The safety and wellbeing of our members, visitors, and our community neighbours is our primary focus.

Gliding is not inherently a particularly dangerous or risky sport but it can be unforgiving. It is up to us all to keep it safe for ourselves and others. This can best be achieved by not eroding safety margins. We can do this by;

• following established procedures (e.g. positive checks after rigging),
• exercising good airmanship (e.g. maintaining a safe flying speed),
• avoid flying in conditions or situations which are beyond our skill, judgment, or experience level (e.g. flight into cloud)

So, please be as safe a pilot as you can; diligently follow checks and procedures, constantly strive to improve your airmanship, and set and keep to your safety margins.

NOTHING in gliding is worth risking your life or health for.

On the airfield we are each responsible for our own safety. Instructors have an additional responsibility to ensure that pilots/members are adequately trained and supervised so that the airfield operations are conducted safely in accordance with best current practice.

When flying, solo pilots and PICs are responsible for their own safety and that of any passengers/students. This can be achieved by conducting these flights in accordance with best current practice.

“Best current practice” is set out in the BGA website particularly in the BGA Laws and Rules which sets out practices and procedures which must be followed, plus various other articles which provide relevant guidance, etc.

The information at the BGA's Managing Flying Risk is required reading for all pilots.

This airfield operations manual is fundamentally the application of these BGA Laws & Rules and operational guidance to our activities here at Portmoak.

You, as a member or a visiting pilot, have a responsibility to be familiar with the BGA Laws & Rules and this Airfield Operations Manual and to follow these procedures to best reduce the risks to yourself and your fellow members.

You also have a duty of care towards your fellow pilots and members by helping them to avoid putting themselves or others at risk.

This is the SGC Safety Programme which has the aim of recording details of any defects, incidents, or accidents and corrective actions so that we cumulatively reduce the risks on the airfield and in the air. Any member can report an incident on FlySafe. The CFI and Safety Officer are automatically notified when a new incident is posted.

FlySafe can be accessed via https://flysafe.scottishglidingcentre.com. User instructions are included in the online system and members are encouraged to register as FlySafe users. Any queries about its operation should be addressed to the Safety Officer.

All incidents and accidents must be reported at the earliest opportunity.

Accidents must be reported to the CFI as soon as possible. An accident is when there is fatal or serious injury to a person or substantial damage to an aircraft. If the CFI is not immediately available the person in charge of the airfield must follow the Emergency Response procedure, and notify the CFI when possible.

Incidents must be reported via FlySafe as soon as possible, or else to the CFI or Safety Officer. They will decide what actions to take, including reporting to the BGA if appropriate. An incident is when there is minor injury, minor damage, substantial damage not during flight or when something occurred that could have led to damage or an accident.

There is further guidance on the BGA website: https://members.gliding.co.uk/reporting-an-occurrence/.

The actions required in the event of an accident are outlined in the SGC Emergency Response flowchart (immediate actions) and the Emergency Action Plan (follow up actions) and fully detailed in the Post Accident Guide. These documents contain the relevant phone numbers and guidance on what to do in the event of an accident. Printed copies of the Emergency Response flowchart and the Emergency Action Plan are available at the launchpoint, the clubroom and the office.

The first actions in the event of a serious accident are to stop further flying, inform the Duty or Lead Instructor, and inform the CFI as soon as possible.

A copy of the Emergency Action Plan is kept in the office and in the launch point caravan

1. Key Messages | Contents | 3. Portmoak Airfield and Facilities