Women invited to try gliding at airfield near Melton

It is being hosted by Buckminster Gliding Club at Saltby Airfield on Sunday April 28 in a bid to get more females involved in the sport.

Attendees will go on two flights on the day – one by aerotow and one by winch – and women and girls are encouraged to take part, with youngsters able to fly from age 12 and pilot solo from 14.

The Women’s Go Gliding Day is part of an initiative by the British Gliding Association, with only five per cent of the UK’s 30,000 pilots being female.

Lyn Ferguson-Dalling, senior instructor at Buckminster Gliding club, said: “Gliding like most flying activities has been very much a male sport, and it is important to get more women involved.

“The great thing is it can span all ages.

"We have been very successful in that we have a number of female glider pilots who enjoy the many different aspects of gliding, including competition flying and instructing.”

Sarah Bellamy (17), who first went solo at the club when she was 14, is now a qualified instructor.

She commented: “I wanted to see how far I could go. I love it, because it’s exciting, there are so many new things to discover and skills to perfect, and the support from the gliding community is amazing.”

For most people, gliding is an exciting hobby but it can also open up a career in aviation.

It is a unique form of flying that uses air heated by the sun to stay aloft.

Pilots can fly long distances using only thermal ‘lift’, with the UK distance record being 1,108km.

Gliding creates almost no noise or pollution and is a much more affordable pursuit than power flying.

It will cost £90 to attend the gliding day at Saltby, which includes the flights, a day membership, refreshments and barbecue food.

Buckminster Gliding Club has been established for over 50 years and provides affordable flying and instruction for everyone in the area.

It has a team of dedicated British Gliding Association-certified instructors for all abilities.

Click HERE for more details with trial flights available to book all year round.