FAI soaring badges
 

I realize this is not a soaring forum, but I'm sure there's a lot of glider pilots on here, so I'll try anyways:

Can you get FAI badges (aiming at Silver C) without having a glider rating (i.e., as a student pilot, or with a FAA SEP rating but no glider add-on rating yet)?

You might be better asking the question on glider pilot.net - Glider Pilot Network > rec.aviation.soaring

Since the flights/logs etc. have to be ratified by an official observer you might find difficulty unless you meet all the requirements of the governing body for gliding in the country within which you intend to make the flights. Official observers will, in practically all scenarios, be appointed by these governing bodies hence obtaining ratification without, in some way being affiliated to them, might prove to be a major stumbling block.
In the UK you would need to have a Bronze Badge plus cross country endorsement to be permitted to make a cross country flight. At present in the UK, anyone may fly a glider without any form of licence but this would be outwith the auspices of the British Gliding Association who regulate the sport and set levels of competence certified by certificates. The introduction of EASA regulations, however, will introduce considerable changes.

The situation will differ from country to country however.

Yes, it is possible.

Badges are awarded by whichever organisation is responsible for sports aviation in your country & a member of the FAI or delegated to the national gliding association (the BGA is a member of the Royal Aero Club which itself is a member of the FAI.) You would need to be hooked into that system somehow but there's no reason why a student pilot, under the supervision of an instructor, shouldn't do a badge qualifying flight before being granted a licence.

In theory, in the UK at the moment, the answer is yes.

You could, on your first ever solo flight, gain 3000 feet of height, fly for five hours and land over 50 km away. Providing an official observer signed to say you had done all this you would get your silver badge.

As mentioned above away from the BGA system you might struggle to find the necessary OO but, technically, they are appointed by the FAI and not the BGA.

Yes and no, thoughtful.

3000 metres height gain ? No problem. 5 hours ? Fine. But a landout 50km away or more would require a bronze badge and cross country endorsement as a pre-requisite to setting off outside gliding range of the home airfield. And the bronze badge itself requires a certain minimum of solo experience so, no, all three silver legs cannot be legally acquired on first solo...

Yes entirely actually as far as I can see!

There is no LEGAL requirement for a bronze badge and cross country endorsement before flying cross country, they are simply BGA rules. AFAIK, there is no FIA requirement to hold these first. Unlike the Silver, they are not issued by the FIA but are a UK oddity due to the lack of a formal licence (at the moment).

So, if you somehow make such a flight and an OO confirms it I can't see there is a LEGAL problem.

All this is rather theoretical and it is hard to imagine it actually happening!

I think I am still an OO (or does it lapse with lack of use?). Perhaps the OP would like me to come and observe!

There is no LEGAL requirement for a bronze badge and cross country endorsement before flying cross country, they are simply BGA rules. AFAIK, there is no FIA requirement to hold these first. Unlike the Silver, they are not issued by the FIA but are a UK oddity due to the lack of a formal licence (at the moment).


There is no FAI bronze badge - your national airsport control (NAC) may issue one but it is a national award and not an FAI one. The IGC sporting code (chapter 2) is the bible in this case:

http://www.fai.org/component/phocado...section-3-2012

Providing your flight is legal in the country in which it is flown and your OO is satisfied that you have fulfilled the FAI (or NAC) requirements, you are eligible for the badge in question.