Sergeant Luke Carter from 2438 (Bishop Ullathorne) Squadron has now been cleared to take an aircraft out on his own as the aircraft captain.

Sergeant Carter, as well as being a member of 2438 Squadron, is a Flight Staff Cadet at 633 Volunteer Gliding Squadron, based at DCAE Cosford, near Wolverhampton. Having completed a Gliding Scholarship and being allowed to make his first solo flight, he has progressed through the Advanced Glider Training syllabus (achieving his Gold Wings) and he has now gone on to complete his Grade 2 (G2) workup on the Vigilant T1 aircraft.

Now Sergeant Carter has qualified as a G2 Pilot, he is able to sign the aircraft out as captain and fly his own solo sorties for up to an hour, providing he remains within gliding distance of the airfield.

To get to G2 standard he was required to work through a syllabus which included, the lost procedure which are the drills that need to be worked through if he was to become unsure of his position. More importantly he worked through a number of emergency drills, which were then rigorously checked when it came to his check ride flight with the chief instructor.

Sergeant Carter said 'I am really glad I joined 2438 (Bishop Ullathorne) Squadron. I have been in the ATC now for around 4 years and have enjoyed my time thoroughly. As I have a strong interest in aviation, I have chosen to really go for the flying opportunities, as well as some other opportunities that are provided by the ATC such as field craft and sports. The number of activities and opportunities that are available to Cadets really are amazing and I would recommend it to anyone interested in joining'

Sergeant Carter now hopes to continue his training further to achieve G1 status, which allows him to fly other cadets on Gliding Induction Course flights where he would be able to pass on his knowledge of flying to younger cadets.

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