HIGH-FLYING YEAR 9 STUDENT READY TO GO SOLO – NEARLY!
Earlier on this summer, Sarah Nolan, Year 9 student at Richmond School, had the brilliant opportunity to take her first flight in a glider. This was because Sarah and her family had attended a gliding information event and had been lucky enough to win one of two £500 Scholarships from the British Gliding Association (BGA) that were offered as prizes.
Note: A glider is an unpowered aircraft that relies on movements of the air to stay in flight. In good conditions a glider can stay in the air for hours at a time, though most flights are shorter than this.
Sarah flew from the Yorkshire Gliding Club, situated on the edge of Sutton Bank, seven miles east of Thirsk. Sarah accompanied an experienced pilot in a two-seat glider, towed into the air by a powered aircraft. The glider was then released to soar along the edge of Sutton Bank, with Sarah being given the chance to take the controls and get a feel for the machine. The instructor landed the glider – quite a tense moment as there’s only one chance to get it right – and Sarah immediately started thinking about her next flight!
Since then, Sarah has become a valued member of the Yorkshire Gliding Club. She has spent a lot of her free time there, including her holidays, helping out with the day to day operations of the club. The main reason Sarah is there, though, is to learn about and to go gliding. Recently she has been awarded a Launchpoint Caroline Award of £250. These funds go towards the cost of Sarah’s training and flight time – the BGA are very keen to promote gliding for young people. Sarah has now managed 32 flights – 15 hours and 30 minutes in the air. Sarah’s instructor is very pleased with the way her skills are developing and has said she is ready to go solo – a big event in a pilot’s career. Unfortunately, Sarah will have to wait until she’s 14 – the minimum age for a solo flight. We look forward to hearing how that goes!
As well as her gliding, and very much connected with it, Sarah joined the 2337 Northallerton Squadron Air Training Corps (ATC) back in September 2023. Since then, she has been involved in a wide range of opportunities offered by the Cadets including fundraising, flying, shooting and athletics as well as leadership, cyber-awareness, radio communications and first aid training. Sarah also recently represented the wing in athletics and shooting competitions. These opportunities are available to any student who joins the Air Cadets.
Recently the 2337 Northallerton Squadron ATC held their annual presentation, where Sarah was promoted from Cadet to Corporal. Sarah received a gold shot badge (for participation in a recognised Cadet Forces competition) to add to her brassard and out of 12 awards presented, she received three: the Sports Award, Most Improved Shot and Cadet of the Year, presented to her by John Howe, Mayor of Bedale.
Well done to Sarah for putting in so much hard work and achieving such success with her gliding and her Air Cadets. We are sure her achievements will continue to accumulate and we look forward to hearing from her in the future – especially after that solo flight!