About the Sailplane Pilot Licence
The Sailplane Pilot Licence (known as an SPL) is an internationally recognised pilot licence.
All BGA gliding clubs within the BGA training organisation deliver a course of training to complete the SPL.
Essentially, the training requirement is to complete dual training to a solo standard – at which point you apply for your Solo Certificate – and then further dual and solo training to complete SPL training, following which there is a skills test with an examiner. On successful completion of the skills test, an application for an SPL is made to the CAA via the BGA.
Once an SPL is held, a pilot can train to add additional privileges, including:
- Basic and advanced aerobatics
- Cloud flying
- Touring motor glider flying
An SPL holder can also train to be an instructor.
It is important for any SPL holder to remember that their licence is subject to rolling recency. This means that prior to using the privileges of their licence on any given day, in a defined prior period of time the pilot must have flown specified amount of hours and launches. It sounds complicated, but isn’t. For example, for SPL rolling recency, the pilot must have flown in the 24 months prior to using the privileges 5 hours and 15 launches and two training flights with an instructor, which as any pilot will tell you, is a small amount of flying.
You can read the rules relating to the SPL here. Don’t worry – you don’t need to know this detail! But if you have an SPL, you do need to know where to find the detail.
Read about the BGA training organisation here.