THE BMFA 'B' CERTIFICATE (SILENT FLIGHT - ELECTRIC)
- The examination for the Electric 'B' Certificate may
be taken on application to a Registered Examiner.
The examination may be carried out by:
- Two Registered Examiners (the 'lead' must be a
Silent Flight Examiner).
- A Silent Flight Chief Examiner.
- If your club does not have any Registered Silent
Flight Examiners, you should contact your local
Area Achievement Scheme Co-ordinator who will be
able to help. Names and telephone numbers of Area
Co-ordinators are available from the BMFA
Leicester office.
- The candidate must successfully carry out the
following test.
- Carry out pre-flight checks as required by the
BMFA Safety Codes. Particular attention should be
given to airframe. control linkages and surfaces.
- After complying with the site frequency control
system, prepare the model for launch. The motor
start and stop switch/speed controller sequence
must be demonstrated to the examiner
- Check that the launch area and landing area are
clear both on the ground and in the air. If a helper is
used to launch the model they should be fully
briefed as to what is required.
- Clearly announce, "launching" and launch the
model under full control. Any deviation from the
expected launch path must be corrected smoothly
and quickly. Climb to approximately 100 metres.
Switch off power and transition to glide without
stalling.
From this point on, power must not be used.
- Fly the model on a thermal search pattern. The
model is to pass over three points, agreed with the
Examiner prior to the start of the flight (e.g. corners
of the field).
- Fly the model through consecutive 360 degree
thermal turns to a position a minimum of 100m
down wind of the pilot. The model should gain
height if in lift or be flown with minimum loss of
height if no lift is found.
From this point on, power may be used as
required
- Fly the model through either a half loop or half
roll to inverted, hold straight, controlled inverted
-flight for a minimum of five seconds and then half
loop or half roll back to level flight.
- Fly the model a minimum of 150 metres up wind
of the pilot, gain speed and perform a stall turn into
wind.
- Fly into wind and complete one inside loop.
- Fly the model across wind and perform an
unpowered stall, recover with minimum loss of
height, still heading across wind.
- Turn the model down wind and perform an
un powered stall, recovering with minimum loss of
height on the same heading down wind.
- Fly the model up wind to prepare the model for
the overshoot/landing phase.
- Call "landing" and prepare the model for a
landing with a down wind leg, followed by a base leg
and final approach.
- Overshoot from below 10 ft and climb back to
circuit height. Note that this manoeuvre is an
aborted landing, not a low pass.
- Again, call "landing" and prepare the model for a
landing with a down wind leg, followed by a base leg
and final approach.
- Land the model into wind within 10 metres of a
predetermined spot.
- Retrieve the model from the landing area,
informing other pilots that the landing area is clear.
- Complete post-flight checks required by the
BMFA Safety Codes.
- Repeat the above schedule a second time,
giving a total of two flights.
- In addition to the flying schedule, the candidate
must answer correctly a minimum of eight questions
on safety matters, based on the BMFA Safety
Codes for General Flying and local flying rules, at
least four of which must be specific to electric flight.
- All manoeuvres must be carried out in airspace pre-
determined by the Examiner and Candidate prior to
the commencement of the test flights.
- The above complete two flight schedule is treated
as one test attempt. Two attempts per examination
will be allowed in anyone day.
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