Coach Revalidation
The BHPA has announced that it is introducing a coach revalidation scheme. This is being introduced to help ensure that all BHPA Club Coaches and Senior Coaches are current and active. This should minimise the chance of an accident occurring during a coaching session, and also minimise the legal exposure of any coach if the worst did come to the worst.
In future, all SE Wales Club Coaches and Senior Coaches will need to obtain a declaration of support signed by the Club‘s Safety and Coaching Officer when renewing their BHPA membership.
The BHPA are also recommending that coaches should re-attend a BHPA Coach Course at least once every five years to ensure that they are fully up-to-date with current thinking. In view of these changes, the BHPA membership form for coaches will in future include a box that can be ticked if a coach no longer wishes to hold a BHPA Coach Licence.
CAA Mode S Transponder Phase 2 Consultation - January 2008
On 31st January 2008 the CAA published the phase 2 consultation documents for their latest proposals on the compulsory carriage of transponders. This is available at www.caa.co.uk - click on the "Mode S" menu item, and follow the links.
It should be noted that the proposals are less draconian than last year‘s proposal of all aircraft in all airspace. However the BHPA believes that they still represent a significant risk to both our activities and General Aviation as a whole. Pending a full review of the CAA‘s documents the current BHPA position is that they do not believe that the transponder carriage proposed provides the CAA‘s stated safety improvements on a reasonable cost v benefit basis.
The BHPA team of Mark Turner, Phil Jones and Tom Hardie will carry out an assessment of the CAA‘s documentation and provide BHPA members with their thoughts in sufficient time for them to respond by the consultation close of 17:00 on 31st May 2008.
Further updates will be posted to the BHPA web site as and when they become available.
This is YOUR airspace use that is being discussed, and if you don‘t seek to protect it officialdom takes the view that by silence you are indicating that you are happy to accept their proposals.
Paul Dancey