Glider handicaps
A handicap is a single number that decides how a whole season of flying is compared. The lists are published, the adjustment rules are three paragraphs long, and the two mass rules round in opposite directions — which is the part that catches people.
Which way round is it?
IGC: a higher number means a better glider, and scoring divides by it — Dh = D / H. Club Class runs 0.988 to 1.080.
US SSA: a lower number means a better glider, and scoring multiplies — Dh = H × D. The two scales are reciprocals: Hssa = 1 / Higc.
Both sit within a few percent of 1.0, so swapping them produces a results sheet that looks entirely ordinary and is quietly in the wrong order.
of entries.
· basic handicap · flapped · certified with winglets
Datum is kg ().
Your competition handicap
Listed
Mass
Winglets
On the US SSA scale that is .
The adjustment rules
Three of them, and the first two are deliberately asymmetric.
Heavier than the datum
+0.004 for each 10 kg or part thereof. One kilogram over the datum already costs the full band. There is no cap going up.
Lighter than the datum
-0.003 for each whole multiple of 10 kg, capped at -0.006. Nineteen kilograms under earns one band, not two, and nothing accrues beyond twenty.
Winglets: +0.004 when added to a glider originally built, certified and performance-measured without them. Types certificated with winglets from new are marked in the list and get no adjustment.
The list's stated range applies to the basic handicaps. The rules say explicitly that adjustments may put a particular aircraft outside it, so this calculator does not clamp the result.
There are five systems, not one
They use three different reference gliders, and one of them counts backwards. A number from one list is not usable in another.
| System | Scale | Better glider is | Scoring | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IGC (FAI) | Around 1.000 | higher | divide | ASW 19 |
| DAeC / DMSt index (Germany) | 47 to 129 | higher | divide | ASW 19 = 100 |
| OLC handicap list | 47 to 129 | higher | divide | ASW 19 = 100 |
| BGA Speed Index (United Kingdom) | 46 to 119.5 | higher | divide | LS 8 (15 m) = 100 |
| SSA Handicap List (United States) | 0.725 to 2.150 | lower | multiply | Standard Cirrus = 1.000 |
- DAeC / DMSt index (Germany). The DAeC now publishes a SECOND list for on-site competitions, compressed toward 100 because a competition is flown in the best hours of the day and slower gliders gain disproportionately from gaggle marking. Same body, same branding, different numbers — check which list a contest actually uses.
- OLC handicap list. A fork of the DMSt list that lags it. Identical in the 90-105 band and one to two points adrift on modern gliders. The served page carries no version date at all, which is its own problem.
- BGA Speed Index (United Kingdom). No mass or ballast adjustment at all, unlike IGC and the SSA — ballast is controlled by class rules instead. UK Club Class and 20 Metre Nationals use IGC handicaps rather than BGA ones, multiplied by 100.
- SSA Handicap List (United States). The only system here that runs backwards, and the only one whose base numbers have no published derivation. The SSA publishes its weight adjustment in full and does not publish how the base handicaps are produced — a gap noted publicly since at least 2011 and still open.
How far apart are they?
The same aircraft under both authorities. Because the SSA scale is the reciprocal, the comparable column is 1 ÷ SSA — if the two systems agreed, it would equal the IGC number.
They both anchor on the Standard Cirrus at exactly 1.000 and then diverge by 1.6% on average and up to 3.4%, against an IGC Club Class band only 9.3% wide. The disagreement between two authorities is a substantial fraction of the whole spread they are trying to measure — and it runs mostly one way, with the SSA rating the better gliders as relatively better than IGC does.
| Type | IGC | SSA | 1 ÷ SSA | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASW 20B, C | 1.080 | 0.910 | 1.099 | +1.8% |
| ASW 24, B | 1.060 | 0.940 | 1.064 | +0.4% |
| Discus a, b, CS | 1.054 | 0.930 | 1.075 | +2.0% |
| LS 3, a | 1.062 | 0.937 | 1.067 | +0.5% |
| SZD 55-1 | 1.042 | 0.941 | 1.063 | +2.0% |
| LS 7 | 1.036 | 0.940 | 1.064 | +2.7% |
| LS 4, a, b | 1.030 | 0.950 | 1.053 | +2.2% |
| PIK 20 B | 1.032 | 0.950 | 1.053 | +2.0% |
| H 301 Libelle | 1.032 | 0.983 | 1.017 | -1.4% |
| DG 300, DG 303 | 1.018 | 0.950 | 1.053 | +3.4% |
| PIK 20 D | 1.026 | 0.950 | 1.053 | +2.6% |
| Hornet, C | 1.006 | 0.990 | 1.010 | +0.4% |
| ASW 19, B | 1.000 | 0.970 | 1.031 | +3.1% |
| DG 100 | 1.000 | 0.990 | 1.010 | +1.0% |
| Std. Cirrus B (15 m) | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | +0.0% |
| ASW 15, B | 0.988 | 1.000 | 1.000 | +1.2% |
| Std. Libelle 201B | 0.988 | 1.020 | 0.980 | -0.8% |
Two independent authorities, the same aircraft, and a systematic disagreement. Neither is wrong: they were derived differently, for different fleets and different weather, and a handicap is only ever fair on average. It does mean a number from one is not usable in the other.
SSA values read from the live SSA list on 07 September 2026. Only the overlap with the IGC Club Class list is reproduced — the full SSA list runs to several hundred rows and belongs to them.
The full lists — 42 entries
Club Class
Handicapping is mandatory in Club Class (Annex A 8.2.4). To enter, the glider must appear on this list, on an IGC-approved list created for that championship, or have IGC Bureau approval — and the competitor must provide a valid Type Certificate Data Sheet.
| Handicap | Type | Reference mass | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.080 | ASW 20B, C (flapped) | 372 kg | 15 m only |
| 1.074 | ASW 20, F, L (flapped) | 372 kg | 15 m only |
| 1.062 | LS 3, a (flapped) | 377 kg | |
| 1.060 | ASW 24, B | 365 kg | |
| 1.056 | Mosquito, B (flapped) | 368 kg | |
| 1.056 | DG 200 (15 m) (flapped) | 380 kg | |
| 1.056 | Mini Nimbus (flapped) | 368 kg | |
| 1.056 | Speed Astir II, IIb (flapped) | 400 kg | |
| 1.056 | Glasflügel 304, B; HPH 304 CZ (15 m) (flapped) | 369 kg | |
| 1.054 | Discus a, b, CS | 367 kg | |
| 1.048 | Genesis 2 | 366 kg | |
| 1.042 | SZD 55-1 | 350 kg | |
| 1.038 | PIK 20 A (flapped) | 380 kg | |
| 1.036 | LS 7 | 353 kg | |
| 1.033 | HPH 304 C | 359 kg | |
| 1.032 | PIK 20 B (flapped) | 370 kg | |
| 1.032 | H 301 Libelle (flapped) | 315 kg | |
| 1.030 | LS 4, a, b | 356 kg | |
| 1.026 | PIK 20 D (flapped) | 355 kg | |
| 1.024 | CB-15 Crystal | 350 kg | |
| 1.024 | SZD 59 Acro (15 m) | 375 kg | With winglets only; already accounted for in the IGC handicap |
| 1.018 | DG 300, DG 303 | 369 kg | 15 m only, including Club, Elan and Acro |
| 1.018 | Pegase 101, A, B, C, D, P, AP | 361 kg | |
| 1.012 | Jantar Std. 2, 2M, Std. 3 | 370 kg | |
| 1.012 | SZD-48-3M, 3M1 Brawo | 365 kg | |
| 1.006 | Std. Cirrus B (16 m) | 350 kg | Winglets not allowed |
| 1.006 | Hornet, C | 343 kg | |
| 1.006 | LS 1f, LS 1f(45) | 347 kg | |
| 1.000 | ASW 19, B | 362 kg | |
| 1.000 | DG 100, G, Elan, G Elan | 385 kg | |
| 1.000 | Jantar Std. | 364 kg | |
| 1.000 | Std. Cirrus B (15 m); CS11-75L | 345 kg | |
| 0.988 | ASW 15, B | 352 kg | |
| 0.988 | LS 1 0, a, b, c, d | 329 kg | |
| 0.988 | Std. Libelle 201B, 202, 203 | 328 kg |
20 Metre Multi-seat Class
Handicapping MAY be used in this class, and only at Continental Championships — never at World Championships — and only if the organisers say so in the Local Procedures. A glider not on this list normally receives 1.00. Winglets are eligible here with no increase in handicap.
| Handicap | Type | MTOM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.050 | Arcus T, M, E; ASG 32, Mi, EL; HPH 304TS Twin Shark (all versions) (flapped) | 800 kg | |
| 1.040 | Arcus (pure glider, no powerplant) (flapped) | 750 kg | Certified MTOM 750 kg |
| 1.010 | Duo Discus (all versions certified to 750 kg) | 750 kg | |
| 1.010 | LAK 12R 20 m, LS 11 (flapped) | 750 kg | |
| 1.010 | DG 1000 / 1001 (all versions certified to 790 kg) | 790 kg | |
| 1.000 | DG 1000 / 1001 (all versions certified to 750 kg) | 750 kg | |
| 1.000 | Duo Discus (all versions certified to 700 kg) | 700 kg |
Transcribed from FAI Sporting Code Section 3 Annex A — IGC Procedures for Handicapped Classes, Valid from 15 April 2026 (source PDF), checked 07 September 2026.
What this assumes, and what it can't know
This is the IGC list only. The German DAeC index, the BGA list and the SSA list are different systems with different scales, different derivations and — in the SSA's case — the opposite direction. A number from one is not usable in another.
Handicaps are revised, and this is a transcription. The edition and check date are stamped above and the source PDF is linked. For an actual competition entry, use the list the organisers publish, not this page.
The mass datum is not an operating limit. The IGC Reference Mass is a handicapping construct and nothing more; the MTOM figures in the 20 Metre list are there to identify which row an aircraft falls under. What you may actually fly at comes from your aircraft's type certificate data sheet and its placards, and the competition rules cap takeoff mass at the lesser of the certified maximum and the certified maximum without water ballast.
A handicap is an average, and no average fits every day. A single number cannot equalise two aircraft across weak and strong conditions, short and long tasks, or flat and hilly ground — it can only be roughly fair over a season. That is a design limitation of handicapping itself, not of any particular list.
Not yet reviewed by anyone but us. If you run a club's books and one of these assumptions is wrong, we would genuinely rather hear it than not — tell us and we'll credit you here. This is a budgeting estimate, not a quote. Every club sets its own rates and they change; check with the club before relying on a number.
See it applied
Put a handicapped day through the actual scoring formulas and watch where the number enters.
Contest scoring calculator →