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 Friday June 12, 2026
DurationGlidersFlightsHours
Year to Date  12621329313010.61
Last 7 Days  212638734

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 Monday June 1, 2026
Gliders with recognized Airworthiness Certificates
Airworthiness CertGlidersFlightsHours
Standard15746062674
Exterimental32328674645
Other6323031117

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 Private Minor None CrossCountry Aero Tow Discus-2b
Incident Activity Damage to Aircraft Damage to Canopy Incident Date Incident Time Weather SSA Member
Flight Destroyed 2017-06-22 1200-1400 Clear Yes
Incident Description Pilot got low and slow approaching a spine on the White mountain ridge and stalled/spun into terrain.
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Find out more about the Soaring Safety Foundation: (trustees, mission, By-Laws, or Contact us by email).