HELLENIC AIR FORCE GENERAL STAFF
PRESS OFFICE
Athens, September 4, 2015
PRESS RELEASE
Flight Safety Incidents Involving Paragliders and Ultralight Aircraft
Recently, some flight safety incidents involving paragliders and ultralight aircraft have come to the attention of the Hellenic Air Force’s Flight and Ground Safety Center. Specifically, several individuals using these flying machines have failed to comply with the provisions of relevant legislation.
It has been observed that individuals operate their flying machines in controlled airspace areas, in some cases near airport areas, without previously and properly coordinating with the appropriate Air Traffic Services. These individuals are often found to not be registered with the local aero clubs, and are therefore not controlled nor informed by them.
Ultralight flights are governed by the provisions of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority Regulation (ΦΕΚ/Β’/1068/04-08-06 – in greek only) which expressly stipulates that, for all such flights a flight plan submission is required, and also states that flights to military aerodromes are subject to approval by the relevant military authority.
Additionally, the flights of gliders and paragliders are governed by the provisions of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority Regulation (ΦΕΚ/Β’/309/15-03-06 – in greek only) which prohibits their operation within 10NM of an airport without having obtained the appropriate permission by the relevant airport authorities.
For any flying activities performed in controlled airspace areas, and according to the aforementioned legislation, a notification to the appropriate Air Traffic Services must be issued and extreme caution should be exercised by all individuals, in order to avoid potentially dangerous situations and to promote flight safety.
Major (P) Antonios Panagopoulos
HAFGS Spokesman
