Published on August 9, 2023
Montana is a HVGS Year 12 student whose journey into the realm of Gliding began with a curious email and has since soared to new heights. From recently being named Best Cadet on Course (twice!) and completing her first solo, Montana has completed all stages of her training including a very scary cable break at 300 feet!
We had a chat with Montana, delving into the world of Gliding, and discovering how her love for this unique hobby began!
What got you interested in Gliding?
I have done Air Force Cadet for 4 years and in 2020 an email was sent out to all the cadets in NSW about a gliding scholarship I had no clue what it even was, I thought maybe it was like paper planes so I applied and found out from there.
What do you enjoy most about it?
My favourite thing about it would be the people and team you get to work with and meet. I have met some incredible people with amazing stories and careers which is incredibly inspiring, but also working so closely with kids my age and being trusted with so much responsibility is really motivating; it really proves how much you can achieve as a team. I have met some people on my courses that will be lifelong friends.
What skills is Gliding teaching you?
As a whole gliding has taught me to be well-organised and have the ability to make decisions under pressure. The experience has allowed me to become really independent and have the confidence to make my own decisions that have real-time impacts especially on an airfield, but during down-time, we are living communally and that has taught me really good skills in working as a team to achieve our goals as well as supporting one another.
What is your goal with Gliding?
My next aviation-focused goal with gliding is to work on my A Certificate and work towards becoming an instructor. Although, I find a lot of fulfilment working on an airfield and organising and managing efficient and safe operations which is something I want to keep working on and become better at. Career-wise I am extremely passionate about joining the Air Force as an Officer and my gliding experience has definitely encouraged my decision more. But in my post-school life, I would love to get involved with cross-country gliding and volunteering at different gliding clubs.
What is one of your favourite memories while gliding?
I can’t really narrow any of my memories to one favourable one, every time I go away I always make amazing memories. One of my gliding-specific highlights would be doing my simulated cable break and first solo.
