European Commission adopts a new rulebook for sailplanes

Today the European Commission adopted the new rules for the operation of sailplanes - developed together with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and stakeholders. These new rules are delivering on the General Aviation Roadmap – a joint initiative of the Commission and EASA to simplify existing regulations for small and medium sized enterprises of the sector.

The new rules will ensure a high level of safety, while reducing the regulatory and administrative burden especially for sailplane pilots. They will apply from June 2019 onwards giving authorities and operators enough time for their implementation. This amendment also contains new provisions for the use of electronic flight bags – the equipment pilots use to make calculations or fill in operational forms - to help flight crews performing flight management tasks more easily and efficiently and with less paper.

In spring, the European Commission had already established a 'Balloon rulebook' to simplify the rules applicable to balloons operations. As a next step, the Commission will expand both -the rulebooks for the operation of air balloons and the one for sailplanes - with licensing provisions for pilots of balloons and sailplanes.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1975 of 14 December 2018 amending Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 as regards air operations requirements for sailplanes and electronic flight bags

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1976 of 14 December 2018 laying down detailed rules for the operation of sailplanes pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council