Committee Members
Apart from the essential day-to-day tasks in which all members participate, there is also a committee, whose officers are elected annually, responsible for the general and financial management of the club
Al Stacey
Chief Flying Instructor
Al went solo in 1978 at Bruggen, Germany and 18 months late was the proud owner of the FAI Silver C badge. On returning to the UK he flew with the Wrekin Gliding Club at Cosford in the West Midlands this is where his passion for vintage gliders began when he bought a Slingsby Prefect in 1980 (and still owns to this day). Al gained his instructors rating at Bicester in 1982 before a second stintof gliding in Germany where he flew his Diamond Goal turning the famous Mohne Dam in a Slingsby Vega before becoming the CFI at the Pegasus GC in 1985. Returning to the UK, Al was a member at Bicester for 4 years where he became a BGA Glider Inspector before becoming a member at Bannerdown GC for 21 years where he held various committee roles including 6 years as CFI.
Al joined The Vale of White Horse in 2018 and has amassed more than 3,100 hours across 117 different types of glider, ranging from EoN Primary to Ventus 2 and has an FAI Gold C with 2 Diamonds. Al has more than 700 hours in motor gliders and is also a tug pilot. He currently owns 9 gliders and is an avid supporter of the Air Cadet Historic Flight.
Les Clark
Chairman
Les….(bio coming shortly)
Adrian May
Treasurer
I learnt to fly aged 18 with the RAF at Southampton University Air Squadron. 42 years later I found myself driving past Sandhill Farm thinking I should try gliding as my father was a keen glider pilot and flew from there. Fast forward 3 years and I’ve found a passion for gliding as well as motor gliding and the proud owner of my own glider and I’m in two syndicates owning two motor gliders. I am the treasurer of the club as well as the deputy Child Safety Officer. When not flying I work as a management consultant as well as a trustee for a children’s charity.
Milan Frank
Secretary
Milan’s passion for aviation began at an early age, influenced by his parents, both glider pilots. He built and flew model airplanes and helicopters before transitioning to full-size gliders. He started flying at the Vale of White Horse Gliding Club in May 2022 and went solo in September of the same year. Since then, he has earned his Silver Badge, IFP, and Basic Aerobatics rating.
Milan owns a Pilatus B4, a half-century-old, all-metal aerobatic glider, and enjoys practicing aerobatics. His first venture beyond the local soaring range ended in a stubble field near Shellingford—a memorable introduction to cross-country gliding!
Chris McPherson
Child Protection & Safeguarding
Chris….(bio coming shortly)
Peter Scheiwiller
Safety Officer
After a few glider flights in the 1990s Peter finally got round to seriously learning to fly gliders in July 2003 at Sandhill Farm, going solo a couple of months later and has not really been home since. Scary! Everybody remembers their first solo.
He gained his Silver C, Gold distance and PPL by 2006 to become a tug pilot in 2007 and qualified as an instructor in 2009. He now has around 4000 hours total flying, including gaining his helicopter pilots licence in 2012, and has flown about 80 different aircraft types including the occasional ex-military jet and helicopter.
But it is still gliding that he comes back to as the most interesting, challenging and rewarding way of flying. When not instructing or flying the tug, he enjoys flying his LS4, and flying in cross-country gliding competitions (even if he do come last!)
Instructors
All of our instructors are fully qualified and endorsed by the British Gliding Association (BGA)
Gordon Walker
Deputy Chief Flying Instructor
Gordon’s father was a senior gliding instructor, so spending weekends at gliding clubs was inevitable. Gordon’s first solo was just after his 16th birthday (the legal minimum age back then). Five years later, he completed his instructor’s course and has been instructing ever since.
He later gained his PPL and was a full-time tug pilot for a year before becoming Chief Flying Instructor (CFI), a role he held for just under six years. During his tenure as CFI, he sent one of our other (future) instructors solo. Having managed to hand the CFI baton on to his replacement, Gordon focused on repairing and maintaining gliders to gain his Inspector’s rating. He currently owns an ASW-19b and a vintage Slingsby Swallow.
Gordon also runs our Junior Development flying weeks in the Summer.
Tim Clark
Instructor
Tim….(bio coming shortly)
Dirk Fehse
Instructor
Dirk….(bio coming shortly)
Stuart Pepler
Instructor
Stuart….(bio coming shortly)