Comparison of standards

http://www.ikaruspellicci.de/ikarus/ikarus.html

Tomas Pellicci states:

There is a great difference in cost between DHV certification and BHPA certification from Mark Dale. I estimate the cost of BHPA certification (including all my transportation costs, etc.) at about 1,500 Euros, while the DHV certification would cost me 7,000 Euros.

The actual hard cost for BHPA truck test is about 700 Euros, and you get use of the truck all day, so you could test four gliders on it if you are set up for that. The certification paperwork is created right there and then on Mark's computer and costs 250 Euros/glider. It is available to you shortly after the test (that day)

You bring in the paperwork from your own test pilot and the glider is completely certified after Mark goes over it. You are done in one day and you know right then if your glider is certified or not. Mark's perspective is what do we need to do to get this done and done right.

With the DHV, testing is not only expensive but you don't know that day if you passed the test or not. The DHV test pilot has to fly the glider and test it in the air, which could come much later depending on the weather. They also keep your glider that was used in the load test (it may be broken) forever, so you are out one glider (not good for a small manufacturer).

There is a significantly higher pitch moment requirement for standard high performance gliders at the DHV with 200 newton meters required at 100 kmh when the BHPA criteria would work out to a requirement of greater than zero nm at low angles of attack for such a glider. It is clear from the results in the field that the BHPA and HGMA pitch requirements are satisfactory for safe gliders.

BTW, in exactly the opposite case, why does the DHV require only 50 nm on a tandem glider when about 63 nm would be the value that would be calculated for a glider of about 20 sq. meters?