Women’s AEI Course at Bathurst Soaring Club
Leading into the weekend of 13-14 September, four women pilots, ranging widely in age and flying experience, made their way to Bathurst Soaring Club. Having spent the previous month reading through units 1-8 of the GPC training syllabus, it’s fair to say we were all quite daunted by the volume of theory we had to cram in, and not quite sure what to expect from the practical part of the AEI course.
One of the pre-tasks we were given was to sit in a chair at home, and practice “flying” and talking through what we were doing, and, surprise, surprise, it worked. When we got out to the flight line and were assigned our “passengers” and aircraft, I think we were all surprised at how much that chair flying had helped us think through what we needed to say and do.
It was a really steep learning curve, there is no doubt – we all grappled with one or all of new aircraft, new location, new instructor, new content. But all the instructors were so encouraging, the format was really safe and supportive, and we all felt empowered to give it our best shot.
And so the weekend progressed, with flying, theory, ground practice, feedback, more flying. Wake up the next day and do it all again.
The weather really couldn’t have been better. There had been rain on the Friday, it was windy on the Monday, but on the Saturday and Sunday a high descended on us, bringing sunshine and light winds. Rumour has it Daniela organized it specially!
Many thanks are due. Thanks to Jenny Thompson for organising the course and encouraging us all to attend, and her fellow instructors Dave McIlroy, Aaron Stroop and Jenny Ganderton, for all giving up their weekends and travelling far to teach, guide and support us. Thanks to Daniela Helbig and Melysha Turnbull, who had such a good time on the women’s instructor course in 2024, that they came along just to hang out with us and help run wings, bring food, wash aircraft, and generally make sure we students got the most out of the weekend. Thanks to the duty crew of Bathurst Soaring Club who cheerfully towed, launched and collected us. And many, many thanks to Beryl Hartley for driving from Narromine to cook for and feed us all; and what an awesome job she did of it!
Thanks are also due to Gliding Australia for putting into practice its strategic aim to encourage and foster increased female participation in gliding, of which women’s AEI courses are one facet. The AEI courses are aimed at giving women who are already in gliding a pathway to improve and build on their skills, and encourage them to stay in gliding for the long term. With two AEI ratings issued at the end of the weekend, and two well on the way, it was certainly a successful outcome.
Finally, thanks to my fellow students – Robyn Becker, Millie Williams and Dominique Brassier. It was so good to meet you all, and share the highs and lows of this journey with you. I look forward to see you on a gliding field soon.
Ali Swart
Sep 2025
