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To view this page ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 9.0.124 or greater is installed. Leisure and Sporting Aviation In the early days all flying was carried out for leisure and sporting reasons. Nowadays the pursuit of flying for recreational purposes supports an industry which is a vital component of the UK economy. Large numbers of British designed and built light aircraft have been exported worldwide where they perform a valuable role for medevac, pipeline inspection, security operations and other duties. UK pilots flying solely for leisure reasons now regularly complete intercontinental flights which have helped to unite communities worldwide and to remove artificial barriers to travel and trade. Their aircraft have helped to create and develop new technology which has been sold worldwide, some systems even finding their way into the vehicles that we now drive. Recreational pilots regularly entertain at airshows, which are second only to football matches in terms of the audiences they attract. Some pilots take time to offer flights to schoolchildren and adults, giving them the opportunity to see their country from a vantage point normally reserved for a few. The wider viewing public has also shown a great interest in international sporting events like the World Air Games, where the best of the leisure pilots compete to represent their nations’ interests. The benefits to the UK of leisure flying cannot be easily calculated but without it the country would be the poorer in spirit, in community and in commerce. For example, gliding offers harmony with the environment, relying on the energy of the atmosphere, yet causing no contamination in the process. An appropriate analogy is to refer to gliding as three-dimensional sailing; hence the term ‘sailplane’. |
