At 05:42 03 July 2008, Sukumar Kirloskar wrote:

One of the books of Philip Wills has a chapter that describes how the
BGA
was able
to obtain the freedom to fly gliders in controlled airspace in the UK.

There is very little gliding per se in Controlled airspace in the UK. What
there is can be classified into low level and wave flying. It would appear
that it is low level that you are talking about and that is done by
individual Letters Of Agreement Between the local club/BGA and NATS/CAA.
Each one is different but most of them efectively asign control of the
airspace to the local club for the duration oif the flying day when
requested and normal aviation is routed arround that block of airspace. At
present only one club I know of (Dunstable) operates out of controled
airspace apart from normal ATCs and there the club contacts the local
control when they want to use it and is given the chunk of airspace until
they return it by a telephone call when done.

Gliders can request permission to enter controlled airspace by radio much
like any other GA plane and subject to the same controls.

There are also clubs that operate out of airfields with controled ATCs
alongside of civil aviation but these are mostly small GA strips or RAF
bases.

You will find deatils of the LOGs on the BGA web site.

You might also like to refer to the US AIB where they are cautionary tales
of where gliders fly in closs proximity to busy civil aviation routes in
Minden with some inevitable results.
eg
http://www.mindensoaringclub.com/int...=90&Itemi d=1

rgds
Stephen