Cadet Flight Sergeant Jade Clark went solo in a glider before she could legally drive alone. At 17, she’s already eyeing her instructor rating and a fast jet career with the Air Force.

Based in Carindale, Queensland, Cadet Flight Sergeant Clark is one of several young women that excelled at a recent Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) cross-country gliding course in Temora, NSW.

“The fun part of gliding is the independence, the trust that staff have in us,” she said.

While wider Defence numbers remain roughly 18 per cent female, the AAFC Gliding Training School (GTS) is quietly rewriting those statistics. From scholarship applicants averaging 30 per cent female, the program’s female continuation cohort reaches 50 per cent – no quotas, just merit.

An AAFC spokesperson said the selection focused purely on capability and safety awareness.

“The girls tend to mature quicker and do really well in that capacity,” the spokesperson said.

“I think it’s much easier to have ambition for something if you can see someone that looks like you already in that spot.”

Female instructors and tow pilots on the December course provided exactly that inspiration. Among them was Sophie Curio, the Australian Gliding National Champion, whose mentoring is shaping the next generation of aviators.

'We’re not "girl versus boy" at all. It’s just: are you a good pilot or are you not?'

Cadet Flight Sergeant Clark started gliding two years ago through a sponsorship program that provides 12 months of free flying. After her first solo in December 2024, she progressed rapidly through certification levels and now holds 36 hours as pilot in control.

“Gliding definitely gives you discipline, as well as judgement and not just relying on your instruments,” she said.

“I feel like I’ve broadened my ability to learn faster, especially new ideas and concepts of flying.”

The mental demands are constant. Without an engine, pilots must manage energy through flight planning, weather analysis and split-second decision-making.

“We’re working a lot when we’re in the air – always thinking, always planning,” Cadet Flight Sergeant Clark said.

The Temora course brought together Cadets from GTS’s two centres of excellence – Bathurst in NSW and Warwick in Queensland – for the first combined training event since COVID-19.

The AAFC spokesperson emphasised that performance, not gender, determines success.

“We’re not ‘girl versus boy’ at all. It’s just: are you a good pilot or are you not?”

For the young women gliding at Temora, the answer was clear. They’re logging hours, earning certifications and preparing to return as instructors, with many destined for Defence or airline careers where the skills learned through gliding prove invaluable.

Another generation of women ensuring the sky has no glass ceiling.