Every pilot is responsible for flying within their rating, their currency and the conditions on the day. The safest decision is always available to you: if you are in any doubt, don’t fly. The notes below are a short orientation — the detailed pre-flight and etiquette guidance, and the authoritative rules, are linked at the end.
Airmanship & right of way
Avoiding a collision is every pilot’s overriding responsibility, whoever has right of way. Keep a good lookout, make your intentions obvious in good time, and give other pilots plenty of room. When the air gets crowded, the right call is often to land.
The Rules of the Air — who gives way when ridge soaring, overtaking, thermalling and landing — matter most when the hill is busy, and every pilot should know them cold before flying. We don’t paraphrase them here, because a loose summary of a right-of-way rule can mislead; instead read the full, authoritative version in our Before you fly guide and from the BHPA (below).
Site etiquette & access
Our sites exist only through years of goodwill with the landowners and farmers who let us fly. Respect them and everyone else who uses the hill: park only where agreed, use gates and paths (and always close gates behind you), keep well clear of livestock, take your litter home, and be considerate to walkers, spectators and other site users. Our continued access depends on it — careless behaviour by one pilot can lose a site for everyone.
Read this before you fly
Our Before you fly guide is the detailed pre-flight and etiquette reference for every SHGC site — collision avoidance, ratings, airspace, protecting our sites and the full Rules of the Air. Read it before flying any of our hills.
Report an incident
If you’re involved in or witness an incident or near miss, please report it. Reporting is in the member area, so you’ll need to be signed in: report an incident. Honest, blame-free reporting helps everyone learn and fly more safely.
The BHPA — the authority
The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) is the national governing body for the sport. It sets the pilot rating scheme and the authoritative rules, and publishes the definitive safety, airmanship and technical guidance. Where anything here is a summary, the BHPA is the source to rely on.