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Safety Regulation

Balloons


Licensing Requirements

Free Balloon Classes

There are four balloon classes recognised for licensing purposes, but the most common class used for sport aviation is the hot-air balloon. The lifting agent (hot-air) is provided by a gas burner fuelled by LPG. Balloons which use helium (a light gas) as the lifting agent are not so common.

Note: The term "free" when applied to manned balloons does not (unfortunately) mean that they cost nothing! "Free Balloons" are balloons operated free from a tethering line to the ground. Unmanned balloons used for advertising purposes are referred to as "tethered" or "captive" balloons.


Requirement to hold a Free Balloon Pilot Licence

Under the Irish Aviation Authority (Personnel Licensing) Orders, a pilot of a Free Balloon is required to hold a Private Pilot Licence (Free Balloon) (abbreviated "PPL(B)"). A person learning to fly a Free Balloon must hold a Student Pilot Licence (abbreviated "SPL") before he flies the balloon on his own ("solo" flying) and he may only fly solo when authorised by an appropriately licensed Flight Instructor (see below)

Persons who can give Free Balloon Training

Training must be undertaken with a qualified Free Balloon Flight Instructor (abbreviated "FI[B]"). Such an instructor will hold an Free Balloon pilot licence himself on which is endorsed a Flight Instructor Rating for the Free Balloon classe(s) in which he is qualified to instruct. In addition, the Free Balloon flying club where instruction is being undertaken should be registered with the IAA for that purpose as a Registered Training Facility (B) (Note : Conditions for mandatory registration of RTF(B)s are to be introduced shortly.) The club will have a Certificate of Registration which will be displayed in a prominent place in the club premises.

Flight Instruction - Free Balloon

The student shall have satisfactorily completed as a pilot of free balloons not less than 16 hours of flight time, including at least eight (8) launches and ascents of which one must be solo;

The applicant shall have gained, under supervision of an FI(B), operational experience in at least the following areas :-

  • pre-flight operations, including balloon assembly, rigging, inflation, mooring and inspection;
  • techniques and procedures for the launching and ascent, including appropriate limitations, emergency procedures and signals used;
  • collision avoidance precautions;
  • control of a free balloon by external visual reference;
  • recognition of and recovery from rapid descents;
  • cross-country flying using visual reference and dead-reckoning;
  • approaches and landings, including ground handling;
  • emergency procedures;

Airworthiness Requirements 

All Irish registered balloons not used for commercial air transport will be issued with an EASA non expiring Certificate of Airworthiness which will be validated by an Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC). The ARC will be valid for one year and may be extended twice for a one year period before it must be reissued.

To ensure the continued airworthiness of the balloon an airworthiness review must be carried out periodically. This airworthiness review includes a review of technical documentation and the physical survey of the balloon.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the agency of the European Union for aviation safety. The agency became operational in 2003 pursuant to European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) 1592/2002 now repealed by Council Regulation (EC) 261/2008 referred to as the Basic Regulation. The implementing rule for Continued Airworthiness, (EC) 2042/2003 contains detailed requirements for the continued airworthiness of aircraft including maintenance of all non commercial aircraft under 5700kg.

Aircraft listed in Annex 2 of the Basic Regulation are excluded from these requirements and national regulations apply instead.

  • A Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) shall be issued before flight at the completion of any maintenance by; (M.A. 801 Certificate of Release to Service)
  • A Part 145 organisation.
  • A Subpart F organisation.
  • A Part-66 licensed engineer for non-complex tasks (see Part M Appendix V11) excluding components off the aircraft.
  • An authorised person in the case of Gliders and Balloons.
  • A pilot owner MA 803 (see part M Appendix V111)

A pilot-owner is the person who owns or jointly owns the aircraft being maintained and holds a valid pilot license with the appropriate type or class rating.

For any privately operated aircraft of simple design with a maximum take-off mass of less than 2730 Kg, glider and balloon, the pilot-owner may issue the Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) after the limited pilot owner maintenance listed in Appendix VIII to Part-M.

A Certificate of Release to Service issued by a pilot-owner should contain the following statement:

Certifies that the limited pilot-owner maintenance except as otherwise specified was carried out in accordance with Part-M and in respect to that work the aircraft is considered ready for release to service

Tasks included in the AFM/Operators Handbook are not considered "Maintenance tasks" except in those cases where there is an attachment to the AFM showing the maintenance schedule.

In view of a number of envisaged changes to Part M relating to non commercial general aviation aircraft the Agency (EASA) has strongly encouraged the Competent Authorities not to introduce provisions in their national regulations that force the organisations to comply with current Part-M requirements for non commercial general aviation before Sept 2008, since they are very likely to be amended;

Please refer to their website http://www.irishballooning.com




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