Permanent suspension for operational limitations to ULM and Free Flight activities

The operations of light structure aircraft (ULM) are subject to specific requirements established in Article 4 of Royal Decree 765/2022, of 20 September, regulating the use of ultralight motorised aircraft (ULM), which are listed below:

Article 4(1).  Operations with ultralights must take off and land from aeronautical infrastructures that comply with the applicable regulations and be carried out in compliance with the following operational requirements and limitations:

a) Use a harness or seat belt for the practice of flight;

helmet use, when the aircraft has no protection for the occupants;

c) operate at a maximum pressure altitude of 3,000 meters (10,000 ft), being able to operate between 3,000 and 4,000 meters (10,000 and 13,000 ft), for a period of less than 30 minutes counted during the entire flight;

operating outside controlled, restricted and prohibited airspace over activated hazardous areas, urban areas and agglomerations of persons; y

e) operate according to the rules of visual flight (VFR) by day and in meteorological conditions of visual flight (VMC) minimum visibility and distance from the clouds, being in any case prohibited flights in conditions of turbulence or marginal.

It establishes the rule that, exceptionally, the State Aviation Safety Agency may suspend some of the operational limitations established in Article 4.1 above, upon request of the interested party addressed to the Agency, which proves the justification for the suspension.

The standard also includes in its Article 2.2 the following: ‘Furthermore, for the purposes of this Royal Decree and its implementing legislation, the following are not considered ultralight (ULM):

Non-motorized aerodynes (planners, including powered or motorized gliders, understood as those equipped with one or more engines which, with the engines idle, have the characteristics of a glider, delta wings, paragliders, or the like), regardless of their weight;

motorised paragliders or paramotors, meaning paragliders with auxiliary propulsion systems, whether supported by an occupant or by an ancillary structure;

motorised or non-motorised aircraft, the take-off or landing of which requires direct physical effort on the part of any occupant, including when equipped with an auxiliary propulsion system to facilitate take-off;

d) aerial suits (wingsuits); y

any other aircraft whose total take-off weight, minus the pilot's weight, is less than 70 kg.

The operation of these aircraft and flight modes shall, however, be subject to points (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of Article 4(1).

Therefore, as in the previous case, exceptionally, for justified cause and upon reasoned request to the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), some of the aforementioned operational limitations may be suspended.

The guidelines setting out the requirements to be met by the request for the permanent suspension of any of the operational limitations referred to in Royal Decree 765/2022 of 20 September 2022 are set out below, as well as the application forms to be used for each case.

To request the suspension of the operational limitations indicated in each case, the following processes defined in the Electronic Office can be used:

For specific queries you can use the email: ulm.na.aesa@seguridadaerea.es

• • Application for ULM:
     
    • GUIDE to request permanent suspension of operational limitation for ULM
    • Application Form for Permanent Suspension of Operational Limitation for ULM EA-ULM-F02
  • Application for free flight devices:
     
    • GUIDE to request permanent suspension of operational limitation for VLB
    • Application Form for Permanent Suspension of Operational Limitation for VLB (EA-VLB-F02)
  •  Request for suspension of operational limitation for ULM.
  •  Request for suspension of operational limitation for free flight