Instructor Manual
2025 Instructor manual
This 2025 version of the instructor manual has been developed in alignment with the SPL syllabus. This is a ‘beta’ version of the expected final product.
Please use the 2025 manual. If in doing so any errors or omissions are identified, please contact the 2025 instructor manual co-ordinator, Rose Johnson at drrosejohnson60(at)gmail.com.
- A. Giving your best as an instructor
- B. Threat and Error Management – and airmanship
- C. Safety
- D. Lookout
- E. How to read a logbook
- F. Supervising flying
- G. Type conversion
- H. Use of TMG for instruction
- I. Ground handling
- J. Using glider simulators
- K. Radio telephony
- L. Rigging, derigging and daily inspections
- M. Check lists
- N. Patter notes
- P. Basic aerobatics
- Q. Advanced aerobatics
- Familiarisation with the sailplane
- Emergency procedures
- Preparation for flight
- Initial air experience
- Effects of controls 5a. Flaps 5b. Airbrake 5c. Undercarriage
- Co-ordinated rolling
- Straight flying
- Turning
- Slow flight and stalling
- Spins and spiral dives
- a. Winch launch 11b. Aerotowing 11c. Self launch 11d. Car launching 11e. Bungee launch
- Circuit 12b. Approach control 12c. Landing
- First solo
- Advanced turning
- a. Thermal soaring 15b. Ridge soaring 15c. Wave soaring
- Out-landing
- a. Flight planning 17b. In-flight navigation 17c. Cross-country techniques
A collated pdf 2025 instructor manual with links is available here. Please note that this version was correct at 27 May 2026.
Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:
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Individuals and BGA member clubs may copy the content to individual third parties for their personal use, but only if you acknowledge the website as the source of the material
You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.