Medical information
BGA Medical Requirements
It is a personal responsibility of pilots to be fit for flight, and especially to recognise the adverse effects of short term illness, alcohol, drugs, medicine, treatment, or fatigue.
Click here to view the BGA Medical Requirements
These requirements were updated during July 2023 to include a note regarding reduction in fitness to fly.
‘I’m safe’ personal fit for flight checklist
The ‘I’m Safe‘ personal fit for flight checklist items are;
- Illness – Is the pilot suffering from any illness or symptom of an illness which might affect them in flight?
- Medication – Is the pilot currently taking any medication (prescription or over-the-counter)?
- Stress – Is the pilot overly worried about other factors in their life? The psychological pressures of everyday living can be a powerful distraction and consequently affect a pilot’s performance.
- Alcohol – Although legal limits vary by jurisdiction, the pilot should consider their alcohol consumption within the last 8 to 24 hours.
- Fatigue – Has the pilot had sufficient sleep and adequate nutrition?
- Emotion – Has the pilot fully recovered from any extremely upsetting events?
Clubs are expected to comply with BGA medical requirements and, as far as reasonably possible, stay aware of any physical or mental health issues that could impact their members pilot performance and become a flight safety hazard. As many clubs do not have access to their own medical expertise, clubs can seek guidance from a BGA medical advisor (see below).
The CAA Pilot Medical Declaration
Our Pilot Medical Declaration webpage provides specific guidance on:
- The Pilot Medical Declaration
- Class 2 medical booking information.
- Links.
Click here to view the Pilot Medical Declaration webpage
Medical Requirements outside the UK
As the UK is a third country, licence holders flying outside the UK are required to comply with the relevant national pilot medical requirements, which in most cases are the ICAO requirements, ie a Class 2 medical certificate.
Fatigue
Fatigue and medical fitness to fly are safety considerations that are shared responsibilities between individuals and the clubs that they support. The following information is aimed at gliding clubs and their members. Guidance to clubs and individuals is published here.
Mental Health
Mental health is as important as physical health.
‘Head in the Clouds’ is a BGA initiative to raise Mental Health Awareness in gliding. The BGA are a signatory to the Sport & Recreation Alliance Mental Health Charter.
Gliding and Autism
Guidance on gliding and autism is available here.
Cardiac arrest at gliding sites
A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. Less than 1 in 10 people in the UK survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Two big factors that play a part in this are:
- there aren’t enough people prepared to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) when someone has a cardiac arrest.
- there aren’t enough AEDs (automated external defibrillator).
Early help in the form of CPR and defibrillation is the best way to survive a cardiac arrest.
Gliding sites are often remote and ambulance response times are longer, which makes early help by those on site vital. Already, many gliding clubs have AEDs on site. One club reports that the purchase of an AED many years ago already saved the life of a visiting pilot. The club manager was quick to respond with CPR and the AED. When the emergency response team arrived they took over. The pilot has fully recovered, but the emergency response team stated he probably would not have survived without the immediate help.
AEDs are fully automatic and guide the user through the operation of administering assistance. They cost around £1000 and it is an investment that hopefully will not have to be used, but is cheap when it saves a life. If the AED can be located so that it is accessible by the general public, grants for their purchase are available, e.g. from https://www.aeddonate.org.uk.
The BGA supports the view that gliding clubs should have on-site access to an AED. While no training for using an AED is necessary, CPR training is advisable and combined with some training for the use of an AED provides familiarity. Training is available from many sources, e.g. British Heart Foundation (https://www.bhf.org.uk) and St John’s Ambulance (https://www.sja.org.uk).
Menstrual cycle and menopause
It is important to recognise that individuals may be affected in many ways or not at all by their menstrual cycle and menopause. The links below may provide women pilots with some additional information on how the menstrual cycle and/or menopause might affect performance and support them in maximising their gliding experience. All pilots must all be mindful of the ‘I’m Safe’ guidance (see above). It is of course important that if needed, individuals should consult their own doctor for individual support. Specialist aviation guidance may be obtained from an AME.
Note: Some of the articles are written with coaching/instruction in mind and may also be of interest to those in these roles.
Sport, Physical Activity and the Menstrual Cycle – UK Coaching
How tracking menstrual cycles helps women in sport – BBC News
Research Report: Menopause, Me and Physical Activity – Women in Sport
Menopause Friendly – information and advice for athletes – Scottish Athletics
Menopause and your mental wellbeing (nhsinform.scot)
How to Create a Menopause Safe Space in sport (accelerate.sport)
BGA Medical Advisor
The BGA medical advisor can be contacted via the BGA office.