- 1.Background Information
Gliding is one of the purest and most enjoyable aviation sports. Modern gliders are capable of flights in excess of 1,000 km, can go to altitudes of more than 20,000 feet and can perform complex aerobatic manoeuvres. Learning to fly a glider solo in this country requires the individual to master a range of theoretical subjects as well as the practical skills and judgement to fly safely and successfully without the benefit of an engine.
There are around 10,000 glider pilots in 100 clubs in the UK. Southdown Gliding Club with just over 200 flying members is the largest “all-volunteer” club in the country. We have no paid staff except for part time administrative help in the office and engineers to work on the powered aircraft. All the instructors, tug pilots, and other helpers around the club are members who give their time voluntarily.
Southdown is one of the best equipped gliding clubs in the country. We have three two seater gliders for training new pilots, as well as three single seat gliders and over thirty qualified instructors. There are over forty privately owned gliders on the airfield which are usually shared in syndicates of two or more owners. Launching is normally by aerotow using one of our three tug planes, but we also have a powerful winch used mainly for training purposes.
The club provides a Bursary Scheme to provide financial assistance to young pilots to encourage them to take up the sport. The scheme has been run for six years in which time around 35 students have received bursaries.
- 2.What the Bursary Scheme Provides
- Five places will be provided on the Bursary Scheme in 2006. Each Bursary Student will be provided with:
- Junior Associate / Junior Membership of the Club for one year for £1.
- A credit of £750 towards flying fees.
- Experience shows that, depending on aptitude, £700 - £850 may be required to actually reach solo stage and so bursary candidates may need to be able fund some additional flying. Any funds still unused in the account will time-out one year after the award of the scheme.
- 3.Entry Requirements
- Applicants should be 16 years old by 1st September 2006, but not older than 21 years.
Regular attendance at the club for training is essential to make progress and reliance on parents for lifts can be problematic. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they can travel independently to the club, either because they live close by, or have suitable personal transport.
Applicants under 18 year of age must obtain the approval of their parents or guardians.
- 4.Responsibilities of the Bursary Student
- The Bursary Scheme provides a valuable opportunity to learn to fly. In return the Club requires the Bursary Students to make the necessary commitment to be successful. This means coming to the club regularly and helping at the club once there. Gliding is not simply a solo flying activity, for one person to be airborne several people have to help on the ground to launch and retrieve them. Participants normally spend the whole day at the club helping others to fly as well as taking their turn to fly.
- Bursary Students will be required to assist with normal airfield operations, eg preparing gliders for flight, performing daily inspection of aircraft, driving retrieve vehicles, winch driving, signalling, log-keeping etc.
To achieve solo level within a season students will need to be able to:
- Spend a full day at the club most weekends during the soaring season (April – September).
- Join other courses the club runs, such as the Wednesday & Friday evening courses.
- Attend the winter theory lectures and take the Bronze examination paper.
Five Bursary places will be awarded. Five Reserve candidates will also be selected and given Junior Associate Membership for £1. If a student fails to make the necessary commitment for a period of one month without prior agreement, their place on the Bursary Scheme will be terminated and the residue of their fund passed to another candidate.
Standard solo and pre-solo progress cards will be used to monitor progress with a Mentor instructor overseeing the group and dealing with operational problems relating to the Scheme. The bursary holders are expected to behave as ordinary members of the Club and are subject to the normal requirements of ordinary members, ie they use the Flying List and receive training from the instructors of the day.
The Committee of Management shall have the power to suspend or exclude from the Scheme any bursary holder in cases of misconduct. The Chief Flying Instructor and his deputies and/or any instructor shall have the power to immediately restrict flying in cases of lack of ability.
- 5.The Next Step
Candidates should complete an application form for the 2006 Bursary Scheme and send it to the PRO at Southdown Gliding Club by the April 30th. A short list of candidates will be invited to take a trial flight and interviewed on or around the 20h May 2006 to check aptitude. Bursaries will then be awarded.
