Our Teams

British Women's Gliding Team 2025

Anne Soltow

CLUB CLASS

Flies: Standard Cirrus
Home Club: Bristol & Gloucestershire Gliding Club
Anne first learned about gliding when she joined Imperial College London to study Aeronautical Engineering in 2017 and heard her classmate talk about their gliding adventures. She finally decided to give it a go at Lasham and was hooked after a university gliding club trip to Issoudun when she was 21.
Immediately after completing her silver distance in 2021, she knew that she wanted to become a competition pilot. Since then, she has developed her gliding and powered flying skills, competed in various competitions in the UK and became a gliding instructor.
Now, at 27, she works as a software engineer at an aerospace company and spends most of her weekends at Bristol and Gloucestershire Gliding Club.
She is eager to take part in her first international competition in the club class flying a Standard Cirrus she is kindly loaned, alongside her experienced teammate, Jane Nash.
Jane Nash

CLUB CLASS

Flies: SZD-55-1

Home Club: Lasham Gliding Society

Jane started gliding in 1980 and has flown in many Regional and National Competitions.

She first flew the Women’s European Championships at Husbands Bosworth, UK in 1991, and followed this up with the 1993 Women’s European Championships at Hosin, Czech Republic, the 2011 Women’s World Championships in Arboga, Sweden, and the 2022 Women’s World Gliding Championships at Husbands Bosworth, in the UK again, this time flying a loaned JS3 in the 18m Class.

Jane is a Health, Safety and Quality professional and has worked in the Aviation, Healthcare and Oil & Gas industries, and currently ensures the safety and wellbeing of over 700 Engineer Surveyors who carry out statutory inspections across many different types of businesses.

Having spent 42 years as a Fully Categorised Instructor and sending many people solo, Jane has recently retired from instructing in gliders; however she continues to fly in many gliding competitions, and also flies power aircraft (SEP) aerotowing gliders.
In her spare time Jane enjoys singing in a community choir, playing the ukulele and the classical guitar, and giving recitals for charities. She also enjoys gardening, going on long walks with her husband Steve and Celine (a Saluki dog), and looking after her chickens!
Francesca Roberts

STANDARD CLASS

Flies: LS8

Home Club: The Gliding Centre, Husbands Bosworth

Fran’s competition highlights are: 8th at the 2022 Women’s World Championships (Husbands Bosworth, UK, Standard Class); 5th at the 2024 Standard Class Nationals (UK).

Francesca (“Fran”) Roberts’ journey into aviation began before she could even walk. Raised by two passionate glider pilots, she spent her childhood on the airfield, watching and dreaming of the skies. She soloed on her 16th birthday and was quickly drawn to competitive cross-country flying, securing a place on the British Women’s Team at just 23 years old for the 2011 World Championships in Sweden.

While gliding has always been a part of her life, Fran’s career took her in another high-performance direction—healthcare. A nervous system-focused chiropractor, she owns and operates two thriving clinics in the UK, leading a dedicated team of 11 professionals. Balancing her passion for flying with a demanding career, she temporarily stepped back from competition to explore wave flying in Wales, take on new challenges, and even embark on an unforgettable adventure walking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Now a mother of two, Fran’s love for soaring has never faded. Her son Jack (5) has already attended three Women’s World Championships and had his first taste of high-level mixed competition watching his dad compete at the World Championships. Meanwhile, Hugo (1) has been along for the ride from the very start - his first World Championships experience was in 2023, when Fran competed while five months pregnant, soaring through the skies of Spain with him already in the cockpit.

Between flying, running her business, supporting her husband in his own World Championship campaigns, and renovating a house, Fran’s life is a whirlwind of adventure. Yet, she always finds her way back to the sky. Gliding, for her, is more than just a sport—it’s an unparalleled connection with nature, a test of skill and endurance, and a constant source of inspiration. Whether climbing to 24,500 feet over Aboyne at sunrise or chasing her next big milestone—the 750km diploma—Fran continues to push her limits and inspire others to chase their own dreams.
Jan McCoshim

STANDARD CLASS

Flies: LS8
Home Club: Dunstable
Jan’s aviation journey started at 16 on a weeks gliding course at Portmoak in Scotland, a present from her father for gaining the exam grades to go to veterinary school. She was instantly hooked and therefore chose the vet school at Edinburgh University as it had a gliding club!
Once qualified she gained a PPL and learnt to fly the tow planes at Deeside GC where she had a share in a glider. After 3 years as a vet she decided to change careers and pursue her passion for flying, initially becoming a flying instructor and then after gaining her ATPL a long haul commercial pilot.
Jan joined Booker GC in the nineties and started flying in regional and national competitions. She was a member of the British team at the first WWGC in 2001 in Lithuania.
She now flies a LS8 and both she and her glider are looking forward to returning to fly in the Czech Republic where they last flew in 2003 at the second WWGC at Jihlava.
Ayala Truelove

18M CLASS

Flies: JS3
Home Club: Lasham Gliding Society
Ayala started gliding in 2001 hoping that flying in a glider would help her overcome her fear of flying… After that first safe landing she joined Reading University Soaring Society at Shalbourne Gliding Club, went solo in 2002 and got her Silver a year later.
Her passion is cross-country and competition gliding and she flew her first Regionals at Dunstable in 2004 and her first international competition in 2009 where she came 4th in the Club Class in the Women’s World Championships, narrowly missing top spot on the last day.
Ayala won silver medals in the Club Class in both the Sweden 2011 WWGC, and France 2013 WWGC, where she narrowly missed out on gold after leading at the start of the final day. Her best National result to date is winning the UK Standard Class Nationals in 2015.
At the 2020 WWGC in Lake Keepit, Australia, Ayala competed in the Standard class for the first time and won bronze medal after 10 long flying days.
She is an Instructor at Lasham gliding club and when the weather is bad she flies a Cessna 175 aircraft from Brimpton.
Ayala’s other sporting passion is football, and she has played for Charlton and Southampton in the Women’s Premier League and earned 12 International caps playing for Israel.
Liz Sparrow

18M CLASS

Flies: ASG29
Home Club: Lasham Gliding Society
Liz started gliding in 1990 and now has around 4000h; she flies her ASG29 from Lasham Gliding and instructs at Shalbourne Soaring Society.

Liz is a founder member of the women pilots’ development initiative Women Gliding, and is Director of the BGA Go Gliding programme which wows young people - especially those from groups currently under-represented in aviation – with the awesomeness of gliding and encourages them to consider STEM careers.

Liz, a regular competitor in Regional and National competitions, made her international debut in 2003 and has qualified for each Women’s Worlds since. She flew in the senior European Championships in Poland in 2013, becoming top ranked woman in world gliding and 80th overall. In 2019, she made the move from Club Class to 18m and fell head-over-heels in love with the extra performance.

Liz didn’t compete in WWGC2022, instead taking on the role of Championship Director for the successful competition held at The Gliding Centre. She was back in the cockpit to compete in Spain in 2023 and is really looking forward to racing in the Czech Republic.

Liz has an engineering degree from Queens’ College, Cambridge University and a Fellowship in Manufacturing Management from Cranfield University. She’s just retired from running a consultancy designing award-winning public services. In the spaces between gliding and looking after a large garden, Liz and husband Alan are keen hikers.
Alan Baker

TEAM CAPTAIN

Flies: Pipistrel Taurus
Alan started gliding in 1974 at Bicester since accumulating 4500 hours flight time and also holds an Arline Transport Licence with a similar 4500 hours in powered aircraft and still enjoys instructing on both.
After his time as an aeronautical engineer (Harriers and Puma Helicopters), Alan has held business development posts in Aerospace, Large Computer Solutions (ERP) and Weather Data (inventing a briefing service for the world’s airlines).
He now holds a passion for sustainability, electrification and leaving kids some fresh air to breath.
Hobbies:
Alan is never far away from a guitar or the sun, particularly viewed from Spain, likes live music, modern jive dance and generally making the world a better place. Not to forget helping gliders go faster, safely!

British Junior Team - Slovakia 2025

George Downing

CLUB CLASS
Jordan Johnson

CLUB CLASS
Oliver Ramsay

STD CLASS
Oscar Butlin

STD CLASS

Sponsors

Login