By Cadet Malkin
Cadet Malkin was recently fortunate to attend an Air Cadet gliding bursary run by the Buckminster Gliding Club at Saltby Airfield in Lincolnshire. Here is the story of the week in his words.
“We all met at Saltby clubhouse for a comprehensive briefing on what the week would entail. The next five fantastic days were filled with a lot of flying as the four of us learnt how to operate the glider, from turns to stalls to thermalling and everything in between. We practiced launch cable breaks at different heights, as well as spins, spin recoveries, and a nasty lesson of what happens if you stall at low level. We also all had to learn the ropes on the ground.
“By the end of the week two of the cadets on the course were deemed as suitable to go solo, and so a silence came over the airfield as one by one they launched for their first ever flights with no-one else in the cockpit. Both achieved two solo trips, rounding off a hugely successful week.
“I did not manage to go solo during the course week, mainly due to spells of bad weather during my slot times; however I returned to Saltby later on in the month and after several practice circuits I took off thinking I’m going to have to land this! The nerves soon went away as all my training came to fruition and I completed two safe trips. It was fantastic to know that I flew the flight all by myself; and I thank the instructors and Committee immensely for all the support they gave to help me get to this point.
“I found the week hugely beneficial, interesting and enjoyable, though intense and demanding. All the hard work is worth it and being presented with my ‘wings’ upon going solo proved this.”
