Visiting pilots

Guidelines for visiting foreign pilots

You are very welcome to fly our sites. These guidelines apply specifically to foreign pilots temporarily visiting the UK who want to fly SHGC sites — please read them before you travel.

Eligibility & membership

  • Your total amount of flying our sites should not exceed a period of two weeks.
  • Pilots flying our sites for periods in excess of two weeks require full BHPA and SHGC membership.
  • You must have a minimum national certification equivalent to the BHPA Club Pilot rating (FAI IPPI 3).

Our sites are sensitive

All our sites are sensitive — we cannot afford to lose any flying site due to misbehaviour. Visitors must be particularly careful to follow every word of the Site Guide, behave appropriately towards other pilots and, especially, towards members of the general public.

View the SHGC Sites Guide

Insurance

Many of our sites use land that is owned or managed by the National Trust, which requires that pilots are covered by £5 million third-party insurance (members of the BHPA have this as standard). Visiting pilots must be able to demonstrate that they have equivalent insurance cover, and may not fly SHGC sites without it.

Site briefings

SHGC sites are amongst the busiest in the world. This, and a lack of understanding of the complex local weather conditions, has sadly resulted in a few cases of fatal accidents to visiting pilots.

All visiting pilots must obtain a full site briefing from an SHGC Club Coach before flying, and must read and understand the SHGC Sites Guide before going to any SHGC site.
Read the Sites Guide

Weather & NOTAMs

All pilots are responsible for checking the weather forecast and the actual weather on the day to see if it is flyable, and for checking CAA NOTAMs. If nobody is flying an SHGC site — at any time of the year, on any day of the week — then there is probably a very good reason why.

Airspace & the local NOTAM map

General etiquette

Be aware that many sites have sensitive parking and approach issues. When on the sites, we encourage all visiting pilots to introduce themselves, to observe any guidance given, and to demonstrate good airmanship — in particular with regard to collision avoidance.

Exclusion of liability

Neither the Club nor any Officer of the Club shall be liable for any loss or damage to any property occurring from whatever cause in or about our flying sites, nor for any injuries sustained by any person whilst on our flying sites. Members shall make their guests aware of such exclusion of liability.