Bastoune wrote:

I spent a bit of time on the SSA website trying to find out if
"Position Recorders" (not an IGC Approved Flight Recorder) are allowed
for Silver badges. The info from 2010 seems to indicate that Position
Recorders are not allowed for Silver badges, unless someone has in
addition a barograph. Did I read this correctly? Is this likely to
change in the future or do I need to order an IGC approved FR from
Santa?

Second question - Would and Out & Return of 60km qualify for a Silver
badge? Can't seem to find a clarification on the SSA website (beside
the definition of Silver = 50+km).

No. The silver distance flight is a 50km leg. A simple 60 km O&R had 30
km legs. But it is not just any 50km leg, and many flight claims fail
because of pilots not paying attention to the 1% altitude rule or not
understanding flight declaration requirements, not properly making
declarations (always make a paper declaration that overrides any
electronic one), or not properly entering OZs etc. on more complex
silver distance flights. The silver badge also has duration and altitude
achievement requirements that you can do on the same or separate
flights.

You are going about this the wrong way by reading the SSA website. You
really have to get the FAI sporting code section 3 and the seperate
annex C OO and pilots guide and read those. Start here
http://www.fai.org/gliding/sc3

Notice the new October 2011 SC3 rules. You also technically are supposed
to read the approval documents for the particular flight recorder (e.g.
the recorder may need sealing to the aircraft etc.).

The SSA website has useful information, links and forms etc. But you
have to read the rules. And especially some well intentioned efforts to
simplify or clarify the rules in SSA documents sometimes actually
complicates this more or results in invalid flights.

The FAI rules will also clarify flight recorder etc. requirements. It is
usually easier to fly with an IGC recorder but it is for example it is
entirely possible to do a straight out silver distance with no recorder
of any type (the tow pilot attests to the release altitude and the
finish altitude is the landing elevation).

There is a lot of stuff to trip up a newcomer but after hitting your
head against this for a while it will start to make sense, either that
or it's the concussion settling in. In SC3 read the definitions section
very carefully and refer to those formal definitions as you read the
main text.

Find a competent OO, somebody who actually understands the FAI rules in
detail and go over your plans and procedures with them well before the
flight.

Darryl