Gliding Club

“A recent letter to the Craigie page about the Monimail bomb dropped during the Second World War, and the story remembered by the incident, mentions that Portmoak Gliding Club was an aerodrome at that time,” emails Andy Inglis.

“As far as I am aware,” he says, “the Gliding Club at ex-RAF Balado Bridge airfield was only established there in 1946, after the war. Prior to this the Scottish Gliding Union had set up a station near Leslie in Fife but had to move out after the war.

“The Gliding Club using ex-RAF Balado Bridge moved to Portmoak in Kinross-shire in 1957.

“My photograph below shows one of the club’s gliders ready for take-off. The hills in the background are the Lomond Hills. In the early days the glider was usually towed by a cable attached to a winch at the far end of the field and when the required flying height was reached the glider pilot released the cable.

“I had the pleasure of a flight, as a passenger, in a two seater glider at ex-RAF Balado Bridge.”

Keith Walker’s impression of the Wills Braes gardens in Dundee. See left for details

A glider ready for take-off. See story above for details.