Badges - Gliding Australia

FAI Badges

FAI Badges are an international gliding qualification. The FAI Sporting Code describes the rules that must be followed in order to achieve the badge. The relevant documents that outline the rules are:

Sporting Code Section 3
Annex C – Official Observer and Pilot Guide

View the badge claim process in this flowchart:

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Quick information to Achieve your Silver Badge

General

The rules for badges are listed in FAI Sporting Code Section 3 – Gliding CLASS D (gliders) including Class DM (motorgliders) and the Official Observer and Pilot Guide (Annex C). All badge flights need to have an Official Observer.

Silver and Gold badge flights must be recorded either by a:

Position Recorder (PR) approved by Gliding Australia as listed on the FAI website (https://www.fai.org/page/igc-position-recorders) or
Flight Recorder (FR) – level 3 approval listed on the FAI website (https://www.fai.org/page/igc-approved-flight-recorders).

An internet declaration is:

Is mandatory for flights using a FR.
Is an option for any Silver flight.
Supersedes any declaration in the logger

Badge Claims are submitted electronically.

Diamond badge flights and above may only use a flight recorder.

Silver Height Gain

Height Gain is a gain of 1000m (3280 feet) from the lowest point of the flight to the highest point of the flight.
Before the flight, you must get hold of an FAI Official Observer (OO) to process your claim on the day.
It is highly advisable to enter your name and aircraft type you are flying into the logger. If you don’t, the Official Observer must certify it was you in the glider, and the glider type.
However, no declaration of the flight is required.

Silver or Gold Duration

Silver and Gold Duration are the same, and once the Silver is achieved, there is no need to do the Gold
It is a flight of five hours of soaring, from the point of release to the landing (the tow time is taken off the total flight time, so the flight is always at least five hours and five or more minutes to be eligible for the achievement).
Before the flight, you must get hold of an FAI Official Observer (OO) to process your claim on the day.
You should carry a logger to take a trace of the flight or ensure the Official Observer can validate your whole The 5-hour duration task may be flown with no FR or PR if it is under the continual attention of an OO, who shall control the flight by the continual attention of an OO. A Takeoff and Landing-time certificate is also required.
It is highly advisable to enter your name and aircraft type you are flying into the logger. If you don’t, the Official Observer must certify it was you in the glider, the glider type and registration.
However, no declaration of the flight is required.

Silver Distance

Silver Distance is a straight distance flight of 50km from the Release Point and at least 50 km from the fix recorded at the beginning of the take-off roll. (note: not the start point or the airfield)
Before the flight, you must get hold of an FAI Official Observer (OO) to process your claim on the day.
A pre-flight Declaration must be made BUT the distance flight only requires a leg of 50km with no declared turnpoints. The Declaration can be made in the logger or by Internet Declaration.
If there is an error on the logger of the person’s name or the aircraft type, the Official Observer must certify it was you in the glider, the glider type and registration.
Beware of the Loss of Height (LOH) Rule – the Start Height minus the Finish Height applied on the leg being claimed for the 50km. In the case of the Silver distance, Start Height is the Release Point. Finish Point is (a) the landing or (b) declared finish coordinates or (c) a FIX selected post-flight.
For distances flown >100km and where the LOH exceeds 1000m (Barographic data) the overall distance must be reduced:
- Claim distance = Distance flown – [(LOH-1000) x 100]
For distances flown >100km and where the LOH exceeds 900m (GPS height data) the overall distance must be reduced:
- Claim distance = Distance flown – [(LOH-900) x 100]
For distances flown <=100km and where the LOH exceeds 1% of the total distance (using Barographic Data), the flight claim is invalid.
For distances flown <=100km and where the LOH exceeds 1% of the total distance (using GPS Height Data) less 100m, the flight claim is invalid.

Example 1:
Logger: IGC GPS
Distance flown for leg = 105km
Release Height = 4000 ft
Height at the fix or turnpoint = 2500 ft
LOH = 4000-2500= 1500 ft = 457m therefore no loss of height penalty

Example 2:
Logger: Barographic data only
Distance Flown for leg = 55km and landing at that point (i.e. 55000m)
1% of 55km = 550m
Release Height = 4300ft (1311m)
Landing Elevation = 900 ft (274m)
LOH = 1037m which is more than 550m so the claim is invalid.