The winter weather has resulted in more pilots than usual at this time of year being short of recent flying experience. The SPL and associated instructor certificates are lifetime qualifications that are valid subject to rolling recency requirements. Please refer to SFCL for full details, including how to re-establish rolling recency…

Experience protects us – until distraction, complacency, or fatigue take over. Every pilot, at every level, occasionally makes a mistake. It is a well-known fact that refresher information helps to build resilience. The BGA’s Safe Start 2026 self-briefing has been put together to help glider pilots enjoy a safe start…

An airprox between two aeroplanes highlights the risks that can occur when any approach to an airfield in addition to the ‘standard’ circuit is taking place and the pilots believe they have situational awareness – but that’s based on an assumption. Interoperable EC and use of radio are both aids…

The General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo) has announced that its Board has taken the decision to wind up the organisation in an orderly manner, ending more than six decades of work in support of general aviation safety in the UK. The decision follows a thorough review of the Council’s financial…

Experience protects us until distraction, complacency, or fatigue take over. Every pilot, at every level, occasionally makes a mistake. It is a well known fact that refresher information helps to build resilience. The ‘Safe Start 2026’ self-briefing has been put together to support all glider pilots ahead of the flying season. Please take five minutes…

Following helpful engagement with the National Flying Laboratory Centre at Cranfield, the BGA is passing on information to glider pilots via a self-briefing document ‘Safe Shared Airspace – Cranfield’. Pilots who fly in the vicinity of Cranfield are encouraged to view the self-briefing here.

As one gliding club recently reminded it’s members: A skill is like a message written in chalk on an outdoor wall – it gets eroded a little every day. If the writing is retraced repeatedly, it will become more enduring. Even then, it will be eroded if it is not…

The OSTIV Cockpit Crashworthiness Subgroup focuses on enhancing glider safety through research into pilot injuries sustained in aircraft accidents. By collecting and analysing injury data from crash survivors, the group identifies design improvements that can significantly reduce injury severity and save lives. This scientific approach enables glider manufacturers to implement…

The Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP) Aviation Programme improves safety in the air by providing a totally independent confidential reporting system for all individuals involved in aviation in UK’s airspace. The fundamental principle underpinning CHIRP is that all reports are treated in absolute confidence in order that reporters’…

Not a UV problem, but certainly one that could ruin your day. Solar farms are easy to spot from the air – but during construction they may not be obvious. The image shows a solar farm ringed in red under construction with completed structures ready for panels to be fitted….