Conversion of Sailplane Licenses and Ratings

From 30 September 2025 it will be mandatory to hold a Part SFCL SPL licence to fly Part-21 Sailplanes.

Holders of existing British Gliding Association (BGA) Gliding Certificates should contact the BGA directly regarding conversion to a Part- SFCL sailplane licence (SPL).

Pilots that hold either a LAPL(S) or UK issued EASA SPL will have their licences reissued as UK Part SFCL SPL when they next apply to us for a licensing service for their sailplane licence, or if they apply to the BGA to add additional privileges to the Part-SFCL SPL.

Whilst we are currently working within the published service levels of 10 working days, due to the expected volume of conversion applications we anticipate extended processing times for this type of application.

All pilots whose recommendations are sent to the CAA by 31 March 2025 will have their licence issued by 30 September 2025.

For further information, please navigate to our dedicated Sailplane webpages on the CAA Website.