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Why Bother?
This page is intended to encourage
pilots who are put off by the bureaucracy involved in taking a glider to France. These are just some
of the advantages of flying there:
 | Its proximity, lying just across the
channel. |
| Excellent soaring conditions, especially south of
the Alps. |
| Very few limitations on cross-country
flying. |
| Spectacular
mountains scenery. |
| Wonderful food and wine, to suit all tastes
and pockets. |
| Plenty of activities and attractions for
non-flying partners. |
| Still having doubts? - Take a
look at our Sisteron
Expedition website to see what you are missing. |
The guidance notes given below were valid as
at April 2008 and are offered in good faith. Don't blame me if they are
in error or out-of-date!
What's The Problem, Anyway?
Over the past few years the French have imposed what at first
sight appear to be obstacles designed specifically to keep the Brits away. In
order to understand why they have done this, it must be understood that most,
if not all, EU countries have a system of state-issued licences for
glider pilots - the relevant national aviation authority has a close interest in
keeping control of all its aviators. The UK, on the other hand, is an exception:
historically, the BGA was set up to operate outside the scope and control of the CAA and,
to the great benefit of all UK glider pilots, this situation continues today.
Whilst previously turning a blind eye to the
anomaly that is the UK Glider Pilot, these days the French authorities have
taken the view that pilots from other EU states may only fly freely in France if they have a
state-issued licence and, in our case, this would mean a CAA Glider Pilot's Licence
(not one issued by some other authority like the BGA). The reasons the French
have taken this stance are in dispute but, as we are glider pilots and therefore
pragmatic by nature, let's deal with the situation as it stands.
It must be understood further that these
restrictions have not been at all welcomed by the instructors on the ground. We have
been flying at Sisteron for
20
years and are aware that many of the French clubs
manage to survive only on the custom provided by visitors. The last thing they
needed was a pile of bureaucracy from Paris. Fortunately, after negotiation, measures were
introduced by the French that would allow UK glider pilots to fly their own gliders in
France without the need for a UK PPL, and the following describes how this may
be achieved.
OK, This Paperwork, Then ...
These are the rules:
| If a pilot with a BGA Gliding Certificate wants to
fly solo in France, he/she must be given approval by the French Authorities. |
| If a pilot wants to
fly solo in a French glider, he/she must hold a Glider Pilot's
Licence issued by a National Authority. The only exception is when flying
solo as a student pilot under instruction. There is currently no way around
this. |
| If an Annex II UK-registered
glider is to be flown in France, the glider must be provided with a French
Permit to Fly. EASA gliders do not require a Permit. |
Pilot Approval
Collect the following items:
| Two passport-type identity photos |
| Photocopies of :
 | The last page of your logbook - please
make sure that there is something here worth looking at, at least a few
entries which demonstrate the sort of flying you have been doing. |
| Your BGA Gliding Certificate.
From April 2008 yet
another requirement has been imposed: the DGAC now want separate
confirmation from the BGA that your certificate is valid. The DGAC has
been advised, on receipt of your application, to email the BGA who will
provide the confirmation, so this should be a transparent process.
Whether the DGAC will comply is another matter! |
| Your passport. |
| Your medical certificate (see below). |
| A copy of your flight test certificate (see
below). |
| New for 2008 - a
fee of 75 euros, payable only by cheque or electronic transfer to:
| Account
Name |
REGIE AVANCES ET RECETTES |
| Address |
TPMARSEILLE |
| Code
banque |
10071 |
| Code
guichet |
13000 |
| N°
de compte |
00001012450 |
| Clé
RIB |
39 |
| IBAN |
FR76
1007 1130 0000 0010 1245 039 |
| BIC |
BDFEFRPPXXX |
|
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The
application should be sent to the
following address, accompanied by a letter indicating the gliding site from
which you intend to fly and the proposed date and duration of your visit.
Mme Sophie
Nercessian
Minister de l'Equipement des Transports et du Tourisme
Direction Général de L'Aviation Civile
Délégation Régionale Provence
No. 1 Aeroport
13727 MARIGNANE - CEDEX
France
|
Tel:
|
0033 4 42.31.14.81 |
| Fax:
|
0033
4 42.31.15.69 |
| Em: |
sophie.nercessian@aviation-civile.gouv.fr |
The validation papers will be sent to you
after your application has been
approved and payment received.
Two of these items require further
explanation.
| Medical Certificate |
The rules require that a Gliding Medical be
obtained. The examination is quite basic and there is no requirement for an
ECG. However, the medical must be issued by the national aviation authority
and, in the absence of a CAA Glider Pilot's Medical, the least costly route
within the UK is to obtain a PPL Class 3 medical, or its current JAR
equivalent. There are several tame CAA Authorised Medical Examiners in the
country whose charges vary considerably, so if this is your preferred route,
make enquiries first.
An alternative method, and one which we
have used successfully over many years, is to obtain a French Medical
Certificate during a visit to France. The examination takes about 20 minutes, costs
about €50 and lasts a year. Most French gliding clubs have details of local
doctors who could provide this service. If pilots do this on the first day of
their visit, there
need only be a short delay before the paperwork is returned. If
the medical certificate is faxed to the DGAC then, provided they have your
other details on file, a pilot equivalence will be faxed back to the club
within 24 hours.
For
Pilots intending to fly from Sisteron, a very useful source of medical
certificates is:
| Name: |
Dr
Francois Neuveux
|
| Address: |
Le
Place de l'Horloge (in the centre of Sisteron Town) |
| Coordinates: |
44º
11.973N 05º 56.643E |
| Email: |
9veuxfr04@tele2.fr |
|
| Flight Test |
The Flight Test is mandatory
for pilots new to the area. The test lasts a
minimum of one hour and is intended to help pilots to orientate themselves
with respect to the local mountains, to illustrate field landing options and
to check general glider handling skills. The test is no more demanding than that one would
expect in the UK but be warned that for pilots who clearly do not handle the glider
safely or do not keep an adequate lookout (particularly important with the
number of gliders to be expected in the Alps), the check flight will be far from a
formality and further two-seater training will be offered and should be
accepted.
The Flight Test would normally need to be repeated
every year unless the pilot can prove (by means of a logbook) that he or she
has flown more than 5 hours (yes, five) in the previous 12 months. This should
not be a problem - any pilot unable to meet this requirement is likely to
benefit considerably from a further check flight.
Bear in mind that the club needs our business
and will do everything it can to enable us to fly. A visitor's glider sitting in its
trailer is of no use to the club. We have always found the
local authorities to be nothing less than helpful and understanding in dealing
with and, on occasion, re-interpreting the rules. They are on our side.
Glider Validation
|
Annex II
gliders are required to undergo a
validation procedure, which requires a copy of the glider's BGA C of
A. a fee of 20 euros and a note indicating where the glider is to be
based and the relevant dates, to be sent to: |
Direction
Générale de
l'Aviation Civile
Division Aeronefs
50 Rue Henri Farman
75720 PARIS CEDEX
France
| Tel: |
0033
1 58.09.44.721 |
| Fax: |
0033
1 58.09.40.17 |
| Email: |
laissez-passer.dcs@aviation-civile.gouv.fr |
|
EASA gliders
require a UK Part-21 Permit
to Fly or equivalent. However, the CAA has confirmed that it has established an
exemption for UK gliders with a current BGA C of A which allows them to fly
during the transition to European rules up until September
2008. Therefore, for EASA gliders, the
only glider documentation that is required up until September 2008 is a current
BGA C of A document and details of the glider's insurance. It may also be worth
printing a copy of the exemption
which should help to persuade the club administrator that no
rules are being broken. |
Safety Equipment
| Flarm |
November 2006:
It is rumoured that French Alpine clubs will, in future, require Flarm
instruments to be fitted to all gliders that fly from
their airfields, including those of visitors. Flarm is an electronic
device that warns of potential collisions and it works by
interrogating Flarm units of nearby gliders and other aircraft. Any
glider that does not carry Flarm will be 'invisible' to other Flarm
units. Be aware that on a good soaring day, many gliders will be using
the same ridge routes at high speed and, however good the visibility
and however rigorous the pilot's lookout, they will not all be seen.
It is thought that
over 50% of gliders flying in the Alps already carry this device.
Pilots intending to fly in the Alps should contact their
destination club to establish the current local requirements.
See here
for more details on Flarm.
| Emergency Locator
Transmitters (ELTs) |
It is strongly
recommended that pilots intending to fly in the Alps bring some form
of ELT, whether fixed or portable. It is very difficult to see a
glider against mountain snow, even in the areas most visited by other
gliders, and the use of an ELT will reduce considerably the search
time for a downed pilot. To be injured and benighted at altitude on a
mountainside is a life-threatening situation.
ELTs are available
from most pilot stores - but purchasers should also take note of the proposed
121.5 phase out, scheduled for 2009.
Is there anything else?
Not really - just bring the
documents listed above, along with any other pilot documentation
that you might have.
The booking-in process at the club lasts 15 minutes and then there is little
left to do but rig, have lunch, and fly!
To see just how enjoyable a
trip to the southern French Alps might be, take a look at our recent Sisteron
Expedition Diaries.
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| Photo: John
Bridge |
If you have any queries about this
process, please email Ariane
Decloux who
will be delighted to offer further assistance.
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