Gliding, a Childhood Dream

In this story, Jane, one of our newest members describes how her childhood dream of becoming a glider pilot came true at CUGC.

I have been a member of the Cambridge University Club since October 2022. After receiving my offer from Cambridge I started browsing through societies and activities offered by the University and I remember so vividly how my heart jumped when I saw the name “Gliding Club”. My relationship with this sport is somewhat unusual as I had my first flight when I was eight. My father’s close friend was a passionate amateur aviator, who was in possession of a refurbished glider called “SZD-9 Bocian”. My adventure with gliding began in the summer of 2006 when we visited him during our trip to the Beskidy Mountains. He has kindly offered me a flight, and I recall feeling incredibly anxious and excited. I vividly remember being strapped in by my dad and minutes later being taken up by an aerotow. This first half-an-hour flight made me fall in love with the sport and made me want to be just like my dad’s friend. For several years, I kept coming back during the summer to glide, but eventually, we moved away farther away and my gliding adventures ended. However, the idea of pursuing gliding as a sport remained in the back of my head.

I was incredibly privileged to be able to pursue this childhood dream of mine while being a student. After attending the fresher’s squash organised by the Club and securing a trial flight, my life changed – I got totally hooked. The initial visit to the airfield was an incredible experience which has left me with an unsatiated appetite for knowledge – I wanted to know how everything works and learn my way around the airfield. I have decided to attend almost every Monday flying session and help out as much as I can. This experience made me gain so much appreciation for the experienced members and instructors who devote their time to run these sessions every week – a round of applause for them, please!

Thanks to society’s buddy system, I was able to ask as many questions as I wanted to and broaden my knowledge substantially. In terms of my progress, I have recently qualified as a Launch Point Assistant and I am halfway to getting my first solo! Last winter I have also attended my first expedition during which I got to try ridge soaring and aerotowing. This was made possible due to the ongoing support and encouragement that I have received from my peers at the club. Apart from getting a shot at pursuing my childhood passion, I also got the meet amazing people who are now some of my closest friends.

Jane Bryl

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