Help. Obtaining a UK Gliding License on the basis of my AmericanLicense

The BGA rules say that your medical practitioner must sign the relevant
form which can be downloaded from the BGA website, nowhere does it say
that your medical practitioner has to be in the UK so get the form signed
by your doctor in the US and that complies with the rules.

Yep, I had no problems flying solo in the UK with the form signed by
an Irish GP.

Bart

Andy wrote:
On Jul 8, 11:45*am, Paul Jessop wrote:
You're clearly eligible for one (as you have an ICAO compliant glider
licence/license/certificate and I assume you have 5h PIC in the last
year
)

There may be a small catch here. It is my understanding that most US
pilot certificates are not ICAO compliant since they do not include
the statement that the pilot is proficient in English. New
certificates include the endorsement.

Ahem - that appears to be wrong - here's what an ICAO FAQ says:

"Glider and free balloon pilots and flight engineers: There is no
language proficiency Standard applicable to these categories of
personnel. However, Annex 1, Chapter 1, paragraph 1.2.9.3 contains a
Recommendation that reads: "Flight engineers, glider and free balloon
pilots should have the ability to speak and understand the language used
for radiotelephony communications."

From:
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/trivia/peltrgFAQ.htm

"Should" isn't "must" unless the state wishes to make it so.

"Background: Effective March 5, 2008, ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel
Licensing) standards require that all private, commercial or ATPs as
well as FEs and flight navigators operating internationally as
required crewmembers of an airplane or helicopter have an airman
certificate with an endorsement of language proficiency. In the case
of persons holding a U.S. airman certificate, the language proficiency
endorsement will state “English Proficient”

As noted in the FAQ I quoted from, the above quoted paragraph isn't
applicable to glider pilots (note it only mentions airplane and
helicopter pilots - so English language proficiency for pilots of
gliders, balloons, airships, powered lift, ornithopters, and anti-gravity
UFOs from Mars doesn't appear to be applicable.)

In article Andy writes:
On Jul 8, 11:45=A0am, Paul Jessop wrote:
You're clearly eligible for one (as you have an ICAO compliant glider
licence/license/certificate and I assume you have 5h PIC in the last year=
)

There may be a small catch here. It is my understanding that most US
pilot certificates are not ICAO compliant since they do not include
the statement that the pilot is proficient in English. New
certificates include the endorsement.

"Background: Effective March 5, 2008, ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel
Licensing) standards require that all private, commercial or ATPs as
well as FEs and flight navigators operating internationally as
required crewmembers of an airplane or helicopter have an airman
certificate with an endorsement of language proficiency. In the case
of persons holding a U.S. airman certificate, the language proficiency
endorsement will state =93English Proficient=94

So Papa3 you may need to get a new FAA certificate before you try to
use it as a basis for getting a BGA certificate.

Andy


Probably not. From http://www.luchtzak.be/forums/viewto...p?f=14&t=38606

Effective March 5, 2008, ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing) standards
require that all private, commercial or ATPs as well as FEs and flight
navigators operating internationally as required crewmembers of an airplane
or helicopter have an airman certificate with an endorsement of language
proficiency. In the case of persons holding a U.S. airman certificate,
the language proficiency endorsement will state ?English Proficient?.

On October 26, 2007, ICAO published State Letter AN 12/44.6-07/68 regarding
Assembly - Resolution A36-11- Proficiency in the English Language Used for
Radiotelephony, which automatically delays implementation up until March 5,
2011 for those countries notifying ICAO. As such, the U.S. has notified
ICAO that it file a difference that will extend the U.S. compliance date
until March 5, 2009 in order to provide sufficient time for all affected
U.S. airman certificate holder to comply with the ICAO Language
Proficiency airman certificate endorsement requirements.


Since we are talking about gliders, not airplanes or helicopters, the
requirement would appear not to apply.

Further, since notification has been made to the ICAO, you would have
until March 5, 2009 for international operations in airplanes and helicopters.

If the operation were fully within the UK, in a UK registered aircraft,
it would seem to not be an international operation, so the requirement
probably would not apply there, anyway.


Alan

On Jul 8, 8:23*pm, (Alan) wrote:
In article Andy writes:





On Jul 8, 11:45=A0am, Paul Jessop wrote:
You're clearly eligible for one (as you have an ICAO compliant glider
licence/license/certificate and I assume you have 5h PIC in the last year=
)

There may be a small catch here. *It is my understanding that most US
pilot certificates are not ICAO compliant since they do not include
the statement that the pilot is proficient in English. *New
certificates include the endorsement.

"Background: Effective March 5, 2008, ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel
Licensing) standards require that all private, commercial or ATPs as
well as FEs and flight navigators operating internationally as
required crewmembers of an airplane or helicopter have an airman
certificate with an endorsement of language proficiency. In the case
of persons holding a U.S. airman certificate, the language proficiency
endorsement will state =93English Proficient=94

So Papa3 you may need to get a new FAA certificate before you try to
use it as a basis for getting a BGA certificate.

Andy

* Probably not. *From *http://www.luchtzak.be/forums/viewto...p?f=14&t=38606

* *Effective March 5, 2008, ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing) standards
* *require that all private, commercial or ATPs as well as FEs and flight
* *navigators operating internationally as required crewmembers of an airplane
* *or helicopter have an airman certificate with an endorsement of language
* *proficiency. *In the case of persons holding a U.S. *airman certificate,
* *the language proficiency endorsement will state ?English Proficient?.

* *On October 26, 2007, ICAO published State Letter AN 12/44.6-07/68 regarding
* *Assembly - Resolution A36-11- Proficiency in the English Language Used for
* *Radiotelephony, which automatically delays implementation up until March 5,
* *2011 for those countries notifying ICAO. *As such, the U.S. *has notified
* *ICAO that it file a difference that will extend the U.S. *compliance date
* *until March 5, 2009 in order to provide sufficient time for all affected
* *U.S. *airman certificate holder to comply with the ICAO Language
* *Proficiency airman certificate endorsement requirements.

* Since we are talking about gliders, not airplanes or helicopters, the
requirement would appear not to apply.

* Further, since notification has been made to the ICAO, you would have
until March 5, 2009 for international operations in airplanes and helicopters.

* If the operation were fully within the UK, in a UK registered aircraft,
it would seem to not be an international operation, so the requirement
probably would not apply there, anyway.

* * * * Alan- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks to everyone for clarifying/amplifying/explicating. I'll go
ahead and take it up with the club(s) where I intend to fly and see
what they say. In the meantime, I'll get the UK medical certificate
out of the way just as a an additional precaution. With regard to
English...one of my newer certificates (I think my most recent flight
instructor) states English proficient or some such, though my wife
might beg to differ.

P3

All U.S. Glider and Power Licenses must have the statement that the person is proficient in English. They are no longer issued without those words. Neita Montague CFIG

Well, this thread IS 8 years old now, lots can change in that time.

Erik

Chris has outlined the issues very well.

The biggest problem is the medical. Whilst there is no legal requirement
for a medical to fly gliders in the UK, the BGA in its wisdom have laid
down medical conditions that revolve around the pilots own GP (a PPL
medical is accepted)

Our insurers now accept these as conditions of flight insurance policies
and have refused to pay out when pilots have let the medical lapse and had
an accident.

In the past, I have spoken to insurance agents about this and the advice
was, "If you have US medicals then talk to the insurers of the club you
intend to fly at and provide details of your medical, they may accept
these and allow you to fly the clubs gliders."
(Get confirmation is writing)

We only have two or three under writers in the UK so it should not be a
major problem and could save money/time/frustration in the long run.

Regards

Dave Martin.

At 15:33 08 July 2009, Chris Reed wrote:
Erik,

We don't have a licensing system, thus your problem.

We did invent something with the licence label, but it was just to
satisfy (from memory) the French authorities. It's issued by the BGA,
and doesn't meet the formal requirements of the various aviation
treaties.

Licensing will be introduced in the next few years, but no-one knows
whether that will change the current system. You already know what that
is, but for other potential visitors it's quite simple:

a. Turn up at gliding club.

b. Talk to instructor, show log book, possibly show gliding
certificates, show copy of your medical (for UK pilots, this is just a
general practitioner doctor's certification that you are fit to drive a

small truck).

c. Undertake whatever check flights the club requires (usually at least
one launch if you want to fly the club's gliders).

d. Go fly on your own.

Your biggest complication might be the medical. If you have a US PPL,
then your medical should be fine. I believe that for a US glider pilot
licence you have general practitioner doctor's certification as well, so

ideally someone at the BGA would be prepared to endorse this as
equivalent to the UK certification.


Papa3 wrote:
Any of you folks from across the Pond care to help out?

I'm finding myself spending more time in the UK lately, including
weekends. I've flown with a number of different gliding clubs and
thoroughly enjoyed myself... so much so that I'm looking in to what
it
would take to obtain a UK Gliding License. I contacted the BGA, but
I was basically told to poke around the BGA Website to find the
forms. Well, after 15 mintues of rooting around trying to figure out
what applies and what doesn't in my situation, I've given up.

Can anyone simplify this for me? Can I simply convert my US ratings
(commercial glider with flight instructor, 2,000 hours, 1,000K
diplome, etc.) to a UK license or do I need to start from scratch?

Any help appreciated.

Erik Mann (LS8-18 P3)

The basic requirement remains, to fly a glider solo in the UK you have to
be aged 16 years or more. That is the ONLY legal requirement, there are no
others, no medical, no certificate, no licence, no talking to jobsworth.
You just need to be 16 years or older.

Without wishing to accuse you of being a jobsworth, Don, I think it's been 14 in the UK for a few years.

Paul

On Monday, September 11, 2017 at 11:11:28 AM UTC+3, Paul Ruskin wrote:
The basic requirement remains, to fly a glider solo in the UK you have to
be aged 16 years or more. That is the ONLY legal requirement, there are no
others, no medical, no certificate, no licence, no talking to jobsworth.
You just need to be 16 years or older.

Without wishing to accuse you of being a jobsworth, Don, I think it's been 14 in the UK for a few years.

Must have been quite a few.

We had a discussion in NZ in the early 90s about whether we should keep the minimum age at 16, or change to 14 like USA and UK.

In the end it was decided the entire concept of a minimum age based on calendar years was flawed and now we don't have one at all.

If you can reach the controls and demonstrate to a club's chief instructor that you can fly the glider and (most importantly!) make appropriate decisions under pressure in various real and simulated situations -- congratulations, you can solo!

To my knowledge, two 12 year olds have soloed in NZ (one boy, one girl). Maybe it's more by now.