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Helen,
92, has achieved another wish, to fly in a Glider.
Shown here with NVGC
Instructors Tony Walker and Dave Mansfield
(pictures courtesy of Fiona Fish) |
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For YouTube Videos of an Eden Soaring
Expedition [Click Here]
Latest Trip to Eden Soaring
May 2017 [Click Here]
Junior Competition August 2016
Report on the Four Club Young Pilots
Challenge, August 2016
It has been a busy summer season
at Nene Valley Gliding Club (Upwood) with our scholarship
scheme going into its third year, Open Days, first solo’s
and a Task week. And on top of that we
were invited not
only to join in this year’s “Young Pilots Challenge” but to
host it. This brought
together budding pilots between the
ages of 14-18 from Bicester, Dunstable, Cambridge and
Upwood, a great way to showcase all the young talent coming
into gliding!
This annual event was started
three years ago by Bicester, Cambridge and Dunstable to give
their early and pre- solo young pilots the opportunity to
fly from different sites and meet other
like-minded young
people. To ensure the event is accessible to pilots of all
levels (including
those with just a few flights under
their belt), the challenges can be flown with an instructor
who
can provide advice and encouragement and do any parts
of the flight as required by the pilot’s
stage of
training (such as the launch and landing).
The competition took place over
two days, with the teams from Bicester, Dunstable and
Cambridge assembling at Upwood Airfield early Tuesday
morning with their accompanying
instructors and gliders
all ready to get proceedings underway. Some had arrived the
night
before and camped.The event was kindly sponsored by
Aircraft training Limited, to whom we
extend our utmost
gratitude.
After a morning briefing and with
the airfield in working order, the first task got underway.
The
aim was to gain as much height as possible in the
course of a thirty minute flight, with points
deducted
for anyone who couldn’t make it back to the airfield in
time. Bicester lled at the halfway
point after the first
day.
Come Wednesday, the weather gods
decided to be a little kinder, foregoing the changing wind
directions of the day before. The challenge remained the
same, who could choose the right
thermals and give
themselves the advantage. In the end it came down to a close
fight between
Upwood and visiting club Bicester. With
only 25 points between them, Upwood came out on top
with
a trophy to celebrate. Cambridge finished third and
Dunstable came a very close fourth.
As all fellow glider
pilots will know, gliding is a game of patience for those
left on the ground.
That said, I’ve certainly come to
know that glider pilots also have some fantastic stories to
tell
(gliding related or not). Friendly airfields are a
hive of knowledge, bringing together people of all
ages
from all backgrounds and they provide a fantastic melting
pot, particularly for young people
who perhaps otherwise
wouldn’t come into contact with such a wide variety of
characters.
Although this competition was devised to
bring out the competitive side of each club (and that it
most certainly did) it was also about bringing these young
pilots together. Through sport, food
and just having a
bit of a laugh together.
As a young pilot myself (just about),
I’ve come to know and gradually understand the importance
of these kinds of schemes and competitions. Getting more
young people into gliding seems to
be gathering momentum
and it was great to see the enthusiasm that all the clubs
had for the
sport. Their willingness just to get stuck in
and put their knowledge and energy to use in helping
set
up the airfield, manning the launch point and creating a
real atmosphere was refreshing to
see. These are people
that will keep our clubs going in years to come!
All four
clubs have developed a close rivalry and are looking forward
to next year’s rematch!
Beth Aston, 2 Oct 16
Seems as if Adam Roberts
(from the Ramsey Reporter) had a good time at NVGC .
Click here to listen.
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