Cardiff · 51.4816°N 3.1791°W

Aviation logbook

Glider pilot, SPL holder with a TMG extension. FAI Silver C badge: 1000m height gain, 50km distance, 5 hours. 100km diploma. Gold distance and Diamond goal on a declared 303km triangle. Member of South Wales Gliding Club.

See the 303 km flight Photo gallery
Flight trace

Gold distance & Diamond goal

Usk · Worcester · Lake Vyrnwy · Usk. The actual GPS track, turnpoints and barogram, plotted straight from the IGC logger file.

IGC log · 19 Jul 2026 303 km triangle
USKWORCESTERLAKE VYRNWY
Actual GPS track Declared task
Date
19 Jul 2026
Glider
PIK-20D · G-DDLY
Task
303 km triangle
Distance flown
317 km
Max altitude
6,896 ft
Duration
4h 58m · 11:05Z – 16:03Z
BarogramPeak 6,896 ft
100020003000400050006000700011:05Z16:03ZALT FT
Journey

Started with the Air Scouts, and back to flying again after 20 years.

I first went gliding at 14 with the Air Scouts, then didn't fly again for twenty years.

Returning in 2022, I joined South Wales Gliding Club, went solo, got my SPL, achieved the Silver C badge and 100km diploma, and bought my own glider. In July 2026 I flew a declared 303km triangle in it — Usk, Worcester, Lake Vyrnwy, Usk — claiming Gold distance and Diamond goal in a single flight. In August 2026 I passed the TMG skills test, adding motorglider privileges to the licence.

Milestones

Chronology

Logbook entries and big days.

  1. Aug 2000

    First flight at Aston Down

    Started gliding with the Air Scouts at age 14.

  2. Apr 2022

    Returned to gliding

    Resumed training at South Wales Gliding Club after a long break.

  3. Apr 2023

    First solo

    Soloed in April 2023.

    First solo flight
  4. May 2024

    Silver duration (5 hours)

    Flew for five hours in May 2024 for Silver badge duration.

    Silver duration achievement
  5. Jul 2024

    SPL achieved

    Passed the SPL (Sailplane Pilot Licence) in July 2024.

    Sailplane Pilot Licence
  6. Aug 2024

    Bought a PIK 20D

    Purchased a PIK 20D glider.

    PIK 20D glider
  7. Oct 2024

    Started TMG training

    Began motorglider (TMG) training in October 2024.

  8. Jan 2025

    First TMG solo

    First solo flight in a motorglider, January 2025.

    First TMG solo flight
  9. May 2025

    Silver distance & height

    Completed a 50km flight and 3,281ft height gain for the Silver badge in May 2025.

    Silver distance achievement
  10. Jun 2025

    100km diploma

    Flew 100km in June 2025 for the 100k diploma.

  11. Jun 2025

    TMG cross-country

    Completed qualifying cross-country flight in a TMG, June 2025.

    TMG cross-country flight
  12. Jul 2025

    Flying in the French Alps

    Flew in the French Alps: ridge, wave and thermal soaring among serious terrain.

    Glacier Blanc, French Alps
  13. Apr 2026

    Masterclass

    Attended a masterclass in soaring at Nympsfield run by Andy Davis.

  14. Jul 2026

    Gold distance & Diamond goal

    Flew a declared 303km triangle in the PIK 20D on 19 July — Usk out to Worcester, north-west to Lake Vyrnwy, then the long leg home. Five hours airborne, topping out at 6,896ft. The Gold distance leg and the Diamond goal claimed on the same flight; the trace above is that day's log.

    PIK 20D G-DDLY on the 300km flight
  15. Aug 2026

    SPL TMG extension

    Completed my TMG extension.

    In the Grob 109B immediately after the TMG skills test
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