In order to promote the sport of r/c soaring to the young people in Hong Kong, HKRCSS will develop an achievement scheme to award certificates to people who have accomplished a certain level of flying skill. There will be three levels of achievements in r/c soaring from the basic level for beginners to the advanced level for the instructors. We will also encourage our members who already acquired advanced flying skill to be trained as instructors so that they can help on providing qualified training to younger members. On the way to develop such a scheme, we need to formally award certificates to members who has achieved the status by passing an assessment examination. The first assessment exercise was organized in Fei Ngo Shan south-west slope on 23 April 2006 with 17 pilots successfully passed the examination. They will be awarded with a certificate. Since the number of of requests for flying skill assessment is generally small, formal assessment day will not be scheduled. Instead, individual r/c pilot who wants to obtain a certificate needs to make appointment with HKRCSS training office to run a flying skill assessment test. The assessment is based on UK's BMFA class B certification for which the candidate must successfully carry out the following flying test:

(a) Carry out pre-flight checks.

(b) Launch the model, gain height and complete one horizontal circuit (either left or right hand) in front of the pilot.

(c) Fly a horizontal figure eight with the crossover point in front of the pilot

(d) Fly two consecutive loops across wind.
Fly crosswind left to right and complete a stall turn away from the slope.
Fly crosswind right to left and complete a stall turn away from the slope.

(g) Complete 10 seconds straight and level inverted flight across wind.

(h) Perform one axial roll across wind, either from the left or right.

(i) Perform one axial roll across wind in the opposite direction to (h), rotating in the opposite direction to (h).

(j) Perform a three turn spin with exit in the same direction as the entry.

(k) Fly a left hand rectangular landing approach and overshoot.

(l) Fly a right hand rectangular landing approach and overshoot.

(m) Fly a rectangular landing approach either left or right hand and land within 15 metres of a pre-determined spot

(n) Remove model from landing area.

(o) Complete post-flight.

In order to encourage more members to acquire the certificates, HKRCSS will hold an assessment exercise every 6 months.

The following is a sampled certificate.

 
Master Leung also needs to take the test!

Henry is a bit nervous, take it easy!

 
Alan flew a big glider, so it went slowly

 
Ah So uses a MiniNYX to fly the test, not easy, it's too fast. See Mrs. So behind was even more nervous than him!

See a movie taken during the flying skill assessment exercise (Download the original movie with music).