News & Stories — Cambridge Gliding Centre

Sat 15 Aug About Gliding

Learning to fly a glider allowed me to forget all the troubles in the world below

This article originally appeared in The Globe And Mail and was written by Barry Rueger. Reproduced here with permission of the author. Barry Rueger is a Canadian writer based in Cambridge. The parachute on my back – tightened up so that it was properly uncomfortable – turned out to also be my back seat cushion … Read more "Learning to fly a glider allowed me to forget all the troubles in the world below"

Tue 21 Jul Blog

Learning to fly for less: the gliding route to becoming a pilot

Learning to fly often feels like an exclusive, prohibitively expensive club. If you've always dreamed of taking to the skies but assumed the costs of a Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) were out of reach, it might be time to rethink your flight path. At Cambridge Gliding Centre, we've found there is a more accessible, fun, … Read more "Learning to fly for less: the gliding route to becoming a pilot"

Sun 8 Mar About Gliding

International Women's Day 2026

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 … Read more "International Women's Day 2026"

Tue 9 Sept About Gliding

Aerobatics from the back seat of a K21 Glider

Just a quick flight into some clear sky above the cloud for a series of aerobatic manoeuvres, flown by CGC's medal winning aerobatic pilot and instructor Simon Smith.

Mon 5 May About Gliding

North Wales Expedition Flight

First day of a task week at Lleweni Parc run by Chris Gill. As the forecast weather was "iffy" Chris set a free distance task with up to 6 legs scored on WeGlide. We clocked up 247 km like that. There was a fantastic convergence running up and down the coast from Prestatyn to Conwy. … Read more "North Wales Expedition Flight"

Mon 17 Mar About Gliding

Pilot Profile – Olivia

We recently chatted with one of our newer solo pilots at CGC about how she got into gliding, what keeps her coming back, and why she wants to pursue aerobatics. Her story shows gliding is for anyone with a curiosity for the skies—no aviation lineage required! How did you get into gliding? “I’ve always loved … Read more "Pilot Profile – Olivia"

Tue 25 Feb About Gliding

How much do I want to pay for my gliding?

I don't have my own glider (yet?) so I use the club high performance single-seaters, the Pegase and Discus. In March each year, we have the option of buying shares in a virtual syndicate which runs these gliders. So, I'm doing a lot of soul-searching to decide whether to buy one, two, or three shares. … Read more "How much do I want to pay for my gliding?"

Sun 23 Feb About Gliding

Spring has sprung and it looks like springs

Yesterday I posted a map showing that the thermal season may be arriving. Here's the evidence from yesterday's flying: This is the tracks of our gliders in the skies above Cambridgeshire today. What are the spring-like trails? That's where the gliders have circled round and round to follow a thermal as it gets blown across … Read more "Spring has sprung and it looks like springs"

Sat 22 Feb About Gliding

Is spring springing?

Yesterday someone posted this on one of our gliding club chat groups: (This viewer © 2019-2024 – @RASPWeather | Tiles © OpenMapTiles | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) Everyone got very excited: But why? What does this mean? It might (might) mean that gliding season is arriving. In the winter, glider flights tend to be short, at least around Cambridge. We … Read more "Is spring springing?"