The Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) is the Training and Safety arm of the Soaring Society of America (SSA). Our mission is to provide instructors and pilots with the tools needed to teach/learn both the stick & rudder skills and the Aeronautical Decision Making skills needed to safely fly a glider. We also provide information and analysis of incident and accident trends in order to develop better training tools.

 

Data collected from Open Glider Network (OGN) as of Wednesday July 1, 2026
DurationGlidersFlightsHours
Year to Date  13791598816945.70
Last 7 Days  2739571235

This table shows the number of individual gliders that recorded a flight in the OGN tracking system and the number of flights/hours those gliders flew. 		Data collected from Open Glider Network (OGN) as of Wednesday July 1, 2026
Gliders with recognized Airworthiness Certificates
Airworthiness CertGlidersFlightsHours
Standard18776346280
Exterimental37641877108
Other7528381697

Flight Training
Videos , CFI Webinars , and Scenario Database

These videos are introductory in nature and are geared to learning to soar, or a new soaring skill.

Flight Safety
Videos and Incident Database


These videos are safety oriented and appropriate for glider pilots of any skill level.

Visit the Soaring Safety Foundation's Youtube Channelyoutube
The SSA's YouTube Video Playlist

The Soaring Incident Database is now available to help pilots, safety officers, clubs, and commercial operators develop new programs that can help prevent incidents from becoming major accidents. See more incidents by searching the database or register a new incident.

Region Pilot Certificate Pilot Injuries Passenger Injuries Type of Flight Launch Method Type of Aircraft
West CFI None None Local Aero Tow Dg-400
Incident Activity Damage to Aircraft Damage to Canopy Incident Date Incident Time Weather SSA Member
Flight None 2018-12-14 1200-1400 Clear Yes
Incident Description Committed the cardinal sin of motor gliding - started engine start in close vicinity to RTS at1300’ agl. Engine started running at about 500 agl on base leg. Was late in start process. Lesson learned: At 2k’ agl, decide to land as glider or restart. Don’t vacillate.
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Find out more about the Soaring Safety Foundation: (trustees, mission, By-Laws, or Contact us by email).