To mark the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the T61 ‘Falke’ motor-glider, Buckminster Gliding Club held a ‘Falke Fly-In’ at Saltby on Sunday 26th June.

This unsung hero of the gliding world has trained thousands of students during its long history, both in its original training role with the RAF and, more recently, with Gliding Clubs far and wide.

Fourteen Falkes from all over the UK attended the event, which included a BBQ lunch, a competition for the ‘best presented Falke’ and a stream flypast over Belvoir Castle. The ‘best presented Falke’ was won by G-BUEK (ex-RAF XZ559) from Shipdam, which still sports its original RAF livery. It was flown in by Bruce Owen and Jeff Draycott.

Here are photos of the winning Falke, G-BUEK (ex-RAF XZ559), from Shipdam and the pilots, Bruce Owen and Jeff Draycott.

Photo: Stuart Black

Photo: Stuart Black

Photo: Chris Hayball

Photo: Chris Hayball