Imperial College London (Imperial) is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who envisioned a cultural area in South Kensington that included museums, colleges, and the Royal Albert Hall. In 1907, these colleges – the Royal College of Science, the Royal School of Mines, and the City and Guilds of London Institute – merged to form the Imperial College of Science and Technology.
Squadron Leader Robert Kronfeld, AFC was an Austrian-born gliding champion and sailplane designer of the 1920s and 30s. He became a British subject and an RAF test pilot. He was killed testing a glider in 1948.
Beit Hall, forming part of Beit Quadrangle, is a hall of residence and one of Imperial College London's oldest and most historic buildings. Beit Hall is named after Alfred Beit and is located on Prince Consort Road, next to the Royal Albert Hall in London. The north side of the quadrangle forms the Union Building, home to Imperial College Union, and is not part of Beit Hall. The Union Building was the site of the first Queen concert, and has hosted events associated with the BBC Proms.
Imperial College Union is the students' union of Imperial College London. It is host to varied societies and has student bars situated around Albertopolis. The Union is based in the north wing of the Beit Quadrangle on Prince Consort Road.
Imperial College Boat Club is the rowing club for Imperial College and has its boat house on the River Thames on the Putney embankment, London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1919. The alumni also run a boat club which is known as the Queen's Tower Boat Club and both crews occasionally row together as a composite in competition.
Alan Derek Piggott was one of Britain's best known glider pilots and instructors. He had over 5,000 hours on over 153 types of powered aircraft and over 5,000 hours on over 184 types of glider. He was honoured for his work on the instruction and safety of glider pilots. In 1961 he became the first person to make an officially authenticated take-off and flight in a man-powered aircraft. He also worked as a stunt pilot in several feature films.
Lasham is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.4 miles (5.5 km) northwest of Alton and 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north of Bentworth, just off the A339 road. The parish covers an area of 1,797 acres (727 ha) and has an average elevation of 560 feet (170 m) above sea level. The nearest railway station is Alton, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of the village. Lasham formerly had its own railway station, Bentworth and Lasham, on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway until the line's closure in 1936. According to the 2011 census, the village had a population of 176.
The British Gliding Association (BGA) is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 80 gliding clubs which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members, though a further 17,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.
The London Gliding Club (LGC) is a members' club whose airfield is located at the foot of the Dunstable Downs. Many privately owned gliders are based there. It has the facilities to train pilots in powerless flight, and in the skills necessary to fly cross country using nature's sources of energy. Aerobatics and instructor training are also available. The LGC is open 364 days a year and is the second largest and one of the oldest Gliding Clubs in the United Kingdom, smaller only than Lasham Gliding Society. The club provides gliding courses, one day courses and trial lessons for members of the public.
Imperial College Radio or IC Radio is the student radio station at Imperial College London.
Ann Courtenay Welch OBE, née Edmonds, was a pilot who received the Gold Air Medal from Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for her contributions to the development of four air sports - gliding, hang gliding, paragliding and microlight flying. She flew as a ferry pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War.
A UK qualifying competition for the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix, a world gliding competition, has been held every second year since 2006.
Oerlinghausen Airfield, known as Oerlinghausen gliding airfield is a small airfield situated in the town of Oerlinghausen, close to Bielefeld in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. With around 25,000 glider take-offs each year it is one of the largest gliding centres globally, comparable with Lasham Gliding Society in the United Kingdom. It is home to over 10 gliding clubs and a gliding school. It is also used by powered aeroplanes, microlights and hot air balloons.
Rear Admiral Hilary Charles Nicholas Goodhart CB FRAeS was an engineer and aviator who invented the mirror-sight deck landing system for aircraft carriers. He was also a world champion and record breaker in gliding.
Frank Irving was a British aeronautical engineer, glider pilot, author and university lecturer.
Lasham Airfield is an aerodrome 3.6 miles (5.8 km) north-west of Alton in Hampshire, England, in the village of Lasham.
The Payne I.C.1 was a primary glider built by members of a University gliding club in 1930. It was finished and prepared for flight but was damaged by wind and repairs were never completed.
The Union Concert Hall is in the East wing of the part of Beit Quadrangle of Imperial College, London, occupied by Imperial College Union. The room is part of the theatre installed within the building. It is home to Imperial College Union Cinema and the Imperial College Dramatic Society, and is a multi-purpose space used by clubs, societies and projects of Imperial College Union. It can also be hired by outside customers.
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club is the rowing club of Oxford Brookes University, England. Its large base is on the longest reach of the non-tidal parts of the Thames, at Wallingford, in Oxfordshire – about 6 miles (10 km) of easily rowable, little-congested river. The club has been very successful at pre-training and co-training many Olympic competitors including those for Great Britain who won 6 golds at Olympics spread across three consecutive games, starting with the games of 2000.
The Gliding Heritage Centre (GHC) is a collection of vintage gliders based at Lasham Airfield, Hampshire, UK.
