The Cairngorm Gliding Club has been operating from Feshie Airstrip for over thirty years. It is situated in an area of oustanding natural beauty on the edge of the Cairngorm Mountains and the Spey Valley.

Feshie is an ideal location for ridge, wave and thermal cross country flying. Glider pilots from all over Britain visit Feshie to take advantage of the suberb conditions.

• What makes Feshie Special
• When do we operate
• Our club officials and Committee members
• Our Team of Instructors
• Club Facilities
  

When you look out of a glider window 4,000 feet above the Cairngorm Mountains you will be able to see the answer to this question. We soar over some of the most breathtaking scenery in the UK. The airstrip is situated beside a two mile long west facing ridge, with a south facing 'bowl' behind it leading straight into the heart of the Cairngorm Mountains.

We fly over the spectacular Insh Marshes (an RSPB bird reserve) and the tranquil Loch Insh. The Spey Valley is just to the west of the club airfield and on a clear day you can see as far as the Moray Firth to the north and Ben Nevis in the west. Soaring eagles, buzzards and ospreys give us a clear indication of rising air.

Feshie is one of the UK's top 'mountain wave' sites. Wave is a smooth area of rising air downwind of a mountain range. It is often marked by high-altitude lenticular shaped clouds and a glider can climb in the incredibly smooth air of the wave to well over twenty thousand feet above the site. Many visitors from further south visit Feshie for these spectacular flying conditions.

Feshie operates all year round, mainly at weekends, although gliding is often available mid-week. Intensive 5 day courses are available but these are very much dependent on instructor availability. We have a fully equipped clubhouse with cooking, toilet and shower facilities.

Often we have supper together in the clubhouse on a Saturday evening and discuss the days activities. You may camp on site for free.

Please note that we are strictly limited to only three caravans on site at any one time, so spaces must be booked through the secretary. There are excellent hotels, B&B's and hostels near the site and we can provide details on request.

Please click on the names of the Committee members for contact details.

The Chairmam is Ray Hill. Ray has been flying for many years and holds a Gold C badge, with a diamond goal.He is an assistant category instructor and shares a Ventus with Bill Lonfstaff and Roger Greig.

The Chief Flying Instructor is Bill Longstaff. Bill has been flying for over 39 years. He has a Gold C badge and two Diamonds, and is Chairman of the Competion Enterprise Committee. Bill flies a DG600m glider

The Secretary is Chris Fiorentini. Chris has all 3 diamond badges. He has been flying for over thirty years,and has over 40 types of gliders in his logbook, and 30 plus 300ks under his belt, but is now usually found flying the tug.

.The Tugmaster is Nick Norman. He has all 3 diamond badges (500km gained on 7th May 2001) and is also a training captain for Bristows helicopters. He is in charge of the flying accounts and shares a Ventus B with Bob.

The Technical Officer is John Whyte. John can build or fix anything and can play most musical instruments. He occasionally manages to fly when he has finished all his work for the club. He flies a K6E. His numerous failed attempts at flying to Easterton for his Silver 50km have become legendary. Being a versatile sort of person, he sidestepped this problem on 7th May 2001 by flying to Aboyne to gain his Silver!

Our Safety Officer is Mike Morrison. Mike flies an ASW19. He has a silver badge and 100 km diploma, and gold height. Mike is an electronics wizard and spends his spare time fixing club radios.

The Treasurer is Maggie Lambert. Maggie mainly flies with EasyJet, KLM and BA, who have all been known to make her sick. But she is the world's best retrieve crew, particularly if given lots of lager and red wine. In between rigging/de-rigging and retrieves, she keeps a tight reign on the club's finances. She is an excellent cook.

The Hangar Manager is Andy Farr. Andy has a silver badge and gold height. He flies a sport vega.

Nick Norman
Commercial Helicopter
Pilot
PPL
All three Diamonds

Trevor Cook
Former RAFGSA CFI
Silver C + Two Diamonds

Bernhard van Woerden
PPL
Siver C + Two Diamonds

Mike Morrison
Silver C + 100k Diploma
Gold Height

Andrew Warbrick
All three Diamonds

Ray Hill
Gold C
One Diamond

Bob Forrest
Gold C
One Diamond

Chris Fiorentini
PPL
All three Diamonds