BGA online R/T course starts 8th December: please register now
The next BGA Flight Radio Telephony Operator’s Licence (FRTOL) course begins on Tuesday 8th December 2026, providing full training for the licence required to use most non-gliding VHF radio channels. If you’d like to participate, please register now at https://www.bgafrtol.uk/sign-up
The course combines self-study video lectures, practice scripts, and weekly interactive Zoom sessions. There will be six Zoom sessions starting at 1930 on Tuesday 8th December, and running until Tuesday 26th January, with a gap for Christmas and the New Year.
We also run subsequent small-group coaching (also usually conducted via Zoom).
Despite the option to customise the practical exam for gliding, passing it still leads to an unrestricted, ICAO-compliant FRTOL that allows full use of the radio in any aircraft, including motor gliders or any other powered aircraft. The BGA course therefore also covers R/T procedures for powered flight. FRTOL candidates must also pass a short multiple-choice theory exam, and again the course provides training for this. (A pass of your SPL theory should cover this).
The course costs £30, which covers Zoom fees and other expenses. There’s no obligation to take the FRTOL exams at the end of the course; we also welcome anyone who just wants to learn the right way to use the radio or already has a FRTOL and would like to refresh their skills. Those who do take the CAA exams will have to pay their chosen examiner, and there may also be a CAA fee, so expect to pay £150-£250 overall to get a radio licence. We may be able to give some bursaries for deserving causes.
There is no minimum experience requirement, but if you have not yet passed your SPL theory exams, you’ll need to put in a few extra hours learning about Air Law and airspace classifications to that standard.
Places on the course may be limited, so a first come first served policy will apply,
Paul Ruskin