Table of contents
What is the SGW?
An association with a long tradition
The Winterthur gliding group (SGW) is a Swiss gliding group and flight school based in Winterthur. SGW was founded in 1926 and offers ambitious aviation enthusiasts the opportunity to learn gliding from scratch. Volunteer flight instructors are involved in the SGW – training and flight operations are mainly carried out at weekends.
Atmosphere and community
The SGW is not a purely commercial flight school, but an association in which community, passion for flying and voluntary commitment are in the foreground. Even with little prior knowledge or previous experience, an entry is possible – SGW explicitly emphasizes that neither prior knowledge nor large financial resources are necessary to start gliding.
Offer of training
Basic gliding training
The training at SGW consists of two parts: a theoretical and a practical training. The theory course covers 9 subjects — including air law, aircraft knowledge, meteorology, navigation, communications and more — and spans about 20 evenings.
In the practical part, training is carried out on weekends with double-seaters, then — with increasing experience — retraining on single-seaters. In addition, there is an annual training week in Winterthur and a two-week air camp in France to gain intensive and focused flight practice. Depending on skill and commitment, the first solo flights are possible after about 60-80 flights.
Further training & Extensions
In addition to the basic training, SGW offers additional qualifications: Among other things, extensions for passenger flights, radio telephony, aerobatic flight, motor gliders (TMG) on the in-house Dimona as well as a flight instructor license can be sought.
For ambitious pilots, there are also special training courses: route flight training weeks, Alpine flying, hiking flights or participation in promotional courses for route flight and Alpine flight.
Costs of training
Price range up to the Brevet
The SGW indicates a budget of approximately **CHF 6,000 to CHF 8,000** for the training up to the glider flight Brevet. Since the flight instructors are volunteers, there are usually only cost-covering fees for aircraft, club fees and take-offs – not profit-oriented fees.
Operating costs after the Brevet / ongoing flight operations
As an active pilot, you have to expect annual costs – about **CHF 3,000** are typical according to SGW if you want to fly regularly. This fee covers take-off costs and operations and allows for continuous flying.
Requirements & Eligibility
Airborne & Personal requirements
No special prior knowledge is required for the start of the training — SGW explicitly invites flight enthusiasts without previous experience. Whether you are suitable will be assessed by the flight instructor after about 20 flights – only then will it be decided whether to continue or not.
Medical fitness
A medical certificate issued by a doctor recognised by the competent authority shall be required before the first solo flight. This step is a prerequisite for the training to be admitted to the skill test.
Contact
✈️ **gliding group Winterthur (SGW)**
📬 Postbox 8404, 8404 Winterthur, Switzerland
📞 +41 52 337 23 93
📧 info@sgw.ch