Brian Cosgrove - Microlight Pilots Handbook--

The Microlight Pilots

Handbook

8th edition

To

Capt. Julian Doswell

for his patience and guidance in
contributing to this book

With thanks to:

Peter Coles for the initial suggestion
of a new approach

Geoff Weighell and Guy Gratton for
those tips and reminders on
occasions

Also with appreciation to David Young
together with David Garrison and
Fiona Luckhurst for their
contributions to the latest edition

The Microlight Pilots

Handbook

8th edition

Brian Cosgrove

Airlife

First published in 1986 by
Airlife Publishing, an imprint of
The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

Eighth revised edition 2013

This e-book first published in 2013

This impression 2018

Brian Cosgrove 2002 and 2013

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the Author or Publisher, who also disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84797 561 4

The publisher would like to thank Julian Doswell and David Young for their assistance in producing the eighth revised edition.

Cover pictures courtesy P&M Aviation (front and back top left), and Kemble Flying Club (back top right and bottom).

A percentage of the royalties from sales of this book is being donated to the BMAA Young Persons Training Bursary.

Illustrations by David Barber

Contents

The Author

From designing, building and flying model aircraft in the 1930s through service with the Air Defence Cadet Corps, Air Training Corps and Royal Air Force in the 1940s, the author has always had an affinity for aeroplanes since a first flight at the age of seven.

1942 saw his involvement as a pupil in the opening days of ATC gliding where solo training in open primary types was the norm shades of the earlier types of microlights to come 40 years later.

After wartime service with the RAF in the UK and Far East as a meteorologist on the ground and in the air, the early post-war years were spent as a gliding instructor culminating in an RAF A Star Category in both solo and dual methods of training.

Having become involved with microlights in 1979, he predicted that total freedom for microlighting would be short-lived, and work began on ideas for the inevitable control to come. Reading matter for ground studies appeared in the form of Ultra Light Aircraft and the Air, followed by Microlight Aircraft and the Air when the aircraft name was later changed to meet with impending CAA legislation.

Author Aloft!
Among the UK's first single-seater 3-axis types, this machine was very much liked by those who flew it with or without the cockpit cover!

By then a BMAA Council member, a start was made on preparing future pilot licence examinations specific to microlights. These were accepted by the CAA and a rapport was established which was to grow over future years.

In 1983, now in a full-time role with the BMAA, and a few months later its chief executive, negotiations continued with the CAA on many aspects of pilot licensing and instructor rating. Also, airworthiness procedures were set up and safeguards put in place for existing aeroplanes threatened with grounding by airworthiness standards yet to be introduced.

After retirement in May 1993 he became an independent consultant with the BMAA, among other clients, particularly on site planning matters until August 2002.

The author was awarded the Ashley Doubtfire Trophy in 1985 for Services to Microlight Aviation, and in 1990 was elected a Freeman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. In 1993 came election as a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and the award of an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours List. In 2002 he received a Royal Aero Club Silver Medal. Brian became President of the BMAA and continued his close links with the Association until his death in June 2010. His unique position and lasting legacy has been affectionately described as: Brian Cosgrove The Father of Microlighting.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Although the presentation of this eighth edition is entirely new in approach, it still contains the same content the need to know information you require. It is hoped that the introduction of colour pictures, particularly in the case of clouds, will contribute to an easier understanding of the points being made. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words!

Although the microlight may make satisfying that dream to fly much closer than it has ever been, the knowledge to do so remains similar in many aspects to the standards required for flying conventional light aeroplanes. In fact it could be quite justifiably argued that the standards must be greater in some respects in view of the ordinary fields from which the microlight can operate.

The aim of this book is not just to prepare you for passing the National Private Pilots Licence examinations as an end in itself, but to provide you with a real understanding and recognition of those factors which influence safe flight for you and passengers who will fly with you in the future be it in a microlight or in any other form of aircraft. The principles are the same.

The chapters you need to digest for the exams are listed in the panel below:

This eighth edition of the book continues to fulfil the aim to update where necessary. Particular attention is still paid to those aspects of Air Law where the microlight aeroplane may be operating under exemptions from the law laid down in the Air Navigation Order. Such exemptions are unlikely to be covered in other publications on Air Law but they still require legal compliance and the pilot must have knowledge of them.

Throughout the book, where information is considered to be of interest, but not necessarily essential, the text is in a pink box.