For the climax of Teign school’s end of term aviation activity week, a group of 14 students visited the Devon and Somerset Gliding Club at North Hill airfield, writes Jill Harmer.

With the weather humid and a southerly wind, the airfield sat in a mass of orographic cloud during the morning, but we were quietly confident that it was going to clear.

In the morning there were briefings on the weather situation, how gliders fly, winching operations, cross-country achievements with tours of the gliders and the tow plane, followed by the inevitable game of football on our 100 acre football pitch. The brightening sky triggered an early lunch, and a quick call for a fourth instructor and another helper to enable a faster turn round in the limited hours.

After lunch, with the cloud base rising off the ground, we sat in the gliders ready for the clearance. All the students and teachers had interesting flights with extended circuits on the south ridge and in thermals.

Beaming smiles were in evidence all round.