July 07, 2026 - 227 views
A North Wales glider pilot has completed one of the most remarkable flights in British gliding history, staying airborne for more than 14 hours and covering a distance roughly equivalent to travelling from North Wales to the South of France.
Chris Gill, Chief Flying Instructor at Denbigh Gliding Club, completed the extraordinary flight on Thursday 2 July 2026, taking off from Lleweni Parc near Denbigh with fellow club pilot James Roland.
The flight is believed to have broken British 20m and Open Class distance records, with a declared task distance of 1,114km and an additional free distance record of 1,282km. In total, the pair covered 1,340km using only the natural energy of the atmosphere.
Unlike powered aircraft, gliders rely on rising air to remain airborne and travel huge distances. During the record attempt, Chris and James used powerful “wave” systems created by strong winds flowing over mountains and hills, allowing them to climb to almost 20,000ft and cross large parts of the UK.
Their route took them from North Wales across the Irish Sea to the Lake District, then into Scotland before heading out over the North Sea. They returned across the Lake District and continued south through the Welsh Borders towards the Severn Estuary, with around 300km of the flight completed over water.
The flight demanded exceptional concentration, judgement and teamwork. At one stage, the pilots had to cross a live military danger area with only a narrow height margin, while later in the day they used the final fading thermals of the evening to extend the distance even further.
The achievement forms part of PIONEERS, a documentary project created to showcase high-altitude gliding and the ambition to push British gliding further than ever before. The project was co-founded by Chris Gill, Simon Grice and Alan Howard of Video & TV Productions.
Simon Grice, co-founder of PIONEERS, CEO and founder of Joggle, and founder of GlidingCo, had previously made several attempts at the distance record with Chris. However, the rare combination of weather conditions needed for such an ambitious flight had never come together.
This successful attempt came with less than 24 hours’ notice after the weather window became clear the afternoon before. Simon was away on business and unable to take part, so James Roland, a fellow glider pilot and tug pilot at Denbigh Gliding Club, stepped in for what became a historic flight.
Chris Gill said: “People have been asking for years when I was actually going to do this flight. I’ve had so many failed attempts, early starts, and frustrating days where the weather just didn’t work. But every attempt taught me something.
“This time, the weather finally gave us the chance. It still wasn’t easy — at one point I thought our chances had dropped massively — but we kept making the right calls, and the sky kept giving us just enough.
“To fly that far from North Wales in a glider is something I’ve been trying to do for years. It was a huge team effort, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.”
The record-breaking flight follows earlier success for Chris and Simon. On 30 April 2026, flying the same two-seat ARCUS glider, G-ILEW, they broke two British gliding speed records from Lleweni Parc.
They completed a 100.3km triangle at an average speed of 179.7kph, beating the previous British 100km triangle speed record of 152kph in both the Open and 20m classes.
Simon Grice said: “This is exactly the story we hoped PIONEERS would tell — a story of ambition, patience, weather, skill and sheer human determination.
“Chris and I had tried to make this flight happen several times, but the weather never quite lined up. Then, when the opportunity finally came, it came with less than 24 hours’ notice.
“I was away on business and couldn’t make it, so James stepped in. Of course I was gutted not to be in the cockpit, but the most important thing was that Chris had the right pilot beside him and that the flight could go ahead.
“Most people have no idea that you can launch from a field in North Wales and, using only the energy in the sky, fly the equivalent distance of North Wales to the South of France. Chris has shown what British gliding is capable of, and it’s a huge moment for Denbigh, North Wales and the wider gliding community.”
Alan Howard, co-founder of PIONEERS and Managing Director of Video & TV Productions, said the flight represented much more than a technical achievement.
He said: “From the beginning, we knew this was a story that deserved to be told properly. It has all the ingredients of a great documentary — risk, patience, weather, teamwork, uncertainty and a remarkable achievement at the end of it.
“This flight is not just a technical sporting record. It is a powerful human story about what can happen when preparation, experience and opportunity finally come together.”
The flight also relied on close cooperation with air traffic control, including Scottish and Newcastle controllers, who helped the glider pass safely through complex UK airspace used by commercial aircraft.
Chris added: “The support from air traffic control was outstanding. There were several points where a delay or refusal would have ended the attempt, but they worked incredibly hard to help us fit safely into very busy airspace. It was a brilliant example of what can happen when everyone works together.”
After more than 14 hours in the air, Chris and James eventually landed at The Mynd gliding site in Shropshire, where they were welcomed with beer, steak and a room for the night before returning to North Wales the following morning.
The flight covered 1,340km in total, including a declared 1,114km task and a 1,282km free three-turn-point distance. The pilots used six separate wave systems during the flight, climbing to almost 20,000ft and completing around 300km over water.
The record claims will now go through the formal British gliding record verification process.
The PIONEERS project aims to tell the story of high-altitude gliding and the pursuit of new British distance records, with support from organisations including the British Gliding Association, Scottish Gliding and WeGlide.
