We are celebrating International Women’s Day by featuring the stories, gliding journeys, and achievements of women pilots at the Cambridge Gliding Centre and the Cambridge University Gliding Club. We hope these stories will inspire more girls and women to take up gliding and discover the many pleasures and challenges of flying.
Jo Brand – CGC
“I started gliding as a youngster when my dad, who was in the RAF, joined Fenland Gliding Club. I went solo the day after my 16th birthday, after 4 years of flying dual! (These days you can go solo at 14 years of age, but the rules were different then). I sadly stopped flying when I went off to University, so I had a very long break from flying. I dabbled a bit in power flying and got my PPL in 1999 in California.”
“In 2017, I finally decided to get back into gliding, joined Cambridge Gliding Club and booked a lesson. To my delight, I could still remember how to fly! I have been flying regularly ever since. In 2018, my husband decided that he should give gliding a go too if he was ever going to see me in the summer, and we now own a glider each (to avoid arguments!) I have trained to become an instructor and get huge satisfaction in teaching people how to fly and introducing them to the sport. I also love a bit of aerobatics!”
Merlin Ohta – CUGC
“I have been gliding for 6 years. I’m also Co-President of CUGC, I love the community and am enjoying being a Basic Instructor!”
Anne Walker – CGC
“I started my gliding career in 1960 at Ringstone Edge near Halifax – (no longer operating) in a T31 tandem plank. We were lucky if we got over 700 feet on the launch. So off I went to Doncaster where I solo’ed in 1962 in a Tutor – a single seater plank, wow I got to 1200 feet! My career took me to Farnborough where the hot ship was an Olympia 2 and I completed the silver C badge in it taking off from Dunstable.
Married to Richard now, we joined Cambridge University Gliding Club in 1965 and had many exciting expeditions to The Mynd. I remember, in the early days the club took all the kit, including an old balloon winch and a tractor, as well as the club fleet driving all the way across to Shropshire. And the tractor was open – in the rain and the winch was too long to go round one of the roundabouts so we had to drive it the wrong way round! And the slow ones sometimes took 2 days to get there.”
“Many happy days followed at CUGC. We managed to keep current, even with 2 children and a dog. There were some very long retrieves with the family to far away places, as Richard liked to keep going! Stonehenge, silhouetted in the twilight – on the way to Yeovil, – is particularly memorable.
The Club moved from Marshalls in Cambridge to Duxford, then on to Gransden where we split the club into CUGC and CGC. My career in gliding included many years of tugging and instructing. I flew a Skylark 3, a Libelle, Mosquito, LS1c, a Discus, and a K6cr, taking me all over the UK and into France.
Richard and I lived for the yearly expedition trips with Pete Whitehead to The Lakes where we hill soar the mountains and inspect the coast from over 10,000 feet. A particularly exciting and challenging time was when Pete Whitehead, Thomas Edwards, Steve Gibson, Richard and I started a new gliding club in 2007, Edensoaring. We were sited in a field at the base of Crossfell. It was very hard work and it is now sadly closed following an accident on the hill.
I lost my soulmate Richard 3 years ago but I still think about flying every day and cannot wait to get back in the air.”
Luise Grosche – CUGC
“I’ve been gliding for 8 years and am now focused on cross-country flying. I’ve flown two junior nationals competitions and absolutely love every moment I spend in the air. I’m also Co-President of CUGC and am training to become a Basic Instructor.”
Wendy Head – CGC
“I started gliding in 1991 and have amassed about 4,000 hours and over 140,000km since then. My passion is long-distance cross-country flying in the UK and South Africa, along with mountain flying in Spain and the French Alps. I hold several UK and international speed records. Additionally, I have flown two UK 750km flights and have won the women’s trophy for longest distance in the UK six times. I also instruct at Cambridge Gliding Club, where I’ve been a member since I started flying.”
“Outside of gliding, I trained as a software engineer and have worked in engineering management for various companies; I am currently at a TV streaming services company. I am keen to encourage women into gliding, STEM activities, and engineering roles.”
Tereza Constantinou – CUGC
“I got into gliding as a means to adventure and to face my fear of flying. I am not yet solo, but against all odds I’m now getting close. Now over my fear of flying; I actively look forward to it!”
Wenshu Xu – CGC
“I’ve been gliding since 2011 when I was a member of CUGC. What I enjoy the most is the serenity of being in the air – the quiet focus that comes with it, and the rare chance to simply exist in a moment of space and time on my own. At the same time, every cross-country flight brings a sense of challenge and uncertainty that keeps me coming back. Pushing personal limits on speed, distance and height is incredibly satisfying.”
“As an instructor, I also enjoy watching my students grow after each flight which is rewarding. Having achieved my first 500k and gold height last year, I’m hoping to get diamond height to complete the diamond badge.”
Chara Triantafyllidou
CUGC Publicity and Alumni Officer
