British Gliding Association: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Gliding Association}}

The '''British Gliding Association''' (BGA) is the governing body for [[gliding]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 85 gliding clubs (both civilian and service) which have 2,641 gliders and 8,242 full flying members, though a further 26,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}

{{Infobox sport governing body

|name = British Gliding Association

|abbrev = BGA

|logo =

|logosize =

|sport = [[Gliding]]

|category =

|image =

|caption =

|jurisdiction = [[United Kingdom]]

|membership = 80 gliding clubs

|founded = {{Start date|1929}}

|aff = [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]]

|affdate =

|region = [[Royal Aero Club]]

|regionyear =

|headquarters = [[Leicester|Leicester, United Kingdom]]

|___location =

|president =

|chairman = George Metcalfe

|chairperson =

|chiefexec = Pete Stratten

|vicepresident =

|director =

|secretary =

|coach =

|womenscoach =

|key staff =

|operating income =

|sponsor =

|year closed =

|replaced =

|prevfounded =

|url = www.gliding.co.uk

|countryflag = United Kingdom

|countryflagvar =

|countryflag2 =

|countryflagvar2 =

|countryflag3 =

|countryflagvar3 =

|more =

}}

The '''British Gliding Association''' ('''BGA''') is the [[National gliding associations|governing body]] for [[gliding]] in the United Kingdom.<ref name ="BGA">{{cite web

|url=http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/aboutthebga.htm

|title=About the BGA

|accessdate=8 November 2011

}}

</ref> Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 80 gliding clubs (both civilian and service)<ref name ="BGA"/> which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members (including service personnel), though a further 17,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.<ref>{{cite journal

|title = Sailplane & Gliding

|date = June–July 2011

}}

</ref>

==History==

A gliding event first occurred in the UK on a hill at [[Itford]] in [[East Sussex]] in 1922. The meeting was largely a publicity stunt by the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' newspaper which had offered a prize of one thousand pounds for the longest flight. However little gliding happened in the UK for several years after until reports of long flights in thunderstorms in Germany appeared in ''The Aeroplane'' magazine. Douglas Culver suggested a lunch meeting at the Comedy Restaurant in [[London]] on 4 December 1929 for anybody who was interested. Fifty-six people attended and a committee was formed. Shortly after the BGA was founded to start the sport of [[gliding]] in the UK.<ref name="history">
{{cite book |last= Welch |first= Ann |title= The Story of Gliding 2nd edition |publisher= [[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |year= 1980 |isbn = 0-7195-3659-6 }}</ref> Clubs were soon established throughout the country, many of which disappeared just as quickly, though some still remain today. Initially the BGA had individual members and funded some clubs, but it soon changed to being an association of the clubs with no individual members. Today the clubs pay an annual subscription to the BGA on behalf of their members. The patron of the BGA was [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]]<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/aboutthebga.htm

|title = BGA web-site

|accessdate = 8 November 2011

}}

</ref> who was introduced to the sport by a former chairman, [[Peter Scott]].

==Role==

[[File:Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus Glider BGA designation shown.jpg|alt=Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus Glider BGA designation shown|thumb|Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus Glider BGA competition number shown on fin]]

When the BGA was formed, it assumed responsibility for British gliding and the British government has not seen the need to change a system of self-regulation, because it has been effective and economical.<ref>{{cite book

|first = Philip

|last = Wills

|title = Free as a Bird

|publisher = John Murray, London

|year = 1973

|isbn = 0-7195-2823-2

}}

</ref> As a result, the BGA still has the authority that it assumed to manage most aspects of gliding in the UK. Instructors and pilots are trained to BGA standards; annual inspections of gliders are done by engineers authorised by the BGA, whose qualifications are accepted by the [[Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)|Civil Aviation Authority]] (CAA); and minor accidents are investigated by the BGA alone. Since September 2008 all gliders have a full CAA registration and airworthiness checks to [[EASA]] standards, except for a number of mainly vintage and one-off types which remain under BGA control.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/regulatory.htm

|title = BGA web-site Regulatory page

|accessdate = 8 November 2011

}}

</ref>

British Glider pilots did not need a [[glider pilot licence]] awarded by the CAA until 2018.<ref>{{cite web

The BGA still has the authority to manage most aspects of gliding in the UK though the [[European Aviation Safety Agency]] is gradually causing greater regulation. Consequently British glider pilots do not yet need a [[glider pilot licence|licence]] awarded by the [[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority|Civil Aviation Authority]] (CAA). Instructors and pupil pilots are trained to BGA standards; annual inspections of gliders are done by engineers authorised by the BGA, whose qualifications are accepted by the CAA; and minor accidents are investigated by the BGA alone. Gliders imported before September 2003 are still registered for the moment only with the BGA, but newer gliders must now have a full CAA registration.

|url = https://members.gliding.co.uk/laws-rules/easa/easa-licensing/

|title = BGA web-site

|accessdate = 4 September 2015

}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The BGA-issued Gliding Certificate (aka Glider Pilot Certificate) is being phased out, in favour of a new Sailplane Pilot Licence (SPL).<ref name="SPL">{{cite web |title=CAP2532: GA Pilot Licensing & Training Simplification Phase 1 Strategic Direction - Consultation Response Document |url=https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?catid=1&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=11991 |website=publicapps.caa.co.uk |access-date=14 May 2023}}</ref> These will still be issued by the BGA, under Delegated Authority from the CAA. The SPL is specified in UK Part-SFCL.<ref name="Delegated authority">{{cite web |title=British Gliding Association granted Delegated Authority status {{!}} Civil Aviation Authority |url=https://www.caa.co.uk/news/british-gliding-association-granted-delegated-authority-status/ |website=www.caa.co.uk |access-date=14 May 2023}}</ref> The SPL is an [[ICAO]]-compliant licence which can be used abroad. Existing Gliding Certificates can be converted to an SPL.<ref name="Conversion">{{cite web |title=Sailplane Pilot Licence Conversion |url=https://members.gliding.co.uk/pilot-licence-conversion/ |website=Pilot & Club Info |access-date=14 May 2023}}</ref> The BGA also issues the Glider Pilot Licence, which is not compliant with Part-SFCL and is being phased out.<ref name="GPL">{{cite web |title=BGA Glider Pilot Licence Application |url=https://members.gliding.co.uk/library/pilots/bga-glider-pilot-licence-application/ |website=Pilot & Club Info |access-date=14 May 2023}}</ref>

An elected Executive Committee of twelve are responsible for running the BGA. There are nine sub- committees covering the BGA's functions:

* Airspace,

An elected Executive Committee of twelve is responsible for running the BGA. There are nine sub-committees covering the BGA's functions:

* Airspace,

* Competitions and Awards, (including the British Team)

* Communications and Marketing,

* Development (of the sport and clubs),

* Instructors,

* Safety,

* Strategic Planning,

* Finance, Staff and Administration,

* Technical (airworthiness and other engineering issues).

MonitoringAlthough the BGA has full-time staff much routine work for the committees is, or have been, almost full-time activities for some BGA volunteers. Examples of major additional activities have been the monitoring proposed European legislation and evaluatingthe evaluation proposals by the CAA to fit [[transponder]]s on all gliders are currently almost full-time activities for some BGA volunteers. The BGA also publishes a bi-monthly magazine, ''[['''Sailplane & Gliding]]'''''.

The seven [[Scotland|Scottish]] gliding clubs whilst remaining under the aegis of the BGA have also formed the [[Scottish Gliding Association]] to liaise with the local and national authorities in Scotland.

===Junior gliding===

The BGA coordinates junior gliding in the UK, including the designation of Junior Gliding Centres and national competitions in the UK, for pilots up to 25 years of age.<ref>[https://members.gliding.co.uk/junior-gliding/ Junior Development] British Gliding Association. (retrieved February 2016)</ref>

==Staff==

The BGA employs a Chief Executive (PeterPete Stratten) who is based at the [[Leicester]] headquarters with five administrative staff. The Association also employs two National Coaches, a Development Officer, a Chief Technical Officer, the editor of the magazine, and a part-time officer who awards the gliding badges of the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] and some badges specific to the UK, such as the UK 750&nbsp;km Diploma. Approximately 1,000 badge claims are processed every year.

==MajorNotable UK gliding clubs==

<!-- What makes these particular clubs notable?-->

* [[Aquila Gliding Club]]

{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|

* [[Bath, Wilts and North Dorset Gliding Club]]

* [[BookerBuckminster Gliding Club]]

* [[BristolWycombe &Air GloucestershirePark|Booker Gliding Club]]

* [[BuckminsterCambridge Gliding ClubCentre]]

* [[CambridgeCotswold Gliding Club]]

* [[DeesideDarlton Gliding Club]]

* [[Derby & LancsDenbigh Gliding Club]]

* [[Devon & Somerset Gliding Club]]

* [[Imperial College Gliding Club]]

* [[Lasham Airfield|LashamKent Gliding SocietyClub]]

* [[Lasham Airfield#Lasham Gliding Society|Lasham Gliding Society]]

* [[London Gliding Club]]

* [[Long Mynd#Gliding|Midland Gliding Club]]

* [[NorfolkNottingham University Gliding Club]]

* [[Oxford University Gliding Club]]

* [[Scottish Gliding Union]]

* [[ShalbourneShenington Gliding Club at [[Shenington Airfield]]

* [[Southdown Gliding Club]]

* [[Windrushers Gliding Club]]

* [[Yorkshire Gliding Club]]

}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050829085925/http://www.gliding.co.uk/index.htm British Gliding Association web-site]

* [https://www.sailplaneandgliding.co.uk/ ''Sailplane & Gliding''] magazine

* [http://start.fai.org/gliding-federations.asp Links to all national gliding federations]

* [http://www.glidingteam.co.uk/ British Gliding Team]

{{Authority control}}

* [http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm Find a gliding club]

[[Category:Aviation organisations based in the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Gliding in the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Sports governing bodies ofin the United Kingdom|Gliding]]

[[Category:Sport in Leicester]]

[[Category:Gliding associations]]

[[Category:Organisations based in Leicestershire]]

[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1929]]

[[Category:1929 establishments in the United Kingdom]]