The Royal Navy Gliding and Soaring Association (RNGSA) exists to promote the sport and Adventurous Training activity of Gliding within the Royal Navy. There are 3 very active clubs which all provide the opportunity to glide at weekends and during leave periods.

Each club can provide all the support and training required in the sport in a relaxed and socially enjoyable atmosphere, the aim for all pilots to enjoy the sport and have fun.

Annually, the RNGSA also supports a training week for new pilots, run by the Seahawk Gliding Club at RAF Bicester, an RN Championships at RNAS Yeovilton, run by the Heron Gliding Club, and an expedition to fly in high altitude wave at Aboyne, in Scotland, run by the Portsmouth Naval Gliding Club. Suitably qualified cross country pilots are entered into the Inter Service Championships every year, as part of the RN Team, and every two years foreign expeditions to places like Spain and Australia are organised!

Finally, the RNGSA also provides administrative support to the Royal Naval Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club. Details of their activities can be found on their own web page.

Standards

The clubs in the RNGSA operate under the auspices of the British Gliding Association (BGA) and provide the all the gliding facilities and training required for the complete beginner to the most expert pilot.

Every club provides that first taste of what it is like to fly like a bird and can help to achieve a pilots solo flight, the biggest step for any pilot and one that every pilot remembers vividly. From there learning to soar up to thousands of feet in thermals, fly along ridges and mountain ranges and go hundreds of kilometres cross county, landing in a field if necessary!

Extreme altitudes of over 20,000 feet are achievable at certain sites in the UK. All of this the RNGSA and JSGC can teach for achievement to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond BGA Badges.

A number of competitions are held, such as the RN Championships held at RNAS Yeovilton every year and the RNGSA always enters a Navy team in the Inter Service Championships usually run by the RAF at a suitable RAF base. Individuals can also enter the BGA Regional Competitions, which if they do well in, could lead to the National Championships and untimely the British team.

To read a brief history of RN gliding click here .

Other Internet Gliding Resources
Portsmouth Naval Gliding Club
British Gliding Association
Royal Navy Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association