EBF is happy to announce that BFCL rules have been published by EASA yesterday, March 4th 2020.
You will find the English version here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2020.067.01.0034.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2020:067:TOC
The AMC/GM should be published very soon, so stay tuned!
We are also very proud of the work done, during the last 5 years, with EASA.
As Dominique Roland, head of General Aviation at EASA, says:
Dear members,
Attached you will find the annual IAOPA and GAMMA enquiry for us to fill out.
The data will be used to get better insight in how much we use airspace at what annual cost and if we are happy with EASA and our NAA’s.
Please read the enquiry and we would like you to consider filling it out as soon as possible.
Karel
| After Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, and UK, we have the pleasure to welcome Germany, represented by the talented Willi Eimers, President of the ballooning section of the Deutscher Aero Club. We are certain that Germany will be a very important contributor to our work, and we warmly welcome the German balloonists. |  |
Dear balloonist friends,
Times flies: nearly 6 years have passed since the creation of EBF, on April 14th 2014 in Paris.
EBF will enter its 7th year in 2020 and has been working with EASA on all matters regarding ballooning regulations for more than 5 years and is actively participating in working groups on several topics regarding general aviation.
This means that a small group of people participate not only in Rule Making Tasks, but also in focus groups that conceive the future of aviation safety. Ballooning may be small in number of pilots, but our implication is certainly as strong as other disciplines.
This is what we have done since we started to work with EASA in 2015:
Operations, Part BOP: finished, and already in force since April 2019. Only a few details in AMC/GM need to be synchronized with other parts.
Training: The “DTO” (Declared Training Organization”) in a few months (April 2020) training will only be possible inside DTOs (or ATOs). This will structure and harmonize training throughout Europe, allow all European pilots to benefit from the same quality of training and therefore to be able to work in other European countries, as training, for commercial pilots, is linked with operations and licences
Licences: BFCL. The task force, created by EBF and EASA in 2016, chaired by Paul Spellward from UK, has achieved its mission, as the new licences come to a reality in 2020. The AMC and GM are also ready, so all European pilots will have the same licence.
In parallel with the BFCL work, the medical requirement for the BPL except when conducting commercial passenger ballooning has been reduced to the LAPL medical, which is a major success driven by EBF.
Maintenance rules are being refresher and made somewhat lighter with the arrival also in 2020 of Part M Light. This rulemaking task started in 2013, with EBF taking the lead for ballooning in 2014.
EBF people:
You will be very surprised to know that all this has been achieved by a very small number of people:
Karel Abbenes, from Holland, EBF Vice President
Phil Dunnington, from UK, EBF General Secretary
Geert Peirsman, from Belgium, Treasurer
Jan Andersen, from Denmark, Webmaster
Paul Spellward, from UK, chairman of BFCL task force, and Jean Donnet, FCL expert
Thank you All For your dedication, competence, and friendship!
Our thanks also go to the EASA team, especially to Patrick Ky and Dominique Roland who took us seriously from the beginning and made all this possible, and to all other participants in the working groups. In particular on the BFCL work, Daan Doussi and Christian Kucher have worked closely and warmly with the ballooning experts.
Last but not least, I would like to also congratulate our Spanish representative, Neus Llado, who recently gave birth to twins! The future of ballooning is on its way!
So, on behalf of all members, and the executive Committee, I wish to all balloonists a very successful and very safe 2020.
Patricia Lamy
EBF President.
EASA and EBF have been working for the last three years to produce pilot licensing rules specifically designed for ballooning. Instead of being part of a big rulebook covering all general aviation, the new Part BFCL provides simpler, lighter rules and a much shorter rulebook, just for ballooning. Part BFCL was approved by the EASA committee on 24th October and will be published officially in the Official Journal of the EU most likely in January.
From April 9th 2020, it is expected that pilots will exchange their national licences for the EASA Balloon Pilots Licence (BPL) during a one year transition period. Pilots already holding EASA Part FCL ballooning licences, BPL or LAPL(B) can exchange them via their national aviation authority from the same date.
A summary of the rules and expected implementation arrangements are given in a briefing document available from EBF. Further updates can be expected in January after the Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMCs) and Guidance Materials (GMs) is published.
Paul Spellward, European Ballooning Federation
EBF was deeply involved in preparing the draft version of Part Balloon Flight Crew Licensing that has now gone to the EASA Committee for consideration and a vote at its October 2019 meeting. EBF supports the final version as the best achievable outcome for ballooning. After October, the Implementing Rules (IR) will be published. This may however be as late as December. The Implementation Date remains planned for 8th April 2020, with an transition period of one year during which national licences are still valid.
EASA and EBF are working on AMC (acceptable means of compliance) and GM (guidance materials). Work has continued over the Summer and the final draft is expected in September for our review and comments. These documents must be finalised before April 2020.
This is the situation as per today and could change if EASA or the EASA Committee or Member States (MS) see a need to change the dates.
If you require any further info contact EBF at kaa@ballooning-federation.eu
EBf General Assembly took part on April 24th-25thin Bristol, UK, only a few days after the implementation of Part BOP in all EASA countries. Part BOP is now applicable to all balloonists!
Part BOP BAS is for all balloonist the new Operations law and Part BOP ADD is compulsory for all commercial balloonpilots and Operators. The structure of this new handboor for all balloonist is not difficult to understand.
The big issue is that you must have adhered to these rules since April 8th 2019. If you are a commercial operator you must read Part BOP ADD. You must have an Operations Manual and a Management Manual possibly combined.
Most of what Part BOP explains is probably already in place. In some EU countries this is compulsary and other have made handbooks that are not very different form Part BOP.
We recommend that every pilot and every operator reads the text of the two sections and make sure they have their paperwork in order.
If you have any questions please contact the European Ballooning Federation (kaa@ballooning-federation.eu )
The link to the full version of part BOP can be found in: (pls start at page 18!) https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Balloon%20Rule%20Book.pdf
Find the minutes of EBF General – together with the 2018 finance report – here.
Part BOP is applicable to ALL balloonists!
Part BOP BAS is for all balloonist the new Operations law and Part BOP ADD is compulsory for all commercial balloonpilots and Operators. The structure of this new handboor for all balloonist is not difficult to understand.
The big issue is that you must adhere to these rules as of today April 8th 2019. If you are a commercial operator you must read Part BOP ADD. You must have an Operations Manual and a Management Manual possibly combined.
Most of what Part BOP explaines you will already have in place we assume. In some EU countries this is compusary and other have made handbooks that are not very different form Part BOP.
We recommend that every pilot and every Operator reeds the tekst of the two sections and make sure you have your paperwork in order.
If you have any questions please contact the European Ballooniong Federation (kaa@ballooning-federation.eu )
The link to the full version of part BOP can be found in: (pls start at page 18!) https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Balloon%20Rule%20Book.pdf
On September 14th EASA published the AMC and GM (Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material) for the Declared Training Organisation DTO.
As you will remember EASA had planned to have the Training of balloon pilots in the Approved Training Organisation (ATO). We as the European Ballooning Federation have together with others objected to the complexity of the ATO for ballooning. We have been part of a working group on behalf of all balloonists to symplify the training organisation. We have been succesful in writing the Declared Training Organiosation (DTO) We now have a Europe wide less complex system as compared to the ATO but in some countries still more complex that you have today.
The rules of the DTO can be found under: https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Annex%20I%20to%20ED%20Decision%202018-009-R%20%28AMC%20%26%20GM%20to%20Part-DTO%29%20.pdf
You can also find the introduction of EASA to the new DTO structure under: https://www.easa.europa.eu/node/46126
If you have any questions pls contact EBF.
We would like to keep you up to date on the latest developments regarding new legislation being prepared at EASA. As we all know the Operations laws and regulations will enter into force as at April 8th 2019. All commercial activities will have to be declared by that date and all operators big or small will have to have an Operations and Management Manual. Please make sure that you have that in place by April 8th of next year. You can read what is needed in the AMC (Acceptable Means of Compliance) of Part BOP (https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Balloon%20Rule%20Book.pdf )
