The MEF Gliding Scholarship

RAF Shawbury Gliding Club (RSGC) is delighted to have been awarded funding by The RAF Central Fund in order to run the Mechanics Endowment Fund (MEF) Gliding Scholarship Courses. 

Six courses will be run each year over the next two years, with six students drawn from RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury attending each course.  Students must be attending a Phase 1 or Phase 2 training course and may be of any rank.  The course will aim to provide:

·         Instruction at RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury both in the air and on the ground.

·         Skills and knowledge directly linked to the students’ RAF Mechanical, Avionics, Battle Space Management and Space Phase 2 courses.

·         Aircraft maintenance and software management of the navigation equipment they are going to use whilst flying the glider.

·         Exposure to the flight environment and the challenges that aircrew face in their day-to-day flying activities.

·         Transferable skills and knowledge of aircraft maintenance that will directly affect safety, airworthiness, human factors, mechanical skills and much more.

A glider (R35) will be dedicated to the flying programme, a programme which is planned so that students will reach a sufficient standard to go solo or subsequently carry on their attendance in order so to do. Further funding will be available to students who wish to continue to solo pilot standard via the RAFGSA Go Solo Scholarships.

This is an exciting initiative and our aim is to have the first course up and running in April 2022.