A GLIDING centre in Middle Wallop will be running a special event to introduce women to the experience of flying.

Of almost 30,000 pilots in the UK, fewer than five per cent are women. As a career industry and a sport, aviation has been slow to change, but a gliding club in Hampshire is determined to change that and help more women take wing. 

Portsmouth Naval Gliding Centre, based at Middle Wallop airfield, will be running a Women’s Go Gliding weekend on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28.

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Andover Advertiser: A special event to introduce women to the experience of flyingTony World, chief flying instructor at the Portsmouth Naval Gliding Centre, said: “Gliding has been very much a male sport, and it is important to get more women into it.

“The great thing is it can span all ages. We have been very successful in that we have two women who started here and gone on to world championship heights, one being Gill Spreckley and the other Francesca Roberts.”

The weekend is part of an initiative by the British Gliding Association, which is committed to broadening the sport and bringing in fresh skills and experience.

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. 

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Gliding creates almost no noise or pollution, and is a thrilling test of a pilot’s skill and knowledge. The sport is much more affordable than power flying, and lessons are provided by qualified club instructors. 

The centre is offering flights to potential new women members during the Go Gliding weekend for as little as £30.