The DSC had its origins in the Sheffield Hang Gliding Club, which dates back to the early 1970s. The club has developed to become the largest in the country, with a proven record in cross country flying, and many successes in both national and international competitions. In addition to this club members hold or have held many significant national and international records. The club has a constitution, intended to set out the aims of the club and to protect the interests of the club and its members. This can be viewed here.

DSC sites are situated in the north of the Peak District (predominantly in Derbyshire), cover practically all wind directions, and provide suitable conditions for all levels of pilot skill. All sites currently negotiated by the DSC are listed in the online site guide. In the interests of safety and of maintaining good relations with other land users, information is also included for two important sites, Rushup and Bradwell, which are not DSC sites and are no longer managed us.

We have strong links with the Peak Soaring Association (PSA) which manages sites in the south of the Peak, and with whom we jointly manage Cats Tor.

Want to learn to fly?

This is done through a flying school, and you must attain a rating of ‘Club Pilot’ (CP) before being able to joing and fly with a club. You will also need to join BHPA, who govern the sports of paragliding and hang gliding in the UK and, crucially, provide the third party insurance required to fly. There are several schools in the Derbyshire area, and lots of information on the BHPA website:

• Airways Airsports – Andrew Snell CFI
• Derbyshire Flying Centre – Steve Hudson CFI
• Fly Paragliders – Paul Allmark CFI
• Peak Airsports – Mark Bosher CFI
• All BHPA approved Schools

Find out more about the club by joining the DSC forum and visit www.bhpa.co.uk to learn more about the sport.

Want to join the DSC?

If you’re already a BHPA member then you can join the DSC using our online membership system, WebCollect. Email the membership secretary with any questions or if you experience any problems signing up. Full membership is open to any current BHPA member, qualified to Club Pilot (Hill) level or above. Overseas pilots who are not BHPA members should contact the membership secretary to check eligibility. Associate membership is open to any pilot who is a full member of another member club of the BHPA. Temporary membership is also available for visiting pilots and lasts for 10 days from the date of issue.

Join here!

Temporary Membership

Already joined: questions?

Call our New Members Officer Chris Dervin on 079212 36682, email newmembers@derbyshiresoaringclub.org.uk or visit the DSC Forum. Chris also maintains loads of useful information for newly qualified pilots on his own site ‘cp-plus’.

We also have active Telegram groups where members can discuss plans and share up to date site condition reports – email us here if you’d like to be added – and an open ‘chatter and photos’ group for more casual banter and chat. Our very active Facebook group is a great place to ask questions, as is the website forum members area.