Accidents in gliding are extremely rare,and to keep it this way safety considerations are always uppermost in our minds. You will find that everyone at Dumfries is very safety-conscious.
You need to be aware of the following strict rules before participating in any flying activities or indeed even visiting the club.
1-When you arrive at the club make yourself known to a DDGC club member who will look after you. Do not attempt to make your way around the airfield alone.
2-DDGC is an active airfield and aircraft are liable to take off or land anywhere at any time without warning. Do not cross open areas of airfield without authorisation (and usually this will mean with an escort). Remember gliders fly almost silently and you cannot hear them approaching.
3-Vehicles are restricted to the approach road and the club car park unless otherwise authorised. In special circumstances such as a disabled person it may be possible for you to take your vehicle on to the field but this is strictly with express permission and under the guidance of an escort.Be aware that normal vehicle insurance does not cover you on the airfield and the club cannot accept any liability .
4-Do not touch parked gliders without permission. Despite gliders being extremely strong, certain parts of them are easily damaged by careless handling. Apart from the obvious expense, a damaged glider may cause danger to some future pilot.
5-Enter and leave the aircraft only when instructed. Your instructor will make sure that it is safe for you to do so and will show you where you can safely put your hands and feet.
6-When instructed, buckle the straps tightly and keep them on throughout the flight and after landing. Remain seated and strapped in until instructed otherwise
7-In flight do not touch any controls or switches until advised to do so. You may be able to take control of the glider in flight but of course there are times when it is simply unsafe for an inexperienced person to do so.
8-Your instructors are British Gliding Association rated instructors. As well as looking after your safety they are keen that you enjoy your flights. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions or discuss any points with them.
9-No smoking is allowed near aircraft and the clubhouse is a no smoking area.
10-It is an offence for all pilots including glider pilots and anybody involved in flying operations e.g. wing tip holder, duty pilot etc to be over the prescribed alcohol limit. The legal limit is breath 9 microg/100ml or blood 20mg/100ml. This is the equivalent of a quarter of the equivalent driving limit and is effectively a zero tolerance limit. Consequently DDGC operates a zero tolerance alcohol limit.
11-Like every other gliding club in the UK The Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) is personally responsible for all flying activities. In addition we have a safety officer on our committee who has responsibility for safety matters anywhere in the club or on the airfield. We also have a child protection policy and officer.
Gliding is widely recognised as one of the safest of the action sports and most insurance companies acknowledge this by applying no loading to participants. At the Dumfries and district gliding club we want to keep it that way and to make sure that nobody gets hurt and we can all enjoy our flying.
Don’t forget the safety basics and come and enjoy!!
Dumfries & District Gliding Club
Dumfries DG2 8EB
Tel: +44 7849 034194
Coming soon! Flying week for 2022 and Open Week for visitors. Watch this space and Facebook for updates.