Ian becomes youngest glider pilot in Scotland

A MORAY teenager has soared to new heights after becoming the youngest solo glider pilot in Scotland.

Ian Tait (15) became the country’s youngest person to achieve the feat when he flew on his own last Saturday at the Easterton Airfield in Birnie.

Ian, a fourth-year pupil at Elgin High School, is the third generation in his family to become a solo pilot, having taken advantage of new British Gliding Association guidelines which have reduced the minimum age for solo flying from 16 to 14.

The rules were changed in October, in line with European law, and paved the way for Ian to be sent off on his own by instructor Andy Elliot from the Highland Gliding Club’s base at Easterton.

Ian’s grandad, Jim, and dad, Robert, are both former chief flying instructors at Highland Gliding Club, and were on hand to see the latest Tait take to the skies on his own for the first time.

It was Robert, the club’s current chairman, who flew the tugplane that towed Ian up for his first solo outing.

Ian’s flight involved him soaring from the Dallas area and back to the club, finishing on the ground with a perfect touch-down.

Ian, who is 15 years and four months old, said that he has been training for about a year. This has mainly involved flying with his dad, he explained, but also with some of the club’s other instructors.

"On the day, I had a couple of check flights with Andy first of all, and when we were taking the glider back to the launch area after the second flight, he said he was happy for me to take the next launch on my own," said Ian, who lives in Birnie.

"I was delighted and a bit surprised. We made sure that the family got there in time to see it happen."

For more on this story, see this week's 'Northern Scot'