Press Release - 19th March 2024

Women Go Gliding

A Devon and Somerset Gliding club is helping women reach for the skies with an amazing ‘Women Go Gliding’ weekend.

Of almost 30,000 pilots in the UK, fewer than 5% are women. Aviation as a career industry and a sport has been slow to change that demographic, but a Southwest gliding club is determined to change that and help more women take flight.

The National Women’s Go Gliding Weekend is being run by almost 30 clubs across the country, from Scotland to the West Country. The British Gliding Association (BGA) is supporting clubs’ efforts to recruit more women members and be more representative of society.

The Devon and Somerset Gliding Club www.dsgc.co.uk will be running a Women’s Go Gliding weekend on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April to introduce women to the experience of aviation and soaring flight. No booking required, please just turn up between 10.00 and 4.00 p.m.

Gliding 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’. The UK distance record is 1,108km.

Gliding creates almost no noise or pollution, so is one of the most environmentally friendly ways of learning to fly and is a thrilling test of a pilot’s skill and knowledge. The sport is much more affordable than power flying, and free lessons are provided by qualified club instructors.

Women of every age are encouraged to learn and take part. Youngsters can learn to fly from the age of 12 and can qualify as a solo pilot at 14!

It is an exciting hobby and it can also open a career in aviation.

During the Women Go Gliding weekend, the Devon and Somerset Gliding Club ‘DSGC’ is offering flights to potential new women members for a heavily discounted price of £25 for under 21s and £50 for over 21s. Trial flights are also available to book all year round, so come and give gliding a try.

For more information and contact details for Devon & Somerset Gliding  Club, please visit our website https://www.dsgc.co.uk/what-is-happening-now/go-gliding-women.

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1.    According to the CAA, the share of female pilots increased from 4.3% in 2016 to 4.9% in 2021. Data published by the International Society of Women Pilots put the global share at 5.2% in 2018 and 5.8% in 2021.

2.       By contrast, 44% of medical doctors, 33% of astronauts, 29% of scientists and 21%  of engineers worldwide are women (source: UNESCO).

3.    The Devon and Somerset Gliding Club is based near but not at Dunkeswell aerodrome near Honiton. It is the largest gliding club in the South West. Its team of British Gliding Association certified instructors can provide some of the best instruction in the UK, suitable for anyone from absolute beginners up to instructor level.
4.    The British Gliding Association represents 80 gliding clubs spread throughout the UK, from the Scottish Highlands to the south-west tip of England. These range from small, member-run clubs to some of the largest gliding clubs in the world. The BGA provides services to some 7,000 UK glider pilots.
5.    Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport, in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft using naturally occurring currents of rising air to remain airborne. Gliders can fly for hours and travel hundreds of kilometres.
6.    Training is undertaken in two-seat gliders with an instructor. Gliders are launched either by a powerful winch winding a long cable and pulling the glider into the air, or by being towed behind a powered aircraft.