[aus-soaring] Youth in soaring

[Roger Druce]

Leigh When you come to comment on the British gliding scene and youth involvment, another factor is present.  This is the English Air Training Corps.   I don't know what the current numbers are, but some years back the chief of the English ATC published a report in Sailplane & Gliding.  He reported they were taking 2000 youngsters to solo level per year.  They had at that stage implemented the 100 Grob training gliders they bought to replace their outdated wooden rubbish.  They also had a flying program for the better students beyond solo.   So if this rate of soloing youngsters continued, the gliding clubs would appear to have a large pool of potential already trained young solo pilots to draw upon.   Whether this factor has in reality been important to UK youth involvement in mainstream gliding I have no idea. It is 20 years since I have been to England.  I just found the report in S&G interesting and the stats stuck in my mind.   Roger Druce