Under B Conditions

[Willie Winglet]

A colleague noted a Dauphin helicopter on the apron outside his office carrying the markings "G-79-08". Now, I know a little about operations "under B conditions", thanks to the book published many years ago by Merseyside Aviation Society, but the numbering sequences in the book ran out at G-53. So, a number of questions arise: Has there been a whole host of new "B conditions" markings allocated? Who administers the system (CAA's G-INFO site doesn't contain any B conditions data, and a general search of the CAA site revealed a limited amount of info, but nothing on this particular Dauphin)? Does anyone know who uses G-79, and does anyone have any info on the machine in question?

Thanks in anticipation.

[Genghis the Engineer]

You can find everybody's B-conditions numbers if you go to the CAA's website (http://www.caa.co.uk) and look up CAP 475 (directory of approved organisations) which you can download here (about 700 kb) (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP475_OCT03.PDF) where a quick search will show that G-79 belongs to McAlpine Helicopters based at Kidlington.

Last I looked, B-conditions numbers were up to about 83 (although I don't think that they get re-used), I think the most recent to receive being MANN group at Fairoaks.

If you want to know a bit more about B-conditions rules, again on the CAA's website download BCAR Section A, and the regs are all in BCAR A8-9 (pretty much essential bedtime reading for any civil flight tester !).

No idea about the specific aircraft I'm afraid, sorry.

G

[idle stop]

And of course an aircraft that already has a G-reg may be modified, requiring Flight under B Conditions, and you would never know just from looking at it!

[Genghis the Engineer]

Or even a new prototype.

I crew in about a dozen different airframes under B-conditions each year, and one with G-nn-nn, as opposed to G-XXXX about every other year.

Or for that matter, once in a blue moon somebody still flies under an old-fashioned PTFTP which must have a G-XXXX reg.

G