1. ONLINE VERSION GLIDING THE BGA STUDENT PILOT MANUAL

This online English edition of GLIDING THE BGA-STUDENT PILOT MANUAL was written in 2020 and printed in December 2021. This official British Gliding Association publication is the result of an intensive collaboration between the authors Dirk and Roelof Corporaal and a committee of experts within the BGA led by Andy Miller and CEO of the BGA Pete Stratten. 

BUY THE STUDENT PILOT MANUAL HERE

It all started with the translation of the Dutch book ZWEEFVLIEGEN; ELEMENTAIRE VLIEGOPLEIDING (GLIDING, A ELEMATARY FLYING TRAINING). Translated by Roelof and Joke Corporaal. Henk Jukkema did the lay-out and made the drawings.

Since 1996 the Dutch book has been used in the Netherlands as the official training manual for new students up until their first solo flight. We are currently using the fifth edition of that book. All students receive a copy when they start their basic gliding training. The book can be purchased for €5,- in the  KNVvL-webshop. In total more than 20.000 copies have been distributed throughout the Netherlands and Belgium.

The book has been translated into German by the Deutscher Aero Club in 2019 as SEGELFLIEGEN GRUNDAUSBILDUNG. Meanwhile 11,000 copies of this German translation have been sold throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. The German edition of the book can be purchased at local German gliding clubs for €5,- and for sale at https://www.segelfliegengrundausbildung.de/index.php/bezug-lehrbuch

There is also an Italian translation (based on the German edition). It has been translated into Italian by Patrizia Roilo and Roberto Istel, instructors of the Dolomites. It is printed in 2020 and send for free to the Italian glider pilots. 

We are hoping to attract the attention of foreign National Aeroclubs so we can create a country-specific edition together. Please feel free to contact us if your National Aeroclub is interested in working together to create a book that complies with your training standards and standard operating procedures. Text and illustrations can be adjusted to meet your specific requirements. Our main goal is to keep costs low, so that a student has access to all the required theory up to the first solo flight for the maximum amount of around € 5.-

The websites www.zweefvliegopleiding.nl , www.segelfliegengrundausbildung, https://www.zweefvliegopleiding.be and www.gliding.world are made to promote gliding.

For publication in a magazine or transfer to a website or something similar, prior written permission by the authors and illustrators must be requested at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Most of the illustrations on this website have been made by Henk Jukkema; some others have been made by ourselves or copied from Dutch gliding books distributed by the KNVvL (National Aeroclub of the Netherlands). If someone believes that an image or photo of him or her is a copyright infringement, we would like to receive a message and we will remove the photo or image.

Dirk Corporaal and Roelof Corporaal,
Stiens/Amersfoort 2021

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