UK SSDR

[cbsiftcbe]

OK I have read the details of UK SSDR category. If you built a single seater under 115 kg empty weight, max empty weight 10 kg/sqm wingloading with a stall speed <35KTS it does not need to be inspected?? or seen/checked/examined by anyone from CAA?? But how does this work in real life? Shall I build the aircraft and send form CA1 to CAA to claim a G-XXXX reg? or what? How do they know the actual weight and the stall speed of the aircraft?


Can a technical and knowledgeable person comment on that please?


If you would like to know what sort of an aircraft I am planning to build, it is going to be a Woodstock glider (no engine). It fits in SSDR category. Low wing loading, stall speed and empty weight is less than 115 kg. But how shall I start? Yes I have got the plans.


Please comment on that.

[Capot]

Speaking as an only slightly technical and knowledgeable person, my response is to suggest that you ask the CAA. I recommend making sure that their advice is written, and preserving it carefully, even if only to confirm a conversation.

Is there a reason for doing it via Pprune instead?

In the CAA's brave new and re-organised world, I can offer the following names (lifted from the chart) you should ask for when you ring the Belgrano;

GA Manager Airworthiness
Graham Rourke

GA Surveyor Airworthiness
Nigel Rockhill
Mal Jorgensen

GA Surveyor Certification & Design
Tony Love
Mike Poole
1 x Vacancy

When you have learned all they know, you could apply for the vacancy!

Until fairly recently, you could have gone to the nearest regional office, and asked to see an airworthiness Surveyor, preferably by appointment. But as they all get closed down that option may not be feasible.

By the way, the chart is marked "confidential for internal use only", so now you have read this far I'm afraid I've got to shoot you. Everyone else, please note that you may not read the information provided above, or I'll have to shoot you as well.

[yotty]

Capot, with all this talk of shooting I'm guessing your from the US originally! :cool:

[Genghis the Engineer]

Basically just get on and built it, declare the aeroplane to CAA when you've got it built, and get a G-regi on it. Technically you're supposed to get a noise certificate, but as it's a glider, that'll just be ignored.

You can elect to apply whatever safety rules you wish. If it was me, and I was building a glider, then I'd make damned sure to my own satisfaction that it complied with all the relevant bits of CS.22, and ideally I'd get another grown-up in to check your numbers. I'd also have an independent BMAA or LAA inspector go over it with you once or twice through the build, and before you fly it. I'd also find a test pilot who has significant glider time to d the first flight and some initial checking and sorting. But that is all entirely discretionary and you don't have to.

If it had an engine, you'd need a PPL of some description to fly it. As it won't, I'm not quite so sure - presumably whatever glider pilots are flying with in this brave new Euro-Word.

The biggest concern I'd have with a glider is that SSDR has absolutely nothing to do with the BGA, and they don't so far as I'm aware have any views on it. But, they do historically want to be happy with any types that are flown from BGA clubs - which is every gliding club in the UK so far as I know. So either you need to find some way of satisfying the BGA technical committee to let you in (which may be extremely difficult) or, probably much easier, aero-tow it behind a microlight from a microlight club somewhere, where they'll almost certainly welcome you with open arms as a long lost cousin.

Apart from a registration and noise certificate, CAA absolutely will not want anything to do with your aeroplane. The whole point of SSDR, from their perspective, is to avoid any responsibility whatsoever. Ask for their opinion, and apart from those items, and whether it *appears* to fall into the SSDR category, then they won't give you one.

G

[NutLoose]

Apart from a registration and noise certificate, CAA absolutely will not want anything to do with your aeroplane. The whole point of SSDR, from their perspective, is to avoid any responsibility whatsoever. Ask for their opinion, and apart from those items, and whether it *appears* to fall into the SSDR category, then they won't give you one.

I'll go further, I feel the CAA do not want anything to do with anything these days, most of the recent legislation appears to be a back covering exercise to avoid getting sued, period.

[Genghis the Engineer]

most of the recent legislation appears to be a back covering exercise to avoid getting sue

That's been very evidently CAA thinking since around 2002, SSDR is just a very extreme example of that.

In my opinion a more sensible and responsible CAA would have been reducing regulation and helping the user community to be safe within it, not wholesale removing it.

G

[cbsiftcbe]

Hello good people, thank you for your comments . I am actually a BGA Gliding Instructor, I have got about 500 hours in gliders and I do own a EASA glider which flies fine at the moment. Building an SSDR aircraft is the next challenge on my list.


Well, I do not need to re-invent the wheel here. Although its designer is deceased, Woodstock plans and construction notes are still available. Dozens of Woodstock gliders had been built and flown in different parts of the world before. So, the design is OK. I also know a friendly inspector from my gliding club who can take a look at the work that I am going to do. I don't want to interfere with BGA on this matter because if an SSDR aircraft is required too many signatures and forms and paperwork I would not be interested in building a low performance glider. Moreover, I am not planning to launch from a BGA club. Starting from 2015 all (or most ) glider pilots will be licensed by CAA in the UK. So, we will all have CAA SPL (sailplane) licences soon. As far as I understand, BGA will carry on its pilot training scheme as being an ATO that is authorised by CAA.


Before I ring/write to CAA I would also like to hear from people who has actually built or heard about the registration procedures for SSDR type in the UK.


By the way, this is Woodstock
Carbon-Dragon (http://www.ihpa.ie/carbon-dragon/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&catid=25)

[Genghis the Engineer]

built or heard about the registration procedures for SSDR type in the UK.

I haven't, but the people I'd look to for useful experiences would include:-

Flylight airsports, at Sywell (Paul Dewhurst or Paul Welch would be the best people)

Reality aircraft, at Old Sarum (Terry Francis)

The BMAA (look at the TILs, then see if you can book a conversation with Ben Syson, the Chief Technical Officer)

The eGo people.

Grass Strip Aviation (Robin Morton).

Between those chaps, you've a lot of experience of making SSDR work, both importing and designing. And in all cases - building and testing.

G