A former air cadet from Aberdeen has taken to the skies once again at the age of 93.
Gordon James Young, from Bridge of Don, visited the Deeside Gliding Club on Monday to become their oldest ever gliding passenger.
It is no secret that Gordon had been keen to get back in the air after serving at RAF Dyce when he was 16.
Returning to the skies three years ago was not enough for the 93-year-old who said he “loves the quiet of the gliders.”
He was taken for the nostalgic day out by his son, Gary, 58, which included lunch at the Banchory Lodge Hotel before jetting off in Aboyne Airfield.
Former Aberdeen air cadet returns to the sky
Gordon fondly remembers the time he spent at RAF’s Morsden base near London as a youngster – and shared the story of how one of his squaddies landed in trees on his first flight.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, he said: “I started out in the Air Training Corp down in Surrey where we got taken out for a gliding course.
“I remember going up and doing circuits and coming back down again.
“We had one lad that was was in our unit that did a few laps, and after that you’re supposed to come straight back down – but instead he went straight into the trees. He was alright though.
“I’ll always remember that. That glider was written off all right!”
Thankfully, Gordon’s flight on Monday landed without a hitch.
Gordon’s chance meeting with wife in Bucksburn
Originally from Surrey, Gordon ended up settling down in the north-east after meeting his late wife Margaret.
“I was put on a temporary posting at RAF Dyce, and I was stationed there for three months,” he said.
“When I was there, I went to a local dance hall in Bucksburn – it was called The Argosy.
“I walked in and this young lady came over and asked me for a dance – I had to tell her ‘sorry I don’t dance’.
“But she didn’t mind and she said she’d tell me what to do. That was my future wife – Margaret.
“From then on, we were together for ever after, from that point on.”
The couple eventually tied the knot and went on to have two daughters and two sons.
Gordon’s move to Aberdeen meant the end of his Air Force career, but he went on to work in a car repair shop, before finding a career in television repairs and sales.
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