British Gliding Association

British Gliding Association (BGA) is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom.

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.

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.

1933

1929 Association founded

Membership: 250

Qualification: An interest in gliding. The Association organises demonstrations of gliding, regulates the conditions of safe construction of gliders, controls the sport of gliding with power delegated by the Royal Aero Club, and makes the observation of test flights for glider pilots' certificates.

Secretary: Stenson Cooke.

Address: Fanum House, New Coventry Street, London W.1.

Telephone: Whitehall 1200.

See Also

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