I had experienced a little gliding with the air cadets, so after university I joined CGC. In 2022 I went solo, qualified, and made my first 300km flights. Last year I acquired my highly underrated DG-300 glider and flew in my first competitions, including the Junior Nationals held here at Cambridge. This year I made my first 500km flight and flew with some great pilots at the club-class and Junior nationals. I plan to make more long flights if I can, and hope to continue learning from the best at future competitions around the country.
James Alexander (in the front seat)
Most glider pilots will remember their first flight vividly. Mine was a thirteenth birthday present and it had me hooked on the sport immediately. At the time, the minimum age to fly solo in gliders had just dropped to fourteen, so I joined my local gliding club to start training. One year on, having sold my Nintendo and my bicycle to pay for flight time, I took off on my own, a few months after my fourteenth birthday.
Later, I moved to Cambridge to study and helped run Cambridge University Gliding Club, which is also based at Gransden Lodge Airfield. Gliding is one of the cheapest ways to learn to fly, which makes it popular with students! After graduating, I became a volunteer instructor with Cambridge Gliding Club, taking a particular delight in flying with members of the public, some of whom have since joined as members.
Charlie Brooker (in the back seat)
