Youth Glide
Youth Glide Canterbury (YGC) is incorporated within the Canterbury Gliding Club Inc. Discounted glider usage is provided by the parent organisation. The Clover Hill Charitable Trust may also provide financial support for young people participating in Youth Glide in certain circumstances. YGC is dedicated to providing flight training, soaring experiences and training camps for young men and women less than 19 years of age. We believe that an early access to flight training in this way provides an exciting opportunity to youth and can open doors to challenging aviation careers not available to the same extend anywhere else and bring in new members to the sport of gliding. Youth Glide provide financial assistance in the development of gliding skills as well as developing and fostering self confidence, motivation, self discipline, self esteem and life skills in young people by providing them inspiration to reach their full potential, further challenges and experience of flying.
The parent club and Gliding New Zealand (the national gliding organisation) with the support of the Clover Hill Charitable Trust will provide significant financial help to youth to assist them to access flying flight training. This extents to a FREE club membership ($490 for other members) plus FREE use of any club glider prior to midday and just 50% normal cost after that.This will provide opportunities in the Canterbury region for individuals regardless of age or social and economic circumstances.
Canterbury is a world renowned region for soaring. Operations from sites near or within the Southern Alps provide YGC members with reliable conditions for long and safe soaring flights. The club site near Springfield offer operations near to the city of Christchurch while sites at Flock Hill and Omarama have outstanding ground support facilities including camping areas, clubhouse, briefing rooms and cooking / eating facilities.
The YGC programme includes:
- Air Experience conducted over long weekends
- Training to Solo weekends or sometimes a week-long camp
- Post Solo Consolidation weekends and holidays
- FAI Task Flying any time throughout the year
- Gliding Instructor Ratings training available as experience is gained
Ground organisation and support for the Air Experience camps are provided by members of the Canterbury Gliding Club (CGC).
The CGC and OGC (Omarama Gliding Club) provide gliders, instructors and flying supervision for all stages of the programme at reduced rates.
YGC members, supervised by senior mentors, raise money to subsidise the launching costs.
The Omarama Soaring Centre gives generous discounts for camping fees for YGC members.
The Omarama Airfield Company waives landing charges for all pre solo training.
Privately owned single seat gliders have been made available by generous owners for YGC members to fly at no cost.
The end result is professional flight training in all aspects of gliding. YGC members rub shoulders and are mentored by senior members of the parent club holding world records all at highly subsidised rates.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to use the sport of Gliding to inspire and develop young people’s imagination, character and self-determination along with the excitement and possibilities of flight as a lifelong aviation related career prospect.
A Brief History
We started back in January 2006 with two students to trial the concept.
It was very successful so we formalised the idea by forming YGC in Jan 07 and added four more students to the A Certificate programme while advancing the first two students to the B Certificate
Richie McCaw offered to be Patron for YGC as he saw the benefit in adding his high profile support to this initiative.
We formalised the “joint venture” with the Canterbury Gliding Club.
Another four students joined in Jan 08 and all soloed and completed their A Certificates.
We purchased our first single seat glider, a Single Astir, GMQ, in May 08.
Another six students have joined the programme and are progressing well. Another four will join for this coming season.
It’s Not Just Flying… YGC students have to:
- Organise the flying day… the Instructors, tow pilots and prepare the gliders
- Attend briefings and lectures, study for exams
- Organise their own living / eating arrangements at the Omarama camp
- Secure the gliders at the finish of flying
- Have their own Executive Committee to set their own rules and to liaise with the parent club.