There are a two main types of gliding competitions: cross-country competitions and aerobatics competitions

In aerobatics competitions pilots perform a series of manoeuvres and are judged on their execution and the difficulty of the manoeuvres

In cross-country competitions pilots race around a set course between a number of “turning points”, travelling hundreds of miles in the quickest time possible

The main competition for RSGC is the Interservices Regional Gliding Competition (ISRGC, or “the Interservices”), which is an annual week-long cross-country competition held at an airfield in the UK. Glider pilots from the RAF, Army and Navy gliding clubs gather to confirm that the RAF does indeed have the best pilots in the business