Making the Connection From Classroom to First Solo

On Sunday 25 September 2022 Harri Reilly, a Cosford student on one of our gliding scholarship schemes and now an AS1 at Coningsby working on Typhoons, took his first solo flight in a glider at RAF Shawbury. Here’s his recollection of his achievement.

I started gliding taking advantage of the RAF Shawbury Gliding Club’s MEF gliding scholarship scheme – my flying was free! Over the summer I attended gliding at RAF Shawbury on the weekends and towards the end of September I had a feeling that I was nearing solo but wasn’t sure when I would, although I knew I was getting pretty close.

As I progressed with my flying I realised that there was a synergy between what I was learning on my technician course at Cosford and my flying at Shawbury; there was an overlap between the two. If you’d done the avionics module you could relate what the instruments were telling you to the environment in which you were flying. Once I had the effect of yaw demonstrated in the air, I understood how yaw could adversely affect airflow into an engine. Getting into threat and error management while flying, I certainly learnt to follow procedures; safety was paramount and there was no room to cut corners.

Anyway, I arrived at Shawbury on Sunday 25 September completely oblivious to the fact that I would be sent solo that day. At about 13:30 I climbed into R35, one of the club K21 two-seat training aircraft, and we launched on aero-tow behind the tug with my instructor Sqn Ldr Alan Swan in the back seat. He didn’t say a word during the whole flight, but after landing we both got out and asked me how I thought I’d done?

I told him that I thought the flight had gone well! Then he said to me “do you think you can do that on your own?” When he asked me that I was slightly surprised but I assured him I could.

Around 20 minutes later I was launching on my own and it felt amazing; I didn’t really have much time to be nervous, everything went well and I was ready to do it again! After landing I was over the moon and felt very proud to have gone solo.

There are a number of funding stream that make flying affordable. Delivered at RAFGSA clubs, the ‘Go Solo’ Scheme is a fully funded gliding scholarship for regular Junior Rank/JNCOs covering everything required to achieve a first solo flight.

The second scheme is the Mechanics Endowment Fund (MEF) Gliding Scholarship Course made possible by funding from The RAF Central Fund. Students must be a Phase 1 or 2 trainee at RAF Cosford and Shawbury and may be of any rank. The course runs over 3 months, should take about 3 flying days, and is easily achievable during a Phase 2 course.

Lastly, there are JSAT (Joint Service Adventurous Training) Gliding courses at Syerston. These on-duty gliding courses take you from beginner through to advanced level together with an introduction to cross country flying; how do you fly from Shawbury to Anglesey and back in one day in an aircraft with no engine?

We offer very affordable rates for all other groups within the Service community from a taster flight, all the way through to competing in competitions or going away on a soaring week or expedition at another gliding club.

Gliding with the club sets in place the foundation for flying at any future station, and also the opportunity to fly further afield with the club and the Royal Air Force Gliding and Soaring Association (RAFGSA). Our aim is to repeat the success of last year that saw service personnel reach heights of 10,000ft (the limit without using Oxygen), over Shawbury by both our single seat and two seater gliders. This year we will run a club expedition to fly in Snowdonia. Further afield there is an opportunity to fly in the Inter-Services Regional Gliding Competition in August. Later in the year, four club members have been selected to fly with the RAFGSA at Sisteron in the French Alps, a really challenging and thrilling environment that sets you up to fly in the Chilean Andes.

If this has attracted your attention and you’d like to join us then, for an informal discussion and more information, contact Sqn Ldr Alan Swan 07834 638625 alan.swan143@mod. gov.uk, or Ian Gallacher, Ian. Gallacher375@mod.gov. uk, both of whom will be delighted to answer your questions. For a face-toface chat you can find Ian Gallacher in Building 143, Room F35. You can also find more details on our website at https://www. rafshawburygc.co.uk #rafgsa #gliding #raf_shawbury#raf_ cosford.