines its approach to back from their extraordinarily expensive and often excessive the regulation of GA. administration, we can efficiently supply what is needed at a far lower cost to end users. Elements of our organisation have on occasion spent a bit too much time on transmit and we have occasionally found ourselves being So 2013 was another year of change. In my report I have focussed defensive when in fact open and constructive dialogue is probably on the rather dry background issues. Without doubt gliding is facing the answer. I was delighted recently to read delegate feedback from new and significant challenges that have their roots in both societal the 2013 Club Management Conference that indicated that the change and political/legal developments in Europe. Fortunately, the enormous amount of work that went into improving this very impor- reality of gliding beyond the meeting rooms, bureaucracy and cost tant annual event paid off. There is work to do in other areas, but that aviation has pressed on it in increasing amounts, is a healthy we’re onto it and look forward to hearing from you (constructively!) if outdoor sport and recreational activity that is as personally challeng- we’re getting it wrong. The BGA Executive Committee is fully ing as people want it to be, is hugely rewarding and is great fun. committed to ensuring that the needs of clubs and their members There are plenty of signs to indicate that 2014 will be another great are well understood. year for our sport. The needs of clubs are absolutely central to our negotiations in Europe and, in the UK, are key drivers of the strategies established by the Executive Committee and they inform the huge amount of work carried out by sub-committees, working groups, many volun- Pete Stratten teers and the small team of employed staff who support us so well. I’m fortunate in regularly experiencing the significant amount of Chief Executive expert work carried out by volunteers. I would like to take this pete@gliding.co.uk opportunity to thank all of them for their unstinting and highly valued efforts on behalf of all our clubs and members. Page 5 I am pleased to report a surplus of income for the year of £78,526 members so it is important that clubs work with pilots individually to (2012 £26,259). From a financial point of view it has been a second make the process as easy as it can be. satisfactory year after a recent run of deficits. The longer-term target is to match income and expenditure. FAI badges live on after EASA so we should remember to fit in some time for flying as a break from all the regulation and compli- Income from membership subscriptions increased, reflecting an ance activities! increase in fees which had been held static for quite a number of years. Increases of other income were also attributable to increases in fees. More encouragingly, the historic decline in the number of gliding participants is showing some signs of levelling-off with an increase in junior members. The global economic situation remains fragile. Faint signs of an improved outlook for business are, in great part, attributable to a sustained downward pressure on wages consequent of strong competition for jobs at all skill levels arising from the free movement of labour within the EU. Disposable incomes are likely to remain Central office costs increased in line with inflation. However, sav- depressed by this and by the medium-term prospect of rising ings were achieved in the subscriptions that we pay to other organi- interest rates putting a squeeze on the disposable incomes of sations and following a review of insurances. mortgage payers. In the face of this economic reality, clubs will The subcommittees were more active this year resulting in an increase in cost, mostly of mileage expenses. need to work hard to maintain participation levels. Improved marketing is a continuing essential. The long-promised face-lift of the BGA web site is now being We continue to spread cash deposits between a number of banks to tendered for. The first phase will have an emphasis on marketing minimise any continuing risk from the financial crisis and have and bringing together the various BGA web presences – junior achieved a modest increase in interest receivable. gliding, BGA Ladder, Team GB, and other web resources - into one The 2014-15 budget period includes income and expenditure from gliding portal. the latter stages of the transition of BGA Gliding Certificates to The BGA is continuing to bear down on costs whilst carrying out all EASA sailplane pilot licences. The BGA are engaging extra staff to the essential work for the benefit of our sport. What is not in the cope with the transition process. It is important that clubs encourage figures are the countless hours contributed by volunteers to safe- pilots to apply for their licences in good time to make the most guard our sport and to keep us flying. efficient use of these staff and to avoid a rush in early 2015. A last- minute rush would incur unnecessary overtime costs, not to mention possible delays in issuing licences. The paperwork and enhanced medical requirements of obtaining Leslie Kaye our EASA pilot licences risk a further drop-off in the number of club BGA Treasurer Page 6 It is possible that someday we will look back on 2013 and 2014 as We also await CAA decisions after our careful responses on Class years that marked a turning point for airspace and its impact on our F airspace, and on UK exemptions to new Standardised European freedoms and our sport. Rules of the Air (SERA) which, if simply applied as written, would It is also possible that current and uncommon opportunities are missed and the inexorable pressure for more and more controlled drive a final nail in our ability to fly in CAS (even when granted a clearance). airspace (CAS) simply continues as before. Collaboration with our colleagues in the rest of GA remains excel- In 2013 we saw some key developments. For example we supported the CAA’s proposal to introduce Radio Mandatory Zones (RMZs) which would create options for tailored, risk-related alterna- tives to new or existing swathes of controlled air space. We believe lent and we are now embarking on a major project to improve the lot of VFR flyers as part of the CAA’s Future Airspace Strategy. This has the potential to be extremely positive for us. So is the tide turning? Right now we do not know – but imminent that such options, had they existed at the time, would have obviated CAA decisions on Class F, SERA, and Southend will give us a very decisions which were to us unfathomable and disproportionate to good indication. risk, namely the creation of new Class D airspace at Doncaster, Norwich and Glasgow. As ever I am indebted to a dynamic group of experts who selflessly give of their time and expertise in the cause of maintaining or And yet, in this very same year of 2013, we have seen other air- improving our freedoms. ports apparently hell-bent on creating vast areas of additional Class D CAS where a small carefully designed RMZ would appear to be a more sensible alternative (Southend, Inverness and Farnborough). At the time of writing, the latter two are still in development, while the Southend consultation has already taken place, our objections have been made, and we can now only await the CAA’s decision. John Williams Chairman, Airspace Committee Page 7 The 2013 season offered good opportunities for competitors despite but not spectacular, result at the Junior World Gliding Champion- the usual fickle nature of UK weather. The Nationals fared best with ship with all pilots gaining lots of experience which will help them to an above-average 6 competition days per event whilst Regionals press for medals in the future. The European Championships for events were less lucky, averaging under 5 - somewhat below flapped classes in Vinon produced a first day win but the team could average. Pilot numbers involved in Regionals events remained not capitalise on this and finally had to settle for a 4th, 9th and 11th static after the 10% increase in 2012. The number of pilots entering place as the local expertise in the highly specialised arena eventu- Nationals events continued to decline following a small rally in 2012. ally took its toll. In the European Championship for the Standard Clearly a focus on promoting event participation will need to remain and Club Classes in Poland, although all pilots gained respectable a high priority. mid table positions, it was disappointing that they were not able to It is, however, encouraging to note that pilots continue to participate in highly rated National and International events in Europe in ever greater numbers. Spectacular results were achieved at the Hahnweide International, with UK pilots taking the top three places and a fifth place in a strong 18m class full of national team pilots secure top 10 places. Conversely, the high point came at the Women’s World Championship where Ayala Truelove narrowly lost out on a gold medal by a meagre 14 points having led going into the last day. She had to settle for a well-earned silver medal while the other ladies had to accept respectable mid table positions. from Germany and other European nations. Likewise in the France Organisational focus now moves to the World Championships with Club Class Nationals, UK pilots remarkably took both first and the Club, Standard and 20m two-seat classes in Rayscala, Finland second places. and the 15m, 18m and Open Classes in Leszno, Poland. Following The big participation success story remains the competition between pilots via the National Ladder which goes from strength to input from the coaches, the selected team pairs have now planned targeted training opportunities in order to best prepare. strength with 734 pilots posting 5225 flights for a combined distance The British Team coaching group is now led by Jay Rebbeck with of just shy of 1.25 million km during 2013. Pilots are finding ways to Brian Spreckley, who has been lead for a number of years, continu- score ever more ladder points based on sheer speed, endeavour ing as a support coach. Development training for the 8 pilots most and clever tasking. This is record activity and reflects a doubling of likely to be in the mix for the new Junior WGC next time round pilot involvement and combined distance flown in the last 9 years. together with other talented individuals has been scheduled during We remain particularly indebted to John Bridge who continues to the coming season. manage the BGA ladder portal for the benefit of us all. The committee continues to arrange, oversee and monitor the The committee continues to have responsibility for BGA trophy conduct of all UK competitions with respect to competitors and awards and homologation of UK records and can report that a good organisers, and to amend the Competition Rules and associated number of outstanding performances occurred during the year, guidance material as required, with the intent of improving the many of which were able to be rewarded with a trophy or record. overall quality and safety of events whilst principally adopting IGC Perhaps most notably, John Williams once again won the rarely strategy as it filters through. During the year, we have worked in a awarded 1000km trophy for a three turn-point distance at an un- number of areas and in particular to: precedented speed of 135kph.  further develop and finally publish an Organisers’ Handbook, The committee continues to oversee the organisation and participa- sitting separately from the Rule Book. This publication brings tion of our various cross-country British teams as well as the devel- together advice and best practice covering all aspects of running opment coaching offered to up and coming talented pilots by the a BGA rated competition and is designed to allow even the most Team Coaching Group which comprises a mix of current and past inexperienced organisation to be fully briefed in order to deliver a team members. During the year, our Junior team produced a solid, high quality and safe event. Page 8  develop the principle of a Distance Handicapped Task (DHT) so that this may be used in Regionals events as an alternative to the classic fixed length tasks. It is hoped that this task format may encourage more pilots to try a competition for the first time and hence play a part in reversing recent decline in participant numbers.  begin development of a long-term plan to increase participation at all levels of competition and to bridge the funding gap for ongoing development, coaching and team support programs.  amend team selection methodology for the Junior World Gliding Championships, including initiation of a squad system to allow better targeting of development training opportunities. During the year, Simon Barker and Mark Davis left the committee after a number of years of valuable service whilst Liz Sparrow was drafted in to add her experience and perspective to the mix. I am pleased to confirm that Mark Holden has been confirmed as the new Chairman of the committee from the beginning of 2014 and I am absolutely sure that his fresh perspective will drive the committee forwards in handling fresh challenges and delivering on a number of new initiatives. I would like to thank all members of my committee for their dedication and support during my extended period in the chair.  develop a plan to integrate the 20m two-seater class into the Nationals structure and amalgamate smaller size Nationals classes for the 2015 season. Russell Cheetham Chairman, Competitions and Awards Committee  develop a recommendation to restrict flying in cloud in competitions  consider a whole raft of ideas for change filtering through from organisers and pilots via Competition Directors’ reports, forums and the web input link. Page 9 The Development Committee has been occupied for a large part of directions and in the other with an agreement by the developer to the past year with the proposed changes to the CASC (Community support the club in developing a safeguarding plan. We see these Amateur Sports Club) scheme, which is managed by HMRC. negotiated settlements as a constructive way forward in many Registration in the scheme enables clubs to claim 80% rate relief, cases. There are nevertheless some ongoing planning applications gift aid on donations and a number of other benefits. The proposals which will cause severe hazard to nearby clubs and we are support- contained in a consultation document, issued in June, had the ing those clubs in presenting robust objections. potential to bar many gliding clubs from continuing to participate in the scheme. As over 30 UK clubs are registered CASCs and a further 10 are applying to register, this would be a major financial problem. Towards the end of this year we started drafting a BGA Policy and Guidelines for Clubs on Wind Turbines. This is work in progress and we hope that the finished documents will help the BGA and clubs to respond more easily and consistently to future applications. Members of the committee and other volunteers prepared a vast amount of data to enable the BGA to respond in detail to the consul- Concentration on these two major areas of work has delayed much tation. We attended several meetings at HMRC and elsewhere. We other important work, but we have advised clubs on application for were supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance and also by Sports Council or other funding and also supported several clubs their lawyers and tax advisers, who brought together a number of that have the opportunity to buy their sites. Funding advice has sports to fight the damaging proposals. Our responses were submit- been provided to ten clubs and five clubs have secured substantial ted during the summer and further proposals were received from funding for major projects from the Inspired Facilities fund. HMRC during the autumn, which proved to be even more potentially The BGA, with Aerobility and Walking on Air, are re-applying for damaging than the original proposals. Inclusive Sport funding from Sport England to create more opportu- Our team is therefore once again working hard to mitigate the impact of the proposals. The BGA is a member of a forum con- nities for disabled pilots and to encourage clubs to build links with local disability organisations. vened by HMRC, which may enable us to have some effect on the final regulations, due out in the summer of 2014. I would like to thank the many volunteers who are giving so much time to this project, as well as Alison Randle, who has been at the centre of the project throughout. Wind turbines have continued to create work for us. We have reviewed and commented on a significant number of proposed developments, many of which do not pose any threat to gliding. A few however have been in locations which have caused concern to a club and we have supported several clubs in objecting to these proposals and negotiating with the proposed developers to try to Roger Coote resigned in January due to ill health, after 20 years’ service as the BGA’s Development Officer. With my predecessor Max Bacon, Roger was responsible for establishing many of the working practices that we still use and for developing a number of valuable resources which form the basis of continuing work. We were delighted when he was awarded the BGA’s Gold medal in recognition of his work as Development Officer as well as his contribution as a volunteer Regional Examiner and we wish him better health in retirement. Alison Randle has increased her hours to take over Roger’s work and I would like to thank her and all the volunteers in the team for their hard work throughout the year. reach some mutually acceptable arrangement. Our team has been greatly strengthened by Louis Chicot’s expertise in advising on appropriate responses to developers. In two cases a club has withdrawn objections to the turbines, in one case in ex- Diana King change for an agreement to switch the turbines off in certain wind Chairman, Development Committee Page 10 Another year has passed for the Flying Operations sub-committee. The team has continued to provide BGA input into the various CAA/ GA committees including the Airspace Incursions Working Group and the Airmiss Working Group. To these, we have added the VFR Chart Working group and the NOTAM Working Group so, all in all, a busy year for two of our people. The BGA Winch Launching representative has also had a busy and rewarding year with the production of the Safe Winch Launch DVD for clubs and then answering the many questions that it generated. As well as producing the DVD, he has attended meetings in France in support of the BGA Safety team and dealt with queries from 5 countries as far apart as South Africa and Japan The Airmiss WG was reported upon in a recent edition of S&G. Hopefully, with the formation of the CAA General Aviation Unit, our requirements will be flagged up at the beginning of any projects. The current omens in that direction are encouraging. Ted Norman Chairman, Flight Operations Committee Page 11 Committee Activity 1. Examining A number of BGA FIE & FE seminars were completed throughout the regions as part of the conversion process to EASA licensing. The BGA Flight Examiner Handbook has been comprehensively revised into an EASA-compliant working draft. The CAA nominated Mark Young, one of their Flight Examiners, to work with us. Mark has done some gliding previously but spent a week at Lasham to re-familiarise himself with our ways. Since then, Mark has been assisting in our training to become EASA/CAA Examiners. Our first Senior Examiners’ seminar was run at Bicester during October Further training was organised, leading to a successful Assessment of Competence (AoC) by Mark, allowing an initial three candidates to become Senior Examiners. The next step in this transition is to train and assess several more individuals as Senior Examiners. 3. Further refinement to the EASA-compliant instructor’s course is on-going. To fit the additional material into an acceptable timeframe, there may well have to be a soaring and cross-country module that is delivered separately from the main course. 4. The ‘output’ of these new courses were examined by existing BGA instructor examiners, who fed back comments. Overall though, those candidates who completed the new style training passed the instructing test with no exceptions so far. 5. Mike Fox continues to work with CAA staff to get the BGA Bronze Theoretical Knowledge exams adopted for the forthcoming EASA licence theoretical knowledge tests. Due to the work carried out previously to rearrange and bring these theoretical tests into line with EASA FCL, this should not constitute a large amount of work. Motor Glider Instructors Motor glider instructors have continued to support pure gliding within the BGA. In 2014 further training sessions and seminars will be organised for A course for the CAA’s FI(SLMG) qualification will have been run at a number of existing BGA FIEs and FEs to prepare them for their Bicester at the end of January. Demand has been high for this, 2. Cloud Flying Endorsement perhaps the last ever such course, with 15 attending. A training plan covering the theoretical knowledge, pre-flight briefing The principal focus during the year has been planning the adaption and flying exercises necessary to obtain a BGA Cloud Flying of current BGA MG qualifications and procedures to those required Endorsement was developed. The BGA CFE is a necessary step in under EASA. It is unfortunate that motor glider licensing represents preparing for the EASA Sailplane Cloud Flying Rating (SCFR) perhaps the most complex aspect of the regulations. 3. Close liaison with the Safety Committee on the development of the safe aerotowing initiative. Instructor Training Under the leadership of Mike Fox, the BGA’s Training Standards Manager: 1. The BGA’s approved coaching system provided instructor training for 44 candidates at sites around the country. Of the courses, three were delivered to the revised EASA-compliant syllabus. Two of the qualifications on offer, however, will prove particularly attractive to licensed glider pilots: self-launching in gliders like the Janus CM and DG500M, and flying TMGs such as the Falke and Grob 109b. A new position of Training Standards Manager (Motor Gliders) will be undertaken by Paul Whitehead. The Association is fortunate to have a volunteer with such superb training qualifications. 2. The incorporation of soft skills training (Teaching & Learning and Threat & Error Management) into our EASA-compliant instructors’ course continues to be developed, along with the organisational difficulties of incorporating a new system into instructor training. Don Irving Chairman, Instructors’ Committee Page 12 2013 was the fourth year of a formal strategy being applied to the sport of gliding for junior pilots (under 26). It saw development across all areas of Junior Gliding with an associated positive benefit realised. Participation in this area of the sport has seen growth which has resulted in around 900 pilots under the age of 26 actively taking part. There is a challenge on the horizon to keep these young people in the sport as they age. Junior Gliding Centres (JGC) were the initial focus of the strategy and we now have 25 JGCs spread across member clubs, with still more in the early setup stages. Being a JGC means the club involved has a dedicated structure in place for junior pilots and, as more time progresses, the benefits of JGC accreditation are being realised. These include: Internal  Ensuring standards of excellence for training and facilities  Creation of effective links with other youth flying organisations (ATC, the Air League, GAPAN…etc..)  Funding opportunities (SportEngland etc.)  Structured approach to interaction with junior pilots  Commonality for juniors to make it easier for them to remain gliding when they move during education / early career  Access to specific scholarship opportunities External  Consistent standards of excellence  Focused approach to encourage junior glider pilots  Established Junior Liaison Officers  National opportunities through JGC network  Risk assessments and insurance in line with LEA requirements  Collaboration with third party organisations JGC accreditation is viewed favourably by third party organisations. Having a formalised accreditation system allows them to more easily recommend gliding as an activity for their members. Having clearly identifiable parameters of conduct for the supervision and support of young people that apply at multiple sites facilitates access to the sport, with one review by the third party applying to all JGCs. This allows third parties to focus their attention on facilitating going gliding instead of having to spend time reviewing procedures at individual clubs so closely. This has been attractive to several corporate supporters. Potential expansion of such schemes is being explored. Website and Social Media www.juniorgliding.co.uk was developed back in 2010. This has been enhanced with junior gliding facebook pages, YouTube TV and Twitter. The move into social media has been led by the junior glider pilot community. The professional appearance and active nature of social media is showing signs of enhanced participation with the winter series and other events linked to these avenues gaining momentum. The website, along with other BGA sites, will be re-structured in terms of base software to allow easier maintenance and updating by key volunteers. Transfer should commence in March 2014 with all being fully operational later in 2014. This should enable more effective updating to ensure consistent, relevant and timely messages are promulgated. Scouts There is on-going dialogue with the Scouts. The badge system for aviation awards was reviewed and advice on what scout groups would like to get from a gliding experience are available on www.juniorgliding.co.uk. It has been apparent that the activity of gliding as part of an overall aviation experience is desirable. University Gliding Associate membership of the BGA for university clubs was made available in 2012. This has allowed them to better demonstrate their sporting needs, showing that their clubs are an important and recognised element of the sport of gliding. This in turn is assisting development of clubs across the country. There are many changes to university funding across the board and we are keeping close links with university clubs to provide support where possible to ensure their survival. Dick Poole continues to lead this area. Junior Championships The contest had a successful 2013 with 27 pilots competing over the four scoring competition days. A junior contest working group continues to strengthen and benefit from the experience of many ex-junior pilots. The development of this group is assisting with direction for the competition and establishing continuity to allow for Page 13 effective management of junior competition funds. It is hoped that this renewed focus will increase participation in the event and in turn increase the level of competition to assist with our aspirations at international level. Junior Working Group Formed over the winter of 2013/14, a group consisting of Matt Davis, Steve Pozerskis, and Charlie Jordan will now oversee the Junior Gliding initiative. As the successes have built, it is appropriate to spread the workload and, importantly, to ensure that this element of the sport is represented by people who are, or have recently been, junior pilots. Winter Series Clubs across the UK have hosted juniors for a weekend, enabling pilots to remain current, increase their experience level and to have fun! These events have been well received by all and social media is ensuring awareness and continued development. Aim Higher Through support from Marsh Insurance, the Aim Higher events saw dedicated tuition for junior pilots as well as the opportunity to gain funding to progress personal ambitions. Take-up was encouraging and plans to further this scheme led by Training Standards Manager, Mike Fox, are underway for 2014. Third Party Support Junior pilots have been supported by a number of third parties and we are very grateful for this assistance. The increasing cost of studying means that junior pilots are typically finding that they have less disposable income for sporting activities. The support provided by scholarships from third parties have enabled many to develop their gliding skills and go further in the sport and in aviation more generally than would have otherwise been possible. Scholarships were provided by the Caroline Trust, the Air League Educational Trust, the Royal Aero Club Trust, the Royal Aeronautical Society Centennial Fund, the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators, and the RAF Association. 2014 sees support being offered by the above organisations and, in addition, some further 15 inner-city scholarships and 20 Philip Wills Memorial Fund Scholarships will be available. This support in addition to initiatives generated by clubs has been invaluable in assisting the sport of gliding as well as encouraging young people more widely to get involved in aviation. Objectives 2011 – 2015  Establish a gliding academy for the development of junior pilots (this could be a virtual academy or, if financial support is available, a specific operation)  Identify sponsorship opportunities and be in a position to capitalise on any investment in the sport of gliding by corporate or government entities  Review Junior Gliding Centres  Review and further develop the website  Engage with Air Cadets using appropriate media  Engage with third party organisations to allow more young people to opportunity to glide Andy Perkins BGA Executive Committee lead for Junior Gliding Page 14 During calendar year 2013 there was no accident to a glider or pilots and concerned specific medical problems. Three were from powered aircraft operating under BGA control following which a clubs and concerned individuals. The second major source (23) of medical cause was assigned. I become aware of an incident in enquiries was from the BGA and other Associations, some in which a pilot performed badly on an annual flight review and was Europe and these were largely about policy. General practitioners then discovered to suffer developing bilateral cataracts. After were the third group with 21 queries and these were all concerned treatment he returned to flying but this demonstrates that practical with individual pilots. There is some overlap because a pilot and a tests of function can have medical value. GP may both communicate over the same problem. Some 37 This year our medical team has been joined by Frank Voeten queries related to policy, a large proportion of the whole. because it is necessary that one of us is currently licensed to As previously, cardiovascular disease was the major diagnostic practice. Under recent national rules, retired doctors are no longer group with 14 queries, the second being neurological (9) followed permitted to practice although they remain qualified to give policy by metabolic (8), psychiatric (7), malignancies (5), ophthalmic (4) advice. Frank is an active glider pilot and instructor, an Authorised and orthopaedic and respiratory (1 each). The recommended Medical Examiner and in current general practice so is well qualified disposal was full flying in 10 cases, restricted (OPL) in 36 cases and to join the team. temporary grounding in one case. Only one pilot was recommended The year saw the implementation of changes required by the replacement of the NPPL by the LAPL. The responsibility for the for grounding and that was a psychiatric case with a diagnosis of bipolar disease. fitness of glider pilots has been transferred from the BGA to the Civil Previously there has been debate on the youngest age for flying. Aviation Authority. The consequences have been a reduction of Unlike other aircraft classes, glider pilots are now permitted to fly work for the Association medical advisers and an increase in costs solo at age 14. This exists in the ICAO rules because at one time for pilots. Charges vary but the cost for a two year LAPL medical is gliding used the solo method of training with low hops. It is no typically around £60 from an AME. GPs are now only permitted to easier, and probably harder, to fly a circuit in a modern glider issue or extend a LAPL in simple uncomplicated cases without any (Ka21) than in a typical powered training aircraft (Cessna 152). new limitation (other than spectacles) although they may extend Therefore this reduction of age for the first solo is of medical inter- once limited. est. So far there have been no problems, albeit with a few well supervised examples, so this casts doubt on the evidence for the Indications from a relatively small number of cases are that AMEs minimum age for powered flying. take a more stringent view of controlled diabetes and epilepsy but a notably less restrictive view of cardio-vascular disease than has Sadly the average age of the glider pilot population continues to rise been previous BGA advice. Several pilots who had previously been and with it the inevitable probability of adverse medical events. restricted have been told that their restriction could be removed. Therefore and despite EASA, the medical recommendation by the That is somewhat surprising because, since 1960, no BGA- BGA advisors is that those instructors who do not hold a valid class regulated pilot has suffered an accident due to either diabetes or 2 pilot medical certificate and who are over the age of seventy years epilepsy, whereas there have been a number of fatal accidents and should not fly with early pupils or passengers. However there is no serious incidents arising from cardiovascular disease. An inevitable safety reason why older instructors or those with an OPL limitation consequence of this transfer to the LAPL is that the BGA medical cannot undertake all ground responsibilities and fly with advanced advisers will be less aware of adverse pathology in the glider pilot pilots who would be capable of recovering the aircraft. population. During the year there were 94 file items logged, a considerable Drs Peter Saundby, Steve Gibson & Frank Voeten reduction on previous years. Of these, the majority (38) were from BGA Medical Advisers Page 15 Early in 2013, the Executive Committee directed that to meet the You can contact the BGA Safety Committee via the BGA office staff needs of its clubs and the sport, the BGA would aim to move who will pass your query to the correct person. But as ever, if you beyond traditional reactionary systems to try to predict areas of have an immediate safety concern, in the first instance talk to the exposure by developing and adopting a formal Safety Management person or people involved or the CFI of the club concerned. Follow- System. After many months of development and consultation, up reporting is completed via the BGA incident and accident report including some very helpful feedback from clubs and individuals, the forms available on the BGA website. If you have a safety concern Executive Committee adopted the BGA Safety Management Sys- where an incident ‘nearly, but didn’t quite happen’, or you feel tem (SMS) Manual in January 2014. The BGA gives priority to someone ought to know about a safety issue that would not other- continuing to reduce the fatal accident rate, to not harming any third wise be reported, increasing numbers of clubs have local incident parties and to avoiding any airspace infringements. We’re confident reporting systems in place for just that purpose. We can expect all that the SMS will not impose additional burdens on anyone. Cur- sites to have this additional, local incident reporting process in place rent, qualified pilots are particularly unaffected. The SMS will help during 2014 as clubs jump through a small number of hoops to the safety committee to more effectively identify and focus on the qualify as BGA Approved Training Organisation sites. priorities in support of clubs. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank current and former Regional The Safety Committee reviews all key safety and quality issues and, Safety Officers, members of the Safety Committee and all those like all sub-committees, reports to the BGA Executive Committee. pilots and instructors at clubs who do such a fantastic job of helping The committee, which meets at least twice per year, was re- to facilitate a sport gliding environment where the levels of risk are structured in tune with the SMS development and now comprises: as low as reasonably practicable and third parties are protected  Accountable Manager  Safety Data Analyst  Chief Technical Officer  Training Standards Manager  Lead Regional Safety Officer  Chief Accident Investigator  Invited subject matter experts as required from our activities. We should all remember that the long term statistics tell us that despite our excellent work, we will experience certain types of accidents in 2014. Please read the safety literature produced by the BGA and published online, please launch with your hand on the release and if you can't keep the wings level before take-off, please release before the wing touches the ground. The terms of reference for the Safety Committee are summarised here as:  Review the SMS policy and standards  Review significant incidents and findings  Review and maintain the hazard matrix  Ensure safety trends are monitored effectively  Commission, where required, and review progress of safety improvement activity  Ensure issues are effectively communicated  Monitor the effectiveness of the safety management system Pete Stratten Chairman, Safety Committee Page 16 Last year saw the continuing consequences of European legislation, BGA represented at the highest level in this initiative. The CAA is which we have largely accommodated, albeit at significant cost and already planning to de-regulate self-launching microlights under inconvenience. The BGA plays a strong role, working through certain conditions, and the BGA is reviewing the introduction of this European air sport groups such as EAS and EGU to seek appropri- new class of vehicle with the BMAA, hopefully to agree a common ate alleviations. This is slowly paying off and is causing EASA to policy towards their certification and operation to mutual benefit. make some, albeit small, recognitions of the special issues facing sport aviation. BGA Support Activity Education, refresher training and communication will be an increas- EASA - European Regulation ing focus for the technical community, driven by the requirements of During 2013, negotiations have taken place through the 'General personal licensing. In 2013, we ran 12 continuation seminars and Aviation Task Force on Part M', to simplify and reduce the duplica- most attendees found the 'Human Factors' talks interesting and tion in the processes of annual airworthiness justification. Hopefully informative. We thank the presenters for their care in writing and we will feel the benefit of this in the near future. The EASA Certifica- presenting this directly pertinent material. Further training and tion department is also responding to continuing pressure to lighten continuation workshops will be held in 2014 as part of a long-term burdens on design and modification. Through a quick reaction aim to maintain the currency of our, largely volunteer, workforce. directive, we are now permitted to use certain minor parts which We are particularly keen to run a practical course on woodworking have not been formally released with full documentation, subject to skills as these risk being lost with the preponderance of GRP the agreement of the engineer and the owner. Furthermore, we sailplanes. have now received more cooperative guidance on the installation of special-to-type sporting and navigation equipment to enable our We are now operating with more formal links to the safety commu- sport to remain both progressive and safer. nity, under the BGA Safety Management System. Relevant 'Occurrence Reports' are considered at Airworthiness Review The Part 66 'L' licence discussions with the CAA regarding the meetings, and the Technical Community is represented by the CTO transition of BGA inspectors remain ongoing. Progress is slow on the new format Safety Committee. because we are still awaiting the final decision from EASA on the details of the licence. The start of the implementation process could still be later in 2014 with full implementation one to two years later. Current inspectors and potential applicants will need to have regularised their status by that time. Jim Hammerton our CTO, and his RTOs continue to provide techni- cal advice to members over many technical aspects of gliding. We also thank Keith Morgan and his quality team for their efforts and advice during this year. The CAA’s quality oversight demands are stretching and Keith has had a challenging year meeting all targets. UK Developments Our relationship with the CAA continues to enable mutual under- standing. The BGA feels it holds a position of respect with the national regulator whereby those roles which remain in national hands are managed in an appropriate and cooperative manner. We Howard A Torode meet regularly with the CAA at both policy and operational levels. Chairman, Technical Committee The Government 'GA Red Tape Challenge' initiative is intended to reform regulation in General and Sport aviation. It is hoped this will offer potential for some deregulation and self determination, albeit that the UK gliding community is constrained by the European regime that applies to most sailplanes. We are pleased to see the Page 17 British Gliding Association Limited 8 Merus Court Meridian Business Park Leicester LE19 1RJ t: 0116 289 2956 e: office@gliding.co.uk w: www.gliding.co.uk © BGA 2014 Page 18