1 EUROCONTROL EUROPE AIR SPORTS Sporting & Recreational Aviation Conference GLIDING Günter Bertram

Numbers and types n Gliders – gliders, licensed glider pilots –Cross country flights up to 1000 km+ are flown (often across borders) –More than km can be flown on a good day –Modern gliders are equipped with navigation systems (GPS), flight recorders, anti-collision device (FLARM). –MTOM< 850 kg, max 2 POB, some gliders have an engine, –Self Launching (SLG), Self-Sustaining (SSG), Touring (TMG) _________________________________________

Regulation n Gliders Regulated at EASA level –Certified aircraft (CS-22) –Controlled maintenance –Pilots hold an ICAO glider pilot license –Operations strongly organised in gliding clubs –Community feels over-regulated

Journey Example Glider (860 km flight)

Thermal “airways” in Germany

Glider Characteristics –Needs a big area to operate and sometimes high altitude (wave flying in mountains) –Equipped with radio, and sometimes transponder –Manoeuvres better than a balloon, but not as good as an airplane, and are unable to maintain an altitude

Glider Characteristics –Wish to go through controlled airspace on ATC clearance or in segregated airspace –Many gliders may fly together in the same thermal –The pilots fly to exercise a sport –Sometimes difficult for the pilot to simultaneously communicate with ATC and concentrate on staying airborne

Airspace Problems n Aerodromes needs: –Easy VFR access to adequate number of conveniently located small aerodromes –Reasonable VFR access to busier aerodromes –Separate arrival and departure paths and procedures for slow and fast aircraft –Short and/or parallel runways to minimise conflict with IFR traffic –Flexibility in the handling of VFR traffic

Airspace Problems n Lower Airspace ( GND - FL95) –Accommodates most General and Sport aviation and aerial work activities n Middle Airspace (FL 95 - FL195) –some, but limited activities n Upper Airspace (195+) –Rarely used, but access required for certain activities

Lower Airspace ( GND - FL95) n Problems are mainly in the Lower Airspace: –complex patchwork –restrictive vertical division to controlled airspace –Large, inflexible TMAs –Sometimes over-controlled by ATC –Conflicts with high speed military aircraft

Equipment Issues –Equipment carriage requirements not harmonised across ECAC countries –Equipment programmes aimed at one specific airspace user (commercial IFR) with no consideration for other users –Cost-benefit analysis does not take other user groups into account (8.33 kHz radios, Mode S TXPD)

Equipment Issues –Wider use of GPS for VFR activities (Galileo ?) –Lack of forward planing ! (ADS-B) –Lack of co-ordination between ATM planners: airspace harmonisation, Modes S, ADS-B, 8.33 kHz

Technical Limitations n Limitations on equipment carriage: –Mass: l gliders are weight critical –Certification: l Equipment certification makes equipment costly –Maintenance: l Periodical maintenance is expensive –Electrical Power: l gliders have no generator! l Need of a low power transponder

Our concerns for the future n Lack of sufficient, contiguous, airspace for VFR cross country flight (better analyses of VFR needs) n Use of airports not used today (low cost carriers) n Unnecessary complexity of airspace (lack of harmonization) n Cost of equipment (8.33, Mode-S) n Lack of FUA implementation n Denial of access (even when equipped and/or airspace is unused) n UAVs