Gliding endorsements - somewhat confused

[mat777]

Hi everyone,

I solo'd in a glider last weekend and I am now looking to move onto doing my badges - only I had a few questions, and looking on the BGA website only made me come away with more questions!

What are the exact requirements for getting a bronze badge? The BGA site only mentions "skills tests", but I hear one has to do something like 10 hours P1, a 60km flight and a 2 hour flight? Is this correct?

Secondly, I have seen someone at my local club brandishing a A6-sized green booklet that is apparently something to do with bronze progress. They said its available on the BGA shop, I'll be damned if I can find it though?

Thirdly, where does the new GPL come into all this? Am I right in thinking I get it if I complete bronze? It doesnt seem to be essential, what are the benefits of it?

Finally, it is my ultimate goal to convert to an NPPL (then work up to full PPL). What does this entail? I've been told that I can put 10 hours gliding at P1 towards the 40 or so hours solo in a proper powered plane it needs? However, the BGA site seems to suggest that once I have a GPL, I can do a quick conversion to a Motor Glider licence, then convert that to an SSEA NPPL? this seems to circumvent the hours, training and ground studies that I thought a PPL required, unless I am missing something drastic? medical certification is no problem as i hold a full class 2, its just the actual flying requirements that have me confused.


Apologies if these questions seem a bit daft but I am genuinely not sure what links to what, and how best to proceed up the various ladders!

thanks,
Matt

[astir 8]

Hi Matt

lifted directly from

British Gliding Association >> Learning to Glide >> The badge system

Then check the BGA "laws and rules" section for the bronze badge. It seems to be spelt out pretty clearly what has to be done if you scroll down item 2.

British Gliding Association - Laws & Rules

Don't confuse the bronze badge with the cross country endorsement - that comes after completing the bronze badge.

Anything involving EASA's rules about the new GPL is confusing but get as far on with the old system as you can as that should make conversion easier when the GPL comes

[mat777]

Thanks Astir! the first link is what I had been struggling to interpret but the second link is just the explanation I was looking for

[chrisN]

Just to add a little to Astir’s post:

Pre EASA, there is no official “glider pilot licence” in the UK.

There is, however, an unofficial BGA-issued licence. I forget the requirements for it, but it is beyond Bronze.

The point is, however, if you progress as far as that before EASA licences are mandatory, it should be possible to convert it into an EASA GPL of one sort or another, I believe without further tests.

If you have further question after perusing the links Astir pointed out, you are likely to find more informed opinions at gliderpilot.net than here, which has few gliding people contributing.

HTH.

Chris N

[Prop swinger]

There is a Bronze Badge page on the website, have a look at the BGA syllabus, the Bronze bit starts on p5. I would recommend the book Bronze & Beyond as a good primer for the theoretical stuff. You won't need to learn anything new for the skills test, you're just expected to be better. What might catch you out is the oral part of the Bronze test, which is all about pre & post flight operations - things like where to get NOTAMS, weight & balance stuff, how to read a flight manual.

Navigation & field landings are part of the cross-country endorsement & are tested separately from the Bronze badge. Bronze badge + cross-country endorsement = BGA glider pilot's licence. Possession of a BGA GPL gives you a substantial discount on NPPL training requirements (although you will still have to pass a skills test & ground exams.) Full details in the licence allowances page from the NPPL website.

Bronze badge + cross-country endorsement will also = EASA LAPL(S) or SPL once the BGA finally becomes an ATO. You can add TMG endorsements to an EASA sailplane licence or get a standalone airplane licence with some reduction in training requirements. Full details in the Aircrew Reg. & AMC at the bottom of the BGA EASA licensing page.

A6-sized green booklet

If you mean something like this, I think you get it when you apply for what's now called the BGA Gliding Certificate.

[mat777]

Thanks guys!

Propswinger... I just looked at applying for a solo cert.... £20 quid for a bit of paper that's going to last 3 months or so before I spend another £30 updating the endorsement ??
I guess someone's going to tell me now that I do need a solo certificate and cant just skip straight to applying for a Bronze one once I've fulfilled that?

[astir 8]

Mat

glad that reference helped - and pardon me for not saying congratulations on going solo! It's nice flying without that nagging from the back seat isn't it!

Can't help you on the certificate costs. I know that I didn't actually apply for the A certificate as such, a bit of paper saying that you survived your first solo is pretty meaningless and I didn't apply to the BGA for anything until I passed my Bronze.

But that was a regrettable number of years and about 2500 launches ago and I can't remember whether the BGA charged for both endorsements - I'm sure it wasn't £20 quid back then either!

[thing]

Seem to remember when I did my glider stuff that there was a 'B' certificate as well. Can't remember what it was for. To the OP, you can blag up to ten hours off your PPL, one for each ten hours you have as P1 on a glider. It might have something to do with having a silver as well. Anyway, when I did my PPL I got the allowance off.

But then again it might have all changed now under EASA...if you can keep up with it all you're a better man than me...

[chrisN]

Thing, from the BGA Laws and Rules (reference above):

“The solo endorsement is known historically as the A badge, the Bronze endorsement includes the historic B badge, and the Silver, Gold and Diamond FAI badges (refer Part 10) are the historic C badges.”

Chris N