Pilot September 2017

http://www.pilotweb.aero Pilot September 2017 | 7

CAA prosecution
Pilot Andrew Hart has been
prosecuted by the CAA for
flying without a current
licence or medical, found
guilty and fined (p.10)

CAA ATPL exam changes

Theoretical knowledge exam

question styles are being

changed to bring them into

line with EASA, Australia

and New Zealand (p.13)

Fairoaks housing fight

Michael Gove, MP is lending

his support to the ‘No

Fairoaks New Town’ fight to

stop housing development

on Fairoaks airport (p.16)

Super Pumas to fly again

After the 2016 fatal crash,

UK and Norwegian CAAs

outline plans for changes

and modifications to lift

flight restrictions (p.18)

Boeing, the Royal Air
Force and the Air
League have joined
forces to launch the
Centennial Wings
programme in which
some twenty Air Cadets
from Northern Ireland’s
sixteen Air Training
Corps squadrons are
building a Sting S
ultralight. The aircraft
is expected to fly at
next year’s Royal
International Air Tattoo
at RAF Fairford.
‘Centennial Wings is intended to
complement and enhance the existing
RAF Air Training Corps cadets’ curriculum
with hands-on practical application of
classroom theory, to help inspire young
people in the UK to study science,
technology, engineering and maths
(STEM) subjects and to take an interest in
careers in the military and aerospace,’
the ATC says. The project is supported by

a dedicated team and volunteers from

the Ulster Aviation Society.

The ATC cadets recently installed the

aircraft’s Rotax 912 engine and are now

focussing on its electronics and

instruments. The Sting S4 will be used

for flying training once it has been

certified by the Light Aircraft

Association and the RAF’s No 2 Flying

Training School.

National Air Traffic Services has made a
number of changes and improvements to
Drone Assist, the drone safety app launched
last December, to make it more user-
friendly for commercial and recreational
drone pilots.
One of the most significant changes is to
the ‘Fly Now’ feature. Drone pilots can now
plan their flights ahead of time, for any
location in the UK, whereas previously this
could only be done in the location being
flown in at the time of flight. ‘This update
better supports commercial drone operators
as well as anyone operating with limited
connectivity and means that pilots can now
plan ahead,’ says NATS. ‘Using “Fly Now”
creates flight reports which are visible to
other app users and potentially other
airspace users, helping to reduce the risk of
a drone related incident in UK airspace.’
The new Area Reports feature provides
users with a visual red/amber/green
indicator providing a quick and easy way to
see a real-time summary of hazards in a

particular area when viewing the map.

These summaries are categorised as High

Risk (red), Medium Risk/Caution (amber) or

Fly Safe: Follow Drone Code (green), when

there are no reported risks mapped.

Weather information has also been added to

the app, allowing drone pilots to view the

latest weather conditions, and a forecast for

the next hour.

‘Feedback from the users of Drone Assist

has been overwhelmingly positive and has

helped to inform app developments,’ reports

NATS. ‘Most notably and taking into account

user comments, registration to use the app

now only requires an email address,

removing the need for a mobile phone

number. An additional 2,000-3,000 users

are registering each month, with more and

more pilots signing up as the weather

improves. Registrations now total well over

20,000. The app is available free on iPhone,

iPad and Android devices. Visit dronesafe.uk

for more details and to read the CAA’s

Drone Code before flying.’

Putting a Sting

into the Air

Training Corps

NATS updates Drone Assist app

The British Gliding Association’s Glide Britain project

aims to raise awareness and understanding of gliding

among the general public and to encourage

participation in the sport. To this end, during the last

two weeks of July a team of six glider pilots, whose

ages range from 19-55 years, was flying a Schleicher

ASK 21 sailplane over a 1,200km route across the UK

and visiting thirteen gliding clubs. ‘The project has

been financed in a very innovative way with funds

from the Association, the thirteen clubs participating

in the project, and also from commercial sponsors

and from the gliding community using crowd

funding. Over £30,000 has been raised in total,’ says

the BGA.

‘The gliding community knows that the public has

little idea of what gliding is all about. We can fly large

distances, flights of more than 300 miles are common

in the UK, and the distance record exceeds 600 miles.

Gliders regularly achieve heights of 10,000ft and the

UK height record is a staggering 37,000ft. We can do

aerobatics, we fly very modern gliders but also

vintage ones. We have clear messages: gliding is safe,

affordable, accessible; has no gender issues; you can

fly solo at fourteen; gliders can be adapted for those

with physical disabilities; and it is fun!’

During its tour the ASK 21 was being accompanied

by a professional film crew which will produce a

broadcast-quality documentary and a series of videos

for use by the gliding community introducing all

aspects of the sport including the different launch

methods, types of lift, vintage gliding, aerobatics and

cross-country flying.

Go gliding, Britain!

Glide Britain’s Jago Roberts

Glide Britain’s ASK 21

The ATC’s Sting S4 ultralight should fly at RIAT Fairford 2018