Two students from South Holland have completed their first solo gliding flights.
Lewis Nicholls (17) from Spalding and Joe Messina (17) from Crowland both attend Peterborough Regional College (PRC) and were selected after a rigorous process in which six candidates took part in a “fly off” with an experienced instructor.
According to his instructor, Lewis had “a smile the size of a banana” when he landed safely after taking to the air alone for the first time. Club Secretary Mike Newton said that Joe was “uncharacteristically ecstatic” about his success.
The PRC Principal said: “the purpose of the scholarships is to raise confidence, self-reliance and ambition in our students by taking them well out of their normal frame of experience to complete an amazing challenge. For both youngsters, but especially for Joe whose ambition is to join the Royal Air Force, this achievement gives them impressive credentials with any future employer.”
Last year PRC funded one student and this year two, to complete gliding scholarships at the Peterborough and Spalding Gliding Club which flies from Crowland Airfield. The aim for next year is to once again fund two students but also one member of staff.
