IT was up, up and away for members of Brentor and Mary Tavy Scout Group when they went gliding at Dartmoor Gliding Society.

The visit was arranged as part of the scouts' Air Activities Badge syllabus.

Having spent an evening at the Brentor Airfield clubhouse being introduced to the basics of gliding, including safety procedures, they were able to experience the real thing a few days later and between flights helped out with ground operations under the supervision of club instructors and members.

Sitting in the front cockpit of a dual-controlled K7M training glider, with an instructor in the rear seat, each scout was launched to a height of around 1,000 feet by a powerful winch.

Once in free flight, they were given the opportunity to handle the controls and to experience using thermal air currents to achieve prolonged flights high above the local landscape.

Dartmoor Gliding is an accredited junior gliding centre and instructor Steve Lewis, who flew with the group, said young would-be pilots are always made welcome and usually pick up the necessary skills very quickly.