Imperial Alumnus swoops to World Gliding Gold

Mechanical Engineering graduate Tom Arscott captured the title at the 23rd Junior World Gliding Championship in Australia in December

Tom, a member of the Imperial College Gliding Club, clinched the title at his first international event representing the UK against 32 other young pilots from 16 countries in the Club Class competition.

The competition, which took place over 10 days in Narromine in New South Wales, saw competitors race daily across courses of 500km at speeds in excess of 100mph with the fastest competitor receiving the most points.

Tom and Team GB celebrate their success

As well as Tom’s gold, his Team GB team mate Sam Roddie also took home the bronze medal for the Club Class category.

Soaring success

Tom, who first started gliding at 12 at the Kenley airfield near his home, first began competing when he joined Imperial’s gliding club in 2011.

“My first solo flight was at 16 but the first competition I did was in my first year at Imperial,” Tom said, “I definitely got into the competitive side of gliding as part of the gliding club here and it was only really when I joined that I was able to improve and start flying in competitions.”

Having done well in regional and national competitions, this was Tom’s first international competition. Whilst he hoped to do well, winning came as a surprise to him.

“I was aiming for a top-half finish originally,” Tom added, “It was my first international competition and I saw it as good practice for the future. To do so well was amazing.”

Tom’s success in Australia means he will be representing Great Britain in the 2016 Senior World Gliding Championships this August before defending his Junior World Title in Lithuania in 2017.

Imperial College Gliding Club

Tom’s success adds him to the growing list of World Champion pilots to have flown with Imperial College Gliding Club throughout its history.

The club was founded in 1930, making it the oldest University gliding club in Europe, and since then has produced three world champions plus several others who have represented Great Britain as part of the Team GB.

ICGC's first glider in 1930 - the student designed and build IC-1

The Gliding Club has also maintained strong links with the College’s Aeronautics Department, contributing to research and allowing Aeronautics students to gain practical, hands-on experience with the aircrafts as they study.

The department’s Professor Frank G. Irving flew with the club and in 1955, with his flying partner Lorne Welsh, took the first two-seater glider flight across the English Channel. Irving later served as the Club’s President from 1969 until 1999 when, at the age of 74, he chose to cease flying solo.

Felix coverage of Frank Irving's first two-seater glider flight across the English Channel in 1955

Today the club’s modern fleet of three gliders at Lasham Airfield in Hampshire gives students and staff the opportunity for dual and solo flying, supported by expert instruction.

 Teddy O’Connor, Equipment Officer at Imperial College Gliding Club, said: “The best thing ICGC offers is access to equipment and subsidies as that’s the only way young people can afford to fly. This enables people to learn, improve and go off and take part in competitions like Tom.

The club is a close knit group with strong links to the College and its alumni many of which still fly at Lasham and are always around to give advice, help and coaching to new or improving fliers.”