Leinster Gliding Centre Launch Young Flyer’s Bursary

Leinster Gliding Centre have launched a bursary in memory of one of their member Nick van Kuyk. Nick was a Dutch glider pilot who came to Ireland in the early 1980s, married and decided to make Ireland his home. He became a GP in Adare, and had his pristine Ka6 glider shipped over. Nick flew with LGC (then Dublin Gliding Club) every year in Kerry, and occasionally in Gowran Grange during the year.

Sadly, following a prolonged illness, Nick died in 2021.

His family donated his flying books and antique hang glider to the club. It was decided that these would be sold so as to provide a bursary of €500 in his name. As Nick had been besotted by aviation as a young boy, and had started gliding as a teenager, this bursary is aimed at supporting young people to glide.

Bursary conditions

This is a support fund to enable a young person to take up or continue gliding for at least one year with Leinster Gliding Centre. It is designed for persons aged 18-25, who are in college or at work but whose gliding is not supported financially by their parents.

The bursary pays for €200 off the student or full annual subscription with Leinster Gliding Centre (“LGC”), and a subsidy of €10 off each of their first 30 flights with LGC. Membership of LGC must be taken up no earlier than 1^st January 2025 and no later than 1^st March 2025. Applications will be adjudicated on by three members of the LGC committee and their decision will be final.

How to apply

Applications should be emailed to Cecily Begley at Cecily@leinsterglidingcentre.ie before 2^nd November 2024. The decision will be made within two weeks and circulated by email to all applicants.

Please send:

• Name and contact details of the applicant, with copy of birth cert or passport and a signed statement that parents or other personnel are not providing financial support for the applicant’s gliding activities.
• A short statement (400 words maximum) of why they are interested in gliding, what they hope to gain from membership of the Leinster Gliding Centre, and how they hope to contribute to the club in future.