Pilot Training; books, lectures, videos
Links, videos, lectures and presentations to help during soaring pilot training
This page attempts to provide links to various resources that we often direct students to during training. It is intended that this page will help beginner pilots understand what is needed to progress up to early cross country standard, and provide the info needed to do it. It will provide an overview but also, hopefully, enable students to focus on what is required for their level of experience. There are also Weather and Airspace pages on this site that may help. A glider pilot will go through many stages of training; to first solo, then to saiplane pilot licence, then on to become a competent cross country pilot.
British Gliding Association (BGA) – training material.
The BGA have been adding training material to their website. More detailed guidance can be found on the Pilot Development and Information page. For Booker club members the information on this page is supported by an annual round of presentations and briefings. Hopefully the links on this page will also steer club members in right direction.
Initial training to solo
Early training books
The BGA student pilot manual is an excellent, easy to read, small booklet that has all the information needed to get to solo standard. All Booker gliding club “long course” members receive a free copy of this book. For other members the book is available for a very reasonable price directly from the Booker Office or the British Gliding Association.
Training Progress Card subject briefings
When you start your training you will be provided with Progress Card that is used to “tick off” your progress through the required (and some optional) exercises, The club will keep this card, but you will need it to hand every time you fly so that your training can be recorded.
The link below will open a OneDrive folder containing a set of lectures by our Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) Richard Crockett. These concise lectures cover the basic skills that a pilot will need to master before they go solo. Each lecture covers a topic on the standardised progress card used to track glider pilot training in most UK gliding clubs.
Long briefings with simulator content
These are briefings with associated presentations and pre-defied tasks in the simulator to enhance understanding of how to fly certain exercises. These are optional and can save time when flying the exercises the first few times. Ideally these are carried out with two or three students together. Understanding spins and recovery. Crosswind approach and landing.
Soaring and training after solo
Information to help pilots progress from solo standard.
One of the most important skills a glider pilot needs to learn is how to quickly and efficiently establish in the thermal climb. The best (fastest) pilots are the ones that climb the fastest.
Sailplane Pilot Licence theory
The Sailplance Pilot Licence requires that the pilot demonstrates a good theoretical understanding of gliding. The theory test is a multiple choice question paper with 120 questions evenly split across the ten topics described in the BGA/CAA SPL syllabus. You need at least 75% correct answers in each topic.
NOTE; prior to 2025 this early part of pilot training was recognised via the British Gliding Association Bronze Badge. Much documentation will still refer to Bronze, or Bronze Badge.
Books and the Bronze Confuser
The book “Licence and Beyond“ is specifically tailored to deliver subjects to the level required for the SPL Theory Exam. If you have read through this book, and paid attention during your flight training, you will have all the knowledge needed. This book can be purchased directly from the author’s website.
The Bronze Confuser is a (.pdf document) compilation of questions taken from OLD bronze exam papers. The questions in this document were compiled for an older (bronze badge) syllabus in use prior to the current structure of 10 topics. Some of these questions are in the current Sailplane Pilot Licence exam papers, but there are many new questions as well!
Sailplane Pilot Licence Theory – presentations
The https://bronze-course.uk website has a (currently fairly limited) set of narrated powerpoint presentations that cover a large chunk of the SPL Theory exam. In 2025 the following topics are covered. Meteorologry, Air Law & ATC Procedures, Communications, Navigation, General Knowledge.
If you prefer to watch a video for some background…..
British Gliding Association (BGA) lockdown webinar’s.
Sailplane Pilot Licence – Theory of flight.
Gliding instructor Don Puttock has created a series of short videos about theory of flight. It is possible to reach the required level of knowledge by reading Licence and Beyond. However, If you prefer to watch a video, or you are struggling with any of the theory, you could dip in to one of these videos.
Cross country Navigation exercises.
Doing early FAI badge flights from Booker.
General FAI task flying flying guidance.
This document gives some general guidance on how to make your early FAI qualifying flights (silver distance, 100 kilometer, 300 kilometer) flights trouble free, Take a look at this before reading up your specific badge flight below.
Silver Height – 1000 Metre Height Gain from Booker.
Silver Distance – First 50 Kms flight from Booker.
This document gives some general guidance on how to plan your first 50Kms cross country glider flight (FAI Silver Distance) from Booker.
Rules and forms.
The definitive requirements for obtaining FAI Badges and gliding records are contained in the FAI sporting code. You do NOT need to study this code in any detail if you just take some simple guidance from an OO or from the BGA website.