Glider pilot files 1,340km – using 'power of the sky'

A North Wales glider pilot has completed one of the most remarkable flights in British gliding history – by flying for more than 14 hours and covering a total distance of 1,340km — which is roughly the distance from North Wales to the South of France.

Chris Gill, Chief Flying Instructor at Denbigh Gliding Club, completed the record-breaking flight on Thursday 2 July 2026, flying from Lleweni Parc near Denbigh with fellow club pilot James Roland.

Unlike powered aircraft, gliders are able to travel huge distances by using invisible rising air. On this flight, Chris and James used a series of powerful “wave” systems created by strong winds flowing over mountains and hills.

The route took the pair from North Wales, across the Irish Sea, to the Lake District, into Scotland, out over the North Sea, back across the Lake District, and finally south through the Welsh Borders towards the Severn Estuary. Around 300km of the task distance was flown over water. The flight is believed to have broken the British 20m and Open Class distance records, including a declared distance task of 1,114km and an additional free distance record of 1,282km.

Impressive statistics

Chris Gill said: “People have been asking for years when I was actually going to do this flight. I’ve had so many failed attempts, early starts, and frustrating days where the weather just didn’t work. But every attempt taught me something. This time, the weather finally gave us the chance. It still wasn’t easy — at one point I thought our chances had dropped massively — but we kept making the right calls, and the sky kept giving us just enough.”

The flight’s key statistics include:

• More than 14 hours flying
• 1,114km declared task completed
• 1,282km free three-turn-point distance
• 1,340km total distance flown
• Around 300km flown over water
• Six separate wave systems used
• Climbs to almost 20,000ft.

The flight forms a major part of PIONEERS, a documentary project created to tell the story of high-altitude gliding, and the attempt to push British gliding further than ever before. The project was co-founded by Chris Gill, Simon Grice and Alan Howard of Video & TV Productions. The record claims are expected to be reviewed through the formal British gliding record process.

• Technical flight details are available here and here
• The PIONEERS project site can be found here