Gliding Federation of Australia


The Gliding Federation of Australia is the governing body for the sport of gliding in Australia. It was founded in 1949. The GFA is responsible to Civil Aviation Safety Authority for the conduct of safe gliding operations in Australia. This includes the setting and maintenance of flying standards and in particular training standards. It provides services to its members such as:
In Australia, glider pilots are exempt from holding pilot licences but the GFA is responsible for the establishment of pilot certificates. These are regarded highly enough by CASA and the aviation industry to be considered as a satisfactory substitute for licences. Pilots wishing to travel overseas can convert their GFA Glider Pilot Certificate to a CASA issued .
As the inclusion of 'federation' in the name suggests, the GFA is a tiered structure based on regional associations, which are in turn based on gliding clubs. It is only possible to be a member of the GFA if one is also a member of a gliding club which is affiliated to the GFA through the applicable regional association. The five regional associations are