Past Times

Gallery: Take to the skies with pictures of Aberdeenshire hang gliders

1978 - Frank Worth, from Oxford, takes off before heading along Glen Clunie towards Braemar.

By Kirstin Brown

July 24 2022, 6:00 am

July 24 2022, 6:00 am

The north-east of Scotland is home to amazing scenery and countryside but have you ever thought of seeing you favourite Aberdeenshire sights from the air?

The modern hang glider was developed in the 1960s in America and by the 70s the air sport had spread into Europe. By 1978, Aberdeen had it’s own hang gliding club (AHGC/AHPC) as seen in the photographs below.

To celebrate almost four and a half decades of hang gliding in the north-east, we’ve collated 15 photos showcasing the aviation sport through the decades.

Do you recognise any of the hang glider pilots below? Let us know in the comments.

A man hang gliding — 1978 – Peter Grant, 30, Aberbothrie, Spittal of Glenshee, rises off the ground in a lift, an upward current of air, on one of his attempts in the distance flying.

A man receiving a kiss from his wife before hang gliding — 1983 – A kiss for Bill Anderson as his wife wishes him luck before he left the hillside for his attempt on the distance event, attempting to fly to Glenshee.

A man preparing to take off — 1979 – Richard Arkle enjoys a bird’s eye view of life as he takes to the air at weekends to enjoy his hobby.

A man dismantling his hang glider — 1978 – Gustav Fischnaller, who ran the Cairnwell Ski School at Glenshee, gets ready for another glide in beautiful surroundings.

A crowd of people watching a man hand gliding — 1976 – Onlookers admire high-level skills at Ballater Donkey Derby.

Two men preparing to be hang gliding — 1976 – Gustav Fischnaller, left, and James McIntosh launched themselves from the 600ft summit of Craigendarroch and floated down to the field where Ballater Donkey Derby was being held.

A man setting up his hang glider — 1979 – Police officer Charlie Ingram, a member of Aberdeen Hang Gliding Club, who was looking forward to the Scottish Open Hang Gliding Championships at Glenshee

A man measuring wind speed with two people hang gliding behind him. — 1982 – Philip McRonald, Sunnyside, Cults, measures the wind speed with a ventimeter.

Aberdeen Hang Gliding Club sat around a table — 1983 – Aberdeen Hang Gliding Club chairman Bob Dunthorn, front right, and club members meet to discuss the coming year’s flying sites

A man hang gliding — 1978 – Brian Milton, who had previously made an unsuccessful attempt to cross the Channel after taking off from a balloon, gets in some practice.

Three men hang gliding — 1983 – From left, Chris Mosley, John McConnachie and Bob Dunthron were hoping to fly from the top of Ben Nevis to Fort William.

Aberdeen Hang Gliding Club — 1980 – Aberdeen Hang Gliding Club chairman Mr Robin Smith, right, talks with members at the club meeting at Cults Hotel, Cults, last night.

A group of men planning their hang gliding journey — 1980 – Planning the next stage of their journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats are Dave Garrison, front left, and John Pemburton, right, with their ground crew Mike Henessy and Mike Clay

A crowd of people watching hang gliding at the Ballater Donkey Derby. — 1976 – Hang gliders delight the crowd at the Ballater Donkey Derby in August 1976.

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