THE 'B' CERTIFICATE

(FIXED-WING)

The examination for a 'B' Certificate may be taken on application to a Registered Examiner. The examination may be carried out by:

1. A Chief Examiner (fixed-wing qualified)

2. Two Registered Examiners (the “lead” Examiner must be fixed-wing qualified).

If your club does not have any Registered Examiners, does not have enough Examiners or has any problems with coordinating the work of your existing Examiners you should contact your local Area Achievement Scheme Co-ordinator who will be able to help. Names and telephone numbers of Area Achievement Scheme Co-ordinators are available from your Area Secretary or from the BMFA Leicester office.

The candidate must successfully complete the following flying tests and reference to the Guidance Notes is very strongly recommended:

1. Carry out pre-flight checks as required by the BMFA Safety Codes.

2. Take off and complete a left (or right) hand circuit and overfly the take-off area.

3. (c) Fly a “figure of eight” course with the crossover point in front of the pilot, height to be constant. This manoeuvre must be flown more accurately than the similar manoeuvre in the 'A' certificate test.

4. Fly into wind and complete one inside loop.

5. Fly downwind and complete one outside loop downwards from the top (i.e. a bunt).

For aircraft (scale aircraft specifically) which for reasons of structural strength or control limitations cannot perform an outside loop, a Split S or Reversal (from level flight, half roll to inverted, hold, then pull through half loop to recover in level flight) may be accepted by the Examiner.

6. Complete two consecutive rolls into wind.

7. Complete two consecutive rolls downwind using the opposite direction of roll rotation to that used in (f) above.

8. Complete a stall turn either left or right.

9. Gain height and perform a three turn spin. For aircraft which will not spin, a spin attempt resulting in a spiral dive (not necessarily of three turns), will be acceptable. In each case the initial heading and the recovery heading must be into wind and the model must fall into the spin (no 'flick' spin entry).

10. Fly a rectangular landing approach and overshoot from below 10 ft. Note that this manoeuvre is an aborted landing, not a low pass.

11. Fly a rectangular circuit in the opposite direction to that in (j) at a constant height of not more than 40 feet.

12. Fly a rectangular landing approach and land (wheels to touch within a pre-designated 30 metre boundary).

13. Complete post-flight checks as required by the BMFA Safety Codes.

Parts (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) must be performed in airspace designated by the examiner prior to the test flight. The schedule must be completed in one flight.

Exceptionally, at a pre-determined point in the flight an intermediate landing may be permitted for the sole purpose of refuelling or the fitting of a freshly charged flight battery. This landing may only be made with the prior consent of the Examiners. Two attempts per examination will be allowed in any one day.

All manoeuvres must be carried out in front of the pilot.

Depending on the wind direction, (j), (k) and (l) will be flown as EITHER left hand overshoot circuit, right hand rectangular circuit, left hand landing circuit OR right hand overshoot circuit, left hand rectangular circuit, right hand landing circuit.

In addition to the above flying schedule, the applicant must answer satisfactorily a minimum of eight questions on safety matters based on the BMFA Safety Codes for General Flying and Model Flying Displays and local flying rules.