Instructors and Instructor Training

Instructors are a very important part of any gliding club. Instructing is highly rewarding and great fun. At the same time, it’s a way of putting something back into gliding whilst flying.

UK law currently exempts gliding from Sailplane Flight Crew Licensing (SFCL) requirements. BGA clubs are continuing to train pilots under BGA requirements, whilst supporting those who choose to convert their BGA qualifications to an SFCL licence. Regardless of any SFCL qualifications held, all instructors at BGA clubs are required to hold a valid BGA instructor rating. The BGA Training Organisation is described here.

Anyone experienced pilot can consider instructing. If you have a disability, you should not be dissuaded from applying to your CFI to become an instructor. In the past, we have modified training in a host of ways to accommodate trainee instructors with many disabilities. Try us – you might be surprised!

This area of the web site provides information and supporting documents to assist with instructor training and development. The content is broken into five key areas linked below (click on each section heading):

About BGA instructor and coach ratings

  • Instructor pathway – how to become an instructor
  • Returning to instructing
  • Basic instructor
  • Assistant instructor
  • Full instructor
  • Aerobatic instructor
  • Aerobatic Instructor Coach
  • Flight Instructor Coach
  • Chief Flying Instructor
  • Funding
  • Questions and queries

Instructor resources

  • Book instructor training
  • Newsletters
  • Threat and Error management in gliding
  • Student pilot manual
  • Instructor manual
  • Instructor reference cards
  • Bronze and Cross-Country Endorsement information
  • Field landing training
  • Navigation training
  • Cloud flying training
  • Inexperienced solo pilot briefing topics
  • Converting a power pilot to gliding
  • Demonstration videos
  • Audio files
  • SFCL compliant training

Examiners

  • BGA examiner qualifications
  • BGA examiner guidance and standards
  • SFCL examiner guidance and standards
  • BGA Cloud Flying Endorsement assessing

Contacts

  • BGA regions
  • Contacts

Instructor and examiner forms

  • Form 1 – Basic, Assistant and Full rating application
  • Form 2 – Instructor rating renewal application
  • Form 3 – TBA
  • Form 4 – Instructor completion notification
  • Form 5 – Instructor coach application
  • Form 6 – MGIR application
  • Form 7 – Aerobatics instructor rating application
  • Form 8 – Examiner authorisation application
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