When 17-year-old Cadet Under Officer Daniel Fold climbed into a glider at Temora, there was no engine roar to mask his mistakes – just the whisper of wind and the unforgiving reality that skill alone kept him airborne.

“You have nothing to rely on other than your skill set,” he said, while spending a week at the Australian Air Force Cadets’ (AAFC) first cross-country gliding course since before COVID-19.

“Instead of the plane not going fast enough, it’s you developing your skills to then make the plane go faster rather than pushing on the throttle.”

From December 14 to 21, about 30 young pilots from across NSW and Queensland converged at Temora for intensive cross-country training with the Gliding Training School (GTS).

Flying 11 Air Force-owned DG1000 gliders, cadets navigated the hot, lift-rich skies of regional NSW, some completing 50-kilometre flights and five-hour endurance tests.

An AAFC spokesperson said the course represented more than technical training.

“Eighty to 90 per cent of participants go off to have careers in aviation in some capacity,” they said.

Many join the Defence Force or civilian airlines, equipped with the energy management skills, airmanship and teamwork developed through gliding.

Proving this pathway, Liam Nattrass, Zac Malakellis and Joshua Lee – all former cadets from earlier programs – now hold professional aviation careers.

'Eighty to 90 percent of participants go off to have careers in aviation in some capacity.'

GTS operates centres of excellence in Bathurst and Warwick, but this marks the first combined course, merging both locations for collaborative training. The cadets, some as young as 15, often achieve solo flights before they drive cars – mastering outlanding procedures and cross-country navigation in an environment that demands precision.

Former Chief of Air Force Air Marshal (retd) Geoff Brown attended as an instructor, flying beside the generation benefiting from the gliders he championed funding for during his tenure. The circle of mentorship continues – cadets becoming instructors, instructors launching careers, professionals returning to teach.

“There’s a reason the US Air Force Academy, Canada and the UK all have similar programs,” the spokesperson said.

“It’s those foundational skills. We’re producing teamwork-focused, situationally aware adults.”

For Cadet Under Officer Fold, the goal is clear: become an Air Force pilot, with gliding as his launch pad. The engineless aircraft that once seemed daunting now feels like freedom.

“I want to continue gliding forever,” he said. 

“I can’t see the end of my gliding journey.”