Hobbies · Sports
Aviation & flight
Getting airborne, or flying something that is.
Also in this category
Classified but not yet written up.
24 activities in the catalogue, 1 written up so far.
Aircraft spotting
HobbyRecording aircraft by registration and type, with a fieldcraft and a literature of its own.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur aircraft building
HobbyCraftBuilding a light aircraft from plans or a kit under a national association’s inspection scheme.
Over £1,000 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur satellite operating
HobbyWorking orbiting amateur radio satellites with a handheld and a directional aerial.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Drone photography
HobbyAerial stills and video, with a registration and flight-restriction regime attached.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Flight simulation
HobbyFlying realistically simulated aircraft, with real procedures and charts.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Free flight models
HobbyCraftModel aircraft with no control at all, trimmed on the ground and then simply let go.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gliding
SportFlying an unpowered sailplane using rising air, from a club airfield.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hang gliding
SportFlying a rigid-wing glider suspended in a harness beneath it.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
High-altitude ballooning
HobbySending instruments to the stratosphere on a weather balloon and recovering them.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hot air ballooning
HobbySportFlying a balloon, which mostly means understanding the wind at every height.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Indoor skydiving
SportBodyflight in a vertical wind tunnel, which is a real discipline rather than only a taster for the sky.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kite buggying
SportHobbyBeing pulled across sand or hard ground in a three-wheeled buggy by a power kite.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kite flying
HobbyFlying single-line, stunt or power kites — quietly, or not quietly at all.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kite making
CraftHobbyBuilding kites from spar, sail and line, where small changes in bridle transform how one flies.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Landboarding
SportRiding a large skateboard pulled by a power kite on open ground.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Light aircraft flying
HobbySportLearning to fly and then flying small aeroplanes under a private licence.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Microlight flying
SportThe cheapest genuine route to a pilot licence, in small aircraft flown from grass strips.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Model gliding
HobbyFlying unpowered model aircraft on slope lift or thermals, often on the same hills.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Paragliding
SportFlying a foot-launched fabric wing from a hill or by tow.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Paramotoring
SportHobbyPowered paragliding with a motor on your back, launched on foot from a field.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Radio-controlled aircraft
HobbyFlying model planes and helicopters, usually from a club field.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Scale aeromodelling
HobbyCraftBuilding and flying accurate models of real aircraft, judged on fidelity as well as flight.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Skydiving
SportJumping from an aircraft under a canopy, progressing through a formal syllabus.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet