British Gliding Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The British Gliding Association (BGA) is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 85 gliding clubs (both civilian and service) which have 2,641 gliders and 8,242 full flying members, though a further 26,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.
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[edit] History
A gliding event first occurred in the UK on a hill at Itford in East Sussex in 1922. The meeting was largely a publicity stunt by the Daily Mail newspaper which had offered a prize of one thousand pounds for the longest flight. However little gliding happened in the UK for several years after until reports of long flights in thunderstorms in Germany appeared in The Aeroplane magazine. Douglas Culver suggested a lunch meeting at the Comedy Restaurant in London on 4 December 1929 for anybody who was interested. Fifty-six people attended and a committee was formed. Shortly after the BGA was founded to start the sport of gliding in the UK. Clubs were soon established throughout the country, many of which disappeared just as quickly, though some still remain today. Initially the BGA had individual members and funded some clubs, but it soon changed to being an association of the clubs with no individual members. Today the clubs pay an annual subscription to the BGA on behalf of their members.
[edit] Role
The BGA still has the authority to manage most aspects of gliding in the UK though the European Aviation Safety Agency is gradually causing greater regulation. Consequently British glider pilots do not yet need a licence awarded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Instructors and pupil pilots are trained to BGA standards; annual inspections of gliders are done by engineers authorised by the BGA, whose qualifications are accepted by the CAA; and minor accidents are investigated by the BGA alone. Gliders imported before September 2003 are still registered for the moment only with the BGA, but newer gliders must now have a full CAA registration.
An elected Executive Committee of twelve are responsible for running the BGA. There are nine sub- committees covering the BGA's functions:
- Airspace,
- Competitions and Awards, (including the British Team)
- Communications and Marketing,
- Development (of the sport and clubs),
- Instructors,
- Safety,
- Strategic Planning,
- Finance, Staff and Administration,
- Technical (airworthiness and other engineering issues).
Monitoring proposed European legislation and evaluating proposals by the CAA to fit transponders on all gliders are currently almost full-time activities for some BGA volunteers. The BGA also publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Sailplane & Gliding.
The seven Scottish gliding clubs whilst remaining under the aegis of the BGA have also formed the Scottish Gliding Association to liaise with the local and national authorities in Scotland.
[edit] Staff
The BGA employs a Chief Executive (Peter Stratten) who is based at the Leicester headquarters with five administrative staff. The Association also employs two National Coaches, a Development Officer, a Chief Technical Officer, the editor of the magazine, and a part-time officer who awards the gliding badges of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
[edit] Major UK gliding clubs
- Aquila Gliding Club
- Bath, Wilts and North Dorset Gliding Club
- Booker Gliding Club
- Bristol & Gloucestershire Gliding Club
- Buckminster Gliding Club
- Cambridge Gliding Club
- Deeside Gliding Club
- Derby & Lancs Gliding Club
- Devon & Somerset Gliding Club
- Imperial College Gliding Club
- Lasham Gliding Society
- London Gliding Club
- Midland Gliding Club
- Norfolk Gliding Club
- Nottingham University Gliding Club
- Oxford University Gliding Club
- Scottish Gliding Union
- Shalbourne Gliding Club
- Southdown Gliding Club
- Windrushers Gliding Club
- Yorkshire Gliding Club
