Welcome to our Flying Help Centre. Here you will find useful information, tips and be signposted with links to crucial websites providing information and guidance including: Flying Abroad, Radio Frequencies, Medical Info, Gyro Friendly Airfields, Single Seaters, Permit Updates, help with travelling to France, helpful links and more…
Help Centre
Radio
8.33 khz Radio Info: Click on the link below to access NATS Frequency Cards. This will take you to NATS for the latest published information. Click Here.
Flying Abroad
PORTUGAL:
For Portugal, send an email to ops@anac.pt
Enclosing:
Certificate of Airworthiness
Certificate of Registration
Insurance
Aircraft Radio License
Pilot License
Medical form
Photo of aircraft
FRANCE:
First thing you have to pay is to pay 50 Euros to the French Authorities, for this got to: https://redevances.dcs.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/ulm.html
Once that’s opened click on one of the blue boxes that is entitled LAISSEZ-PASSER (Foreign Aircraft)
Then once that window has opened click on the payment for 50 Euros, and NOT the one for 100 Euros,
To apply for the actual permit, download the form DGAC_LP6 rev 1 here. This you can apply for to run from the day you apply until 7 days before your current permit expires.
SPAIN:
Please note you will need a Class 2 Medical Certificate.
Spanish Forms can be found here
Insurance
Crispin Spears
If you are contacting Crispin Spears for a quote please ask for Luke Daw on 0207 977 5695 and tell him you are a BRA member.
You may copy and paste the link below into your browser or click on the link
Sydney Charles
If you are contacting Sydney Charles for a quote please use reference GY1. and tell them you are a BRA member.
You may copy and paste the link below into your browser or click on the link
http://www.sydneycharles.co.uk/aviation-insurance/light-aircraft-insurance.aspx
Improving Flying Ability
Gyropedia
Online tuition and far more for both people wishing to become a pilot, existing pilots and instructors.
GyroBooks
Gyrobooks
Please follow this link if you would like to view or purchase books.
Sadly Dave Organ has retired and closed this site. We will try and find where we go next……
Letters & Articles
Reminder: GA Pilot Licensing & Training Simplification Phase 3 Consultation
As you are aware, our consultations on General Aviation (GA) Pilot Licensing & Training Simplification close on 6th May 2025.
Following the completion of CAP2335 – General Aviation (GA) Pilot Licensing & Training Simplification Phase 2 in Spring 2024, and the submission of the Opinion and Instruction documents to the Department for Transport, we are now publishing a suite of three consultation papers setting out the detailed changes to AMC and GM across three of the regulations: Aircrew (Part-FCL), Balloons (Part-BFCL) and Sailplanes (Part-SFCL).
Please click in the link below which will take you to our dedicated Licensing and Training Simplification webpage where you can access the consultations.
Licensing & Training Simplification | UK Civil Aviation Authority
Inspectors
Pilot Licencing and Revalidation
Pilot Licencing and Revalidation.
New Pilots
You will need to:
- be in good health
- pass Ground School exams in 6 subjects
- train with a CAA-authorised Gyroplane Flight Instructor
- pass a Flying Test with a CAA-authorised Gyroplane Flight Examiner
Health
We can clearly see you’re in the prime of your life but before you commit to giving an Instructor free access to your bank account it’s essential you get a second opinion from someone other than your better half.
We recommend your first port of call should be to an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) for a “Class 2”.
This will give you and your family the peace of mind that there are no medical surprises lurking beneath your honed exterior.
Your AME will give you an application form for an enhanced sight test which your regular optician will be able to complete ahead of your medical exam.
Your Licence validity hinges on you maintaining a current Medical at all times.
Ground School Exams
The intervening years between leaving college and starting flying had done nothing to enhance my love of exams, so these were more stressful for me than the actual flying.
Anyway, your Instructor will be able to school you in these subjects and you’ll assimilate much of the knowledge by osmosis during the course of your training.
You’ll need to pass your Air Law exam before you can fly solo and your others before you fly solo cross-country (to an airfield other than where you took off).
Radio Comms will likely need to be taught by a specialist Radio Instructor although you’ll pick-up much of the terminology during the course of your flying training.
These are the subjects you need to pass:
- Air Law
- Gyroplane Technical
- Human Factors
- Navigation
- Meteorology
- Radio Communications
Train with an Instructor
You will need a minimum of 40 hours of flying training; at least 15 of those will be Dual Instruction –your Instructor in the cockpit with you – and at least 10 hours will be you flying the aircraft Solo.
Cross-country flights must account for at least 3 of those Solo hours.
If you’re a young whipper-snapper, you may well complete your training in 40 hours.
If you have more miles on your clock, expect to spend an hour training for each year you’ve graced the planet.
Pass your Flying Test
This is not like passing your driving test. It’s way more fun.
Your Examiner’s job is to assess your flying skills and to be assured you can fly safely and competently and that, in the event of an emergency, you will guide your aircraft and its occupants safely back to terra firma without incident.
Pilots of other Types of Aircraft
If you hold a current UK Aeroplane or Helicopter Licence you may be credited with up to 15 hours of dual instruction time. But it’s not a given.
Your instructor is charged with guiding you through the whole syllabus and it will take as long as it takes.
If your licence is current and your Ground School exams are at an equivalent or higher level these should be credited against the equivalent subjects required for PPL(G).
You will still be required to take a Gyroplane Technical Exam.
Revalidation
Having passed your Flying Test, your PPL(G) lasts a lifetime.
But your privileges must be revalidated every 2 years, either by Flying Experience or by a Proficiency Check (effectively, another Flying Test).
Revalidation by Flying Experience
In year 2 of your current validity, flying at least 12 hours including a Training Hour with an Instructor arms you with the Experience to request revalidation of your Licence.
The process of reviewing your Log book and endorsing your Licence with an requisite signature is carried out by an UK Gyroplane Examiner.
Your Instructor is not just there for your initial training. Lean on them after you’ve qualified to refresh or to practice skills you don’t use in every day flying. So under normal circumstances Revalidation by Flying Experience will fit in seamlessly with your normal flying activities.
Revalidation by Proficiency Check
If life, weather, aircraft or other circumstances have conspired to prevent you flying your minimum 12 hours you will need to pass a Revalidation Flight Test with a UK Gyroplane Flight Examiner.
This won’t be anywhere near as tricky as your first Flying Test because you know how to do it now, don’t you!
Just to be sure (and to avoid embarrassment), why not do an hour or two with your Instructor to refresh your skills before your test?
More information
If you think the above is a dry read, you can get more information from Standards Document 44 which governs all aspects of Gyroplane Licencing.
Download it here: https://www.caa.co.uk/our-work/publications/documents/content/standards-document-44/
Documents
Document 44
Click here for Document 44
Medical declaration
Click here for a link to the medical declaration.
See the latest from the CAA here
Single Seaters (Airworthy)
AV18 flies at Aberporth
G-CDXV being flown at Aberporth with Tony Melody, Andy Jones and Tim. Instruction and conversion was the order of the day. Great to see another of these wonderful little aircraft in the air.
See video here
https://youtu.be/C16eDDg2jMg
Aircraft
Great to see Dave Organ and his Cricket at the LAA rally at Sywell. One of only 5 gyro’s that flew in amongst over a thousand aircraft.
Aircraft
Tom Geake’s Little Lottie. She is an AV18 Cricket.
LAA & CAA Permit info and help with flying to France
CAA Permit Revalidations
Permit revalidations can be applied for from the CAA online using the web url below
https://www.caa.co.uk/permitstofly/default.aspx
If you are a full member of the LAA (£110 per annum) you can also revalidate your permit through them. Initially there is a £155.00 one off payment for them to adopt the aircraft so the first year stings a bit. However you do get lots of benefits by joining such a large organisation of fellow GA aviators.
http://www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk/
A permit can now be renewed at Rochester. Carol Brightwell is the person you need to speak to at Arion Aviation Limited. Tel: 07824 553306 Generally please give them at least 2 weeks notice. The cost will be £420.00 for the survey and the permit revalidation and that is provided all works have been carried out and all paperwork is up to date. There will be an additional charge of £55.00 per hour plus VAT for any additional hours required and of course the cost of any parts. The upside also being that these could be fitted at the time.
Two permits have now been revalidated a Rochester.
LAA Gyro Help
Here is the Click here to read the Latest from the LAA to the LAA Factory Built Gyro pages. Guidance for the permit process and much more.
Travelling to France
Six of us in 5 aircraft (all gyro’s) recently flew to France. There is a permit application form that costs 50 euro’s and is valid for 30 days. To pay the 50 euro’s you do it through the French avaitons website. Its not easy but use this web address
http://www.aviation-civile.gouv.fr
To print a copy of the DGAC LP6 rev1 use this link
In additon you need to send
A copy of your permit to fly with its conditions of issue
A copy of the Aircraft’s registration document
A copy of the permits vilidation certificate.
These must be sent to: lp-aviationgenerale@aviation-civile.gouv.fr
You must also have a valid medical (a medical declaration is not acceptable) and carry that with your licence, insurance documents and a map of the area at all times.
Finally do not forget your Passport.