BMAA Strip Skills Diploma

Aim: This post-licence course is designed to make you a safer pilot by reviewing the knowledge and improving the flying skills involved in landing at more demanding strips, such as private and farm strips. It must be delivered by an approved BMAA Instructor.

Great Western Airsports is able to offer the BMAA Strip Course which also qualifies as a credit in the BMAA wings scheme.

Introduction.

Operating a microlight aircraft safely from more demanding flying sites such as unmade farm and private strips requires a high standard of knowledge and flying skills. Pilots who have trained at large airfields may have little or no experience of such smaller strips and are therefore vulnerable to making errors. At the very least they may be put off visiting such strips, which are the backbone of microlight flying sites. This BMAA Course will develop and reinforce your knowledge and skills to enable you to tackle these strips safely and with confidence.

Syllabus
Knowledge.

  • Review of CAA Safety Sense Leaflets 7c “Aeroplane Performance” and 12 “Strip Flying”.
  • Review of performance calculations, TORA LDA. TOD/LD from POH. Factors to apply.
  • Awareness of hazards
  • Short Runway
    • Narrow Runway
    • Surface and Slope
    • Surroundings, Obstructions, Turbulence and Rotor.
  • The importance of an accurate approach.
  • The importance of the decision to go-around.
  • Review of short/soft field landing techniques.
  • Review of crosswind take-off and landing techniques. Estimating crosswind. Aircraft limitations. (POH)
  • Understanding your own limitations. Planning an alternate.
  • Always remember; “Sufficiently poor judgement can overcome even great skill”.

Skills (Flight Instruction)
Review and development of; Glide Approach. Correct use of Flap.

Powered Approach. Accurate speed control.

  • Short Field take-off and landing techniques
  • Soft Field take-off and landing techniques.
  • Crosswind take-off and landing techniques.
  • Turbulent/Strong Wind Techniques.
  • Planning for and actions following engine failure.
  • Go-around procedure.

Completion

There is no minimum or maximum time requirement to complete the course. Practice should continue until the pilot demonstrates an acceptable level of skill. The instructor should then sign the pilot’s log book as “Strip skills course completed”, with signature, date, license and BMAA number. Next, the course Completion Certificate should be completed and given to the pilot. The pilot sends this in to BMAA who will issue the Flying Diploma.

Please feel free to contact us to discuss your course enrolment.